Editorial
The best bars in De Pijp sit in the neighbourhood that has replaced the Jordaan as Amsterdam's most actively evolving drinking district. De Pijp still has the density and the residential character of a real neighbourhood, which means the best bars de pijp amsterdam visitors find are the ones that serve a local crowd first and everyone else second. The neighbourhood around the Albert Cuyp market and Ferdinand Bolstraat has more genuine quality per square block than any other area of the city right now.
De Pijp rewards walking from the Albert Cuyp market south towards Ceintuurbaan, with the highest concentration of bars sitting on Ferdinand Bolstraat and the side streets that connect to it. The neighbourhood is most alive from 5pm on weekdays and 3pm on weekends, when the market crowd transitions into the evening.
De Pijp has the best craft beer selection in Amsterdam outside of Centrum. The neighbourhood's eclectic character attracts the kind of bar owner who cares about what is on the tap list, and the results show in the range of options available within a ten-minute walk of the Albert Cuyp market.
De Pijp has more late-night options than most Amsterdam neighbourhoods outside Leidseplein. The bars below hold their quality through the later hours and attract a crowd that is worth being around after midnight.
De Pijp is where Amsterdam goes when it wants to drink without performing. The neighbourhood has enough quality — Brouwerij Troost for the brewery experience, Craft and Draft for the beer nerd, Bar Basquiat for the cocktail programme, and Café Hesp for the river terrace — to fill a full evening without leaving the area. For a first visit, start at the Albert Cuyp market in the afternoon, settle into Café Hesp for the sunset, and work your way south from there. The neighbourhood reveals itself slowly, which is the right pace for it.
Sofia covers European bar culture with a focus on the Netherlands. She considers De Pijp the most interesting neighbourhood to drink in Amsterdam right now and revisits it every time she is in the city.