Best Bars Open Late in Amsterdam: Where to Drink After 1am
SR
Sofia Reeves
6 min read
Amsterdam's late-night bar scene is smaller than its reputation suggests. The best bars open late in Amsterdam are concentrated in specific streets and squares, and many of the city's most celebrated drinking establishments close at midnight or 1am on weekdays regardless of what their website says. We have checked and rechecked the hours across the city's best bars over multiple visits to give you a list that actually works after 1am.
Late-Night Bars on Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein
Amsterdam's two main nightlife squares are the most reliable late-night options in the city by sheer concentration. Leidseplein leans slightly more toward the cocktail bar end of the spectrum while Rembrandtplein tends toward the louder end, but both have enough options to build a full late night around without needing to travel far.
01
Tales and Spirits
Jordaan$$$Speakeasy / Cocktail
Open until 2am Thursday through Saturday, Tales and Spirits on Lijnbaansgracht is the best cocktail bar in Amsterdam and the one we recommend to anyone who wants to understand what the city's bar scene is actually capable of. The menu takes Dutch spirits and local ingredients seriously. The bartenders are among the most technically skilled in the city and the room is genuinely beautiful without being precious about it.
Order: Any Dutch genever-based cocktail from the current menu, or ask for the bartender's preference that evening
02
Hiding in Plain Sight
Waterlooplein$$$Hidden Bar / Dark
Open until 3am on weekends, Hiding in Plain Sight on Rapenburgstraat is accessed through what appears to be a shuttered shopfront. The cocktail list is built around seasonal ingredients and rotates every few months. The room seats around 40 and fills with a crowd that found the place rather than stumbled across it. Our consistent pick for the best late-night cocktail experience in the city.
Order: The current seasonal tasting flight if it is running, or ask for a cocktail built around aged Dutch genever
03
Door 74
Grachtengordel$$$Speakeasy / Reservation Only
Amsterdam's most famous speakeasy stays open until 3am on weekends and requires a reservation sent by text to a number that is not publicly listed on its own website. The cocktail program is one of the most ambitious in the Netherlands, the room seats under 30 people, and the intimacy that results means the service is better than in any bar four times its size. Book two weeks ahead for weekend visits.
Order: The house Martini variation, or ask for a recommendation based on your flavour preferences
The complete Amsterdam bar guide
Every neighbourhood, every occasion. Our full Amsterdam guide covers 80+ listings across cocktail bars, brown cafes, hidden gems, and more.
De Pijp and the Jordaan: Late-Night Amsterdam Bars for Locals
The city's residential neighbourhoods run later than their tourist-facing counterparts once you know where to look. De Pijp and the Jordaan have developed a late-night bar scene that operates below the radar of most visitor guides and is significantly better for it.
04
Brouwerij 't IJ
Zeeburg$Craft Beer / Windmill
The brewery inside a working windmill on Funenkade stays open until midnight on most nights and later on Fridays and Saturdays during summer months. The beers are brewed on-site and the tasting room serves them in the shadow of the mill's turning blades, which is one of the more genuinely memorable settings for a late drink in any European city. The Columbus IPA is the house reference point.
Order: The Columbus IPA to calibrate, then work through the seasonal specials on the board above the bar
05
Bar Bukowski
Oosterpark$$Literary / Neighbourhood
Open until 3am on weekends, Bar Bukowski on Oosterpark draws a neighbourhood crowd of artists and writers who have been drinking here since the place opened. The cocktail list is unambiguous and well-executed. The outdoor terrace overlooking the park runs until 1am when the weather allows, and the interior has the particular quality of a bar that has not been renovated to accommodate Instagram rather than conversation.
Order: A Gin and Tonic with a Dutch genever option, or the house whisky sour made with local apple brandy
06
Dampkring
Grachtengordel West$$Brown Cafe / Historic
One of Amsterdam's best brown cafes, Dampkring on Handboogstraat stays open until 1am most nights and 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. The room feels genuinely old in a way that most heritage bars in other cities spend considerable money recreating from scratch. The beer list covers Dutch and Belgian options with the seriousness they deserve, and the bar snacks arrive without being asked.
Order: A glass of Trappist ale paired with bitterballen, or a house genever and bier combination
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Amsterdam's Late-Night Bars with the Best Drinks Programs
Amsterdam has developed a genuine craft cocktail scene over the past decade that exists independently of its more famous attributes as a destination city. These are the bars that represent that scene at its best, all of which stay open past 1am.
07
Little Collins
De Pijp$$Australian / Neighbourhood
An Australian-influenced neighbourhood bar on Eerste Sweelinckstraat that stays open until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. The cocktail list is shorter than you expect and better than you anticipate. De Pijp's residential quality means the clientele is genuinely local, and the bartenders know their regulars, which creates the atmosphere that most neighbourhood bars in tourist-heavy cities cannot maintain past 10pm.
Order: The current seasonal sour, or a Spritz made with an unusual amaro from the back bar
08
Vesper Bar
Centrum$$$Classic / Quiet
Vesper on Vinkenstraat is a small, precise cocktail bar that stays open until 2am on weekends and operates on the principle that a shorter menu executed perfectly is better than a long menu executed adequately. The Martini is the house specialty and the genever selection is the best in the city. The room seats 25 and fills steadily from 9pm, so arrive before 10 to guarantee a seat for the later hours.
Order: A classic Martini built with Dutch genever, or ask for the house Negroni variation if they have one running
09
Jopen Brewery Amsterdam
Centrum$$Craft Beer / Social
The Amsterdam outpost of the Haarlem brewery stays open until 2am on weekends and serves 14 house-brewed beers on tap alongside a rotating selection of seasonal specials. The space is large enough to accommodate groups without feeling like a barn, the bar staff rotate recommendations based on what is newest from the brewery, and the prices are honest for the quality. Our pick for the best late-night craft beer option in the city.
Order: Ask what has come off the canning line most recently, or work through the four-glass tasting flight
10
Trouw Amsterdam
Wibautstraat$$Club Bar / Late-Night
Set in a former newspaper printing facility, Trouw stays open until 5am on weekends and operates as both a serious restaurant bar during the earlier hours and a club space later in the night. The drinks programme is more considered than you would expect from a venue this size, and the industrial architecture creates a setting that works differently at 2am than it does at 10pm. Go late or not at all.
Order: A clean Dutch gin Highball for the earlier hours, then switch to beer when the music gets louder
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What to Know About Late-Night Drinking in Amsterdam
Amsterdam's licensing is more complex than most visitors expect. Many bars technically have 3am or 4am licenses but close earlier when the crowd thins, particularly on weeknights. The reliable late-night establishments are the ones where the crowd arrives after midnight rather than before 9pm. Tales and Spirits, Door 74, and Hiding in Plain Sight all operate in this mode and are the most consistently good options in the city after 1am.
If you are visiting during summer, the outdoor terraces add a different dimension to late-night drinking. Bar Bukowski's park terrace and Brouwerij 't IJ's windmill setting are worth planning around specifically. In winter, the cosy brown cafes like Dampkring offer the atmosphere that Amsterdam's bar culture is actually built on, and they run later than their reputation suggests.
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