Amsterdam has the most underrated bar scene of any major European capital. Door 74 set the modern speakeasy template here in 2008; the city has built around it. The 10 below mix serious cocktail bars with brown cafés (the local term for the centuries-old neighbourhood pubs) and one essential brewery taproom.
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The 10 best bars in Amsterdam
01 · Amsterdam
Reguliersdwarsstraat
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Speakeasy · Black door
Reservation-only. Through an unmarked black door. The room that introduced Amsterdam to modern speakeasy bartending in 2008.
Order: Whatever's seasonal
02 · Amsterdam
Centrum
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Restaurant + serious bar
The cocktail bar attached to the small-plates restaurant of the same name. Old-school cocktail bartending in a room that doesn't want you to know it's serious.
Order: The 'cure for tomorrow' espresso variant
03 · Amsterdam
Jordaan
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Hotel bar · Canal-side
Inside the Pulitzer Hotel on Prinsengracht. Canal-side windows, jazz programming, drinks built on Dutch genever traditions.
Order: A Genever Old Fashioned
04 · Amsterdam
Centrum
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Speakeasy · Reservations
Through an unmarked entrance. Sister bar to Tales & Spirits. Less known but equally rigorous.
Order: A clarified milk punch off the seasonal menu
05 · Amsterdam
De Pijp
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Natural wine · Tiny
De Pijp natural wine bar with one of the city's best by-the-glass programs. Tiny, no reservations, queue accepted.
Order: A glass of pet-nat from their rotating list
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06 · Amsterdam
Jordaan
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Brown café · 1786
Operating in this Jordaan room since 1786. Wooden interior, canal-side terrace, jenever in earthenware mugs. The most beautiful brown café in the city.
Order: An old jenever, served cold
07 · Amsterdam
Centrum
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1475 · Wooden building
In a wooden building from 1475 — one of only two left in Amsterdam. Sailors paid their bills with monkeys (hence the name). Drinking history made literal.
Order: A jenever, neat
08 · Amsterdam
Oost
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Brewery + windmill
At the foot of De Gooyer windmill. Iconic Amsterdam brewery. The taproom serves only their own beer.
Order: Zatte (Belgian-style tripel)
09 · Amsterdam
De Pijp
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Speakeasy · Burger spot front
Through the back of The Butcher burger restaurant in De Pijp. Theatrical entrance; cocktails that don't disappoint.
Order: A signature smoke-and-mezcal spec
10 · Amsterdam
Eastern Docklands
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Waterfront · DJ
Waterfront drinking room near NEMO. Outdoor terrace, late-night DJ programming. Best in summer, but works year-round.
Order: A spritz on the dock
More Amsterdam bars by categoryCocktail, hidden gem, craft beer — the full Amsterdam index.
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How to drink in Amsterdam properly
Pair a brown café (Café 't Smalle, In't Aepjen) with a serious cocktail bar (Door 74, Tales & Spirits) and you've understood the city. Most cocktail bars require reservations for weekend nights but are walk-in friendly Monday-Wednesday. The Jordaan is the best neighbourhood for an evening's walking; the Centrum gets you the historic addresses.
