Best Bars In Amsterdam

Think the Dutch are a nation of beer drinkers? You’d be right. Except they are many other things too now. Natural wines are starting to dominate lists at some of Amsterdam’s best restaurants and bars. Meanwhile, the capital’s forward-thinking mixologists are creating ingredients-led cocktails that mirror food menus with their emphasis on locality and seasonality. And if that all sounds a bit too considered, there’s still room on this list for a couple of standout places for a crisp craft pilsner.

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Super Lyan

COCKTAILS

Rosewood Advocatuur

The seductive bar in Amsterdam’s new Rosewood hotel is a place of contrasts. In a handsome part of the city’s old Palace of Justice, it sits at the heart of the Dutch establishment. Yet its cocktail list is inspired, at least in part, by Amsterdam’s countercultural Provo movement of the 60s and 70s – early signatures include the Order + Disorder (rum, matcha orgeat, aloe vera, clarified guanabana). This see-and-be-seen destination also distils its own jenever (an old Dutch take on gin) and offers up a former jail cell as a private tasting room.

Visit ROSEWOODHOTELS.COM

Vesper Bar

This small neighbourhood bar wears its brilliance lightly. Accomplished staff turn out exquisite renditions of inventive cocktails taken from a seasonal menu – there’s a gochujang sour on at the time of writing, as well as a Negroni Paradiso featuring the tropical flavours of pandan liqueur and tiki bitters – but the atmosphere is always laid-back.

Visit VESPERBAR.NL

Pulitzer’s Bar

Tucked within the 25 canal houses that make up the Pulitzer hotel, Pulitzer’s Bar can feel clubby in a couple of senses – both positive. It presents as a sophisticated, modern take on the wood-panelled establishments enjoyed by gentlemen of yore, but you might also find beat-driven music is the soundtrack of choice. Its talented mixologists recently worked with the always ground-breaking Brooklyn fragrance house DS & Durga on some new cocktails including a pistachio sour, a Debaser milk punch (bourbon, St-Germain, coconut and figs), and a G&G highball (gin, grapefruit, ginger).

Visit PULITZERAMSTERDAM.COM

Hiding In Plain Sight

Close to the city’s Red Light District, Hiding in Plain Sight is an outstanding cocktail bar that doesn’t need to flash its wares at passersby. Those that know will already be headed here. On a classic corner site, the true pros behind the bar make good on a lengthy cocktail list that runs from straight-up martinis to signature creations they made up themselves.

Visit HPSAMSTERDAM.COM

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Bordello Aperitivo

This Red Light District bar opens at 5pm every Thursday, Friday and Saturday – just in time for that golden aperitivo hour. It sits within the Bordello A Parigi record store, and music is a big focus. This is the place to start your evening right with a well-turned negroni and some deep-cut italo disco.

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REM

For cocktails with a view, this rooftop restaurant-bar is the place to know. Crowning an offshore platform that’s found a new home and purpose in the IJ river – make sure you’ve got the legs for the climb to the top – it’s surrounded by water on all sides. Signature drinks include a mezcal-based Smoking Pornstar and a Pistachio Old Fashioned, but the unusual location is the star of the show.

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Cornerstore

On the other side of the river from historic Amsterdam, in the fast-rising Noord neighbourhood, Cornerstore takes its lead from classic Japanese listening bars. Good music, played on a great system, is paired with an elegantly straightforward drinks list of spritzes, highballs and sakes. A concise food menu of snacks and plates is carefully designed to keep you around.

Visit CSNOORD.COM

Yellow House

Coffee-fuelled workspace and all-purpose hangout by day, Yellow House turns the lights down and music up each evening. The vibe is relaxed, there’s outdoor space, and on-point cocktails include a cherry gimlet, spicy paloma and Tommy’s margarita. Stick around later on weekends to catch DJs playing live.

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Pulitzer's Bar / Debaser Ashkan Mortezapour Photography

Door 74

Super Lyan

Taste-making London mixologist Mr Lyan chose old Amsterdam for his first overseas bar, opening Super Lyan in a 17th-century house. The juxtaposition of historic building and cutting-edge cocktails is enchanting – pick from a lineup of Lyan all-stars like the Frosé Margarita and Beeswax Negroni, or explore locally minded creations such as the bubbly Canal Collins. On warmer days, remember there’s a suntrap terrace here too.

Visit SUPERLYAN.COM

Door 74

A century on from Prohibition and the allure of the speakeasy remains strong. Behind the secret entrance to Door 74, you’ll find a friendly team serving refined, seasonal cocktails in an intimate and atmospherically lit setting. Open through to 3am every day, it’s one to bookmark before a midweek night out.

Visit FINDDOOR74.COM

Law & Order

This relaxed cocktail bar takes its somewhat stern name from the history of the street it’s on, rather than any overzealous door policy. With a cool soundtrack and some distinguished signature drinks, it’s a place to cut loose. Start with a Pink Pisco (a classic pisco sour with added rhubarb) or the house take on a Manhattan, featuring Maker's Mark, Martini Bianco, port beetroot and pecan.

Visit LAWANDORDERBAR.COM

Murmur

If you’re planning a night out across the river in Amsterdam Noord, Murmur should be on the itinerary. Tucked around the back of a waterfront building, it’s a listening bar with a hand-built speaker system. But this isn’t just a place for audiophiles to sit in quiet contemplation – anyone can appreciate the Lebanese food, natural wines, contemporary cocktails and, come the weekend, live music.

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Rosewood Advocatuur

WINE

Twee Prinsen

For some canal-side people watching, it’s hard to beat Café Twee Prinsen. Right on the busy Prinsengracht waterway, it offers a classic Amsterdam experience, now supplemented by a forward-looking natural wine list and contemporary small plates like labneh with spring onion and pickled mustard seeds or lamb with celeriac remoulade.

Visit TWEEPRINSEN.NL

Scheepskameel

This is a bright and buzzy waterfront spot close to, but pleasantly apart from, the action of the historic centre. Ingredients are king in the Scheepskameel kitchen, which turns out simple, note-perfect small plates that pair beautifully with the original and entirely German wine list.

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Bar Centraal

Don’t let the name confuse you. This is not a place you’ll spot as you arrive into Centraal station. If you’ve spent an afternoon wandering the De Hallen cultural hub in west Amsterdam, it’s the place to pull into before you head back towards the historic centre. It has a classic tavern feel, offering a timeless Dutch experience that’s elevated by an outstanding natural wine list and some perfectly formed small plates. And if you ever find yourself in the south of the city, seek out GlouGlou, a sister bar with a similar commitment to all things organic and biodynamic.

Visit BARCENTRAAL.NL

REM Amsterdam

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BEER

Gebrouwen Door Vrouwen

A pair of sisters started Gebrouwen door Vrouwen as a women-led brewery, and that’s what it remains today. It’s fronted by an all-female team of seven, who have not only got its craft brews – from GoGo Grapefruit to Misty Mango – into some of the city’s best restaurants. They’ve also opened their own bar. A few blocks north of Vondelpark, it has an appealing modern taproom feel.

Visit GEBROUWENDOORVROUWEN.NL

Brouwerij ’t IJ

It’s hard to think of a more quintessentially Dutch experience than a beer beneath a windmill. That’s what’s on offer at Brouwerij ’t IJ on the edge of the historic centre. The beer could hardly be fresher, and the waterside location makes it an especially fun spot on warmer days.

Visit BROUWERIJHETIJ.NL

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