20 Best Bars in Amsterdam: Cocktails, Pubs and Hidden Spots
From speakeasies behind unmarked doors to brown cafes unchanged since the 1600s, the best bars in Amsterdam reward those who know where to look.
Amsterdam's bar scene is split between two tribes: locals who claim the best drinking isn't in the Red Light District at all, and everyone else who hasn't figured that out yet. The list below is ordered by drinking style—cocktail bars first, then neighbourhood pubs and historic brown cafes, then waterfront spots—because how you want to spend your evening matters more than location. Prices range from €10 for a beer at a classic brown cafe to €30+ for a craft cocktail in a speakeasy. Most cocktail bars require reservations on weekends; neighbourhood pubs never do.
Specialty beer bars and rooftop terraces round out the twenty, covering everything from a 40-year-old beer hall with 200 bottled options to a ferry that became a bar and back again. Book ahead for Door 74 and Fitz's Bar. Walk in anywhere else.
Door 74
Reguliersdwarsstraat 74, Centrum · Speakeasy cocktail bar · Reservation essential
Door74 is arguably Amsterdam's best cocktail bar. Door 74 is dimly lit, with vintage decor and leather banquettes that create an intimate, upscale vibe. However, it's wise to make reservations. The bartenders are masters of their craft, offering a choice of rotating seasonal signature cocktails. Previously led by Tess Posthumus and Timo Janse (now owners of Flying Dutchmen Cocktails), Door 74 opened in 2008, making it one of the first speakeasy bars in Western Europe.
Fitz's Bar
Pillows Grand Boutique Hotel Maurits at the Park, Oost · Cocktail bar, 1920s speakeasy · €€€ cocktails
Tucked inside the elegant Pillows Grand Boutique Hotel Maurits at the Park, Fitz's Bar combines 1920s glamour with contemporary cocktail craft. Its dark wood panelling, plush seating and soft lighting create a speakeasy-style hideaway. Set on the edge of Amsterdam's leafy Oosterpark, it offers visitors a refined yet welcoming escape from the city bustle, making it an essential stop for anyone seeking world-class cocktails in a stylish, award-winning setting. Award-winning bartender Nick Vrielink is behind the extensive cocktail menu, which marries iconic cultural moments with modern ingredients and techniques.
Flying Dutchmen Cocktails
Singel 460, Centrum · Cocktail bar, neo-classics · €€€ · Open until 4 am
Owned by renowned bartenders Tess Posthumus and Timo Janse, Flying Dutchmen Cocktails is one of the hottest spots in the city. With a focus on (neo-)classic cocktails, this bar features the largest backbar in the Netherlands, housing over 800 unique spirits. It's open seven days a week from 5 pm to 4 am, making it the latest cocktail bar in Amsterdam.
Tales & Spirits
Lijnbaanssteeg 5-7, Centrum · Cocktail bar, theatrical presentation · €€€
If you're looking for an insider tip in Amsterdam, make sure to visit Tales & Spirits on Lijnbaanssteeg. Order their signature cocktail "The Smoking Mirror" for a truly unique experience. This speakeasy-style bar is renowned for its impeccable mixology skills and theatrical presentations of classic cocktails. The drink itself is a mesmerizing blend of mezcal, cacao-infused Campari, orange bitters, and hints of cinnamon, served with a smoking cloche.
Super Lyan
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 3, Centrum · Cocktail bar, playful riffs · €€€ · Wednesdays onwards
Mr Lyan's Amsterdam outpost lives inside a 17th-century house by Centraal and nails "seriously fun". Expect playful riffs (yes, the beeswax Old Fashioned), low-waste thinking and a menu that treats familiarity as a launchpad, not a cage. Super Lyan is a colorful, playful bar known for its innovative cocktails. The vibe is casual and laid-back, but the drinks are anything but ordinary. Expect surprising combinations like kombucha, tea infusions, and exotic spices. The retro, funky interior instantly puts you in a good mood.
Rosalia's Menagerie
Kloveniersburgwal 20, Centrum · Cocktail bar, baroque decor · €€€ · Reservation recommended
Part storybook, part salon, Rosalia's is inspired by 17th-century Dutch curiosity cabinets. Expect a barroom lined with oddities, a genever-friendly menu, and a hidden "Inn Upstairs" if you decide to turn one nightcap into a canal-house sleepover. Drinks lean into spice, tea and local spirits with refined textures and balanced sweetness. It's intimate, narrative-driven cocktailing that still feels very Amsterdam rather than a theme park.
LuminAir
DoubleTree by Hilton, Oosterdok, Centrum · Rooftop cocktail bar · €€€€ · Open daily
SkyLounge, reopened in 2025 as LuminAir, tops the DoubleTree by Hilton beside Centraal Station, eleven floors up. The glass-walled terrace looks over the IJ waterfront and the city centre. Cocktails lead, and the room turns 18-plus after 22:00. Best at sunset, when the harbour light is at its best; arrive early for a terrace seat.
Twenty Third Bar
Hotel Okura, De Pijp neighbourhood · Rooftop bar, 23rd floor · €€€€ · Open to non-guests
Twenty Third Bar rides the 23rd floor of Hotel Okura in De Pijp, the highest seat on this list. The view is the whole flat city, and the bites come from the Michelin-starred Ciel Bleu next door. The champagne list is long, the room small and quiet. It opens to non-guests. Best early evening for a precise, grown-up drink above De Pijp.
Madam
A'DAM Tower, Noord · Rooftop bar, 19-21st floors · €€€ · Club nights weekends
Madam sits on floors 19 to 21 of the A'DAM Tower in Noord, around 100 metres up, with a 360 degree view over the IJ and the city. The kitchen does elevated Dutch classics, and the room shifts to cocktails, DJs and a dancefloor at weekends. Take the free ferry from Centraal. Best on a clear evening, when the panorama and the dancing both deliver.
Hiding in Plain Sight
Centrum, near Dam Square · Speakeasy cocktail bar · €€€ · Reservation essential
Don't be surprised if you can't find this spot on the first try. Hiding in Plain Sight is true to its name, making it a spot that's really only known by locals. However, it's worth the hunt because the quality of the cocktails is first rate as is the service. The vibe is dark and cozy, making it a great spot to end a night. Hiding in Plain Sight is in the style of an old-school American speakeasy, but then with giant windows covering two walls – making it the most ill-concealed "secret" bar ever. The bar staff are extremely knowledgeable, and the drinks are all themed according to type.
Proeflokaal Arendsnest
Herengracht canal, Centrum · Dutch beer specialist · €€ · No reservation needed
Arendsnest: Situated on the Herengracht canal, Arendsnest is a dedicated Dutch beer pub with an impressive selection of over 30 Dutch craft beers on tap and many more in bottles. Walk in any time and you'll find locals and travellers shoulder to shoulder, drinking exclusively Dutch brews—an anomaly in most of Amsterdam. The bartenders know the provenance of everything on the shelf.
Café Gollem
Raamsteeg 4, Centrum · Beer bar, 200+ bottles · €€ · Mon-Sat 4pm-3am; Sun 12pm-1am
Café Gollem is one of Amsterdam's most legendary beer cafés and a must-visit destination for lovers of Belgian and Dutch craft beer. Founded in 1972, it was among the first bars in the city to specialise exclusively in high-quality beers, long before the modern craft beer boom began. With around 14 beers on draft and more than 200 bottled beers, Café Gollem offers an impressive selection ranging from classic Belgian Trappists to modern craft brews. Mon - 4:00 pm - 1:00 am, Tue - 4:00 pm - 1:00 am, Wed - 4:00 pm - 1:00 am, Thu - 4:00 pm - 1:00 am, Fri - 12:00 pm - 3:00 am, Sat - 12:00 pm - 3:00 am, Sun - 12:00 pm - 1:00 am.
Café Chris
Bloemstraat, Jordaan · Historic brown cafe · €€ · No reservation needed
Café Chris opened its doors in 1624 as a beer house, and as such is the oldest café in the Jordaan. Locals pop in for a game of billiards or a kopstootje aan de bar (that's a jenever slurped hands-free at the bar with a beer on the side). The walls lean as much as the floorboards; the atmosphere leans harder. A kopstootje here isn't a drink, it's a rite of passage.
Café Slijterij Oosterling
Utrechtsestraat 140, Centrum · Historic brown cafe, jenever house · €€ · No reservation needed
This traditional brown cafe has been in the hands of the Oosterling family since 1877. The building itself dates back to 1735 when it was owned by the East India Company. Inside, the tiled floors and old-timey furnishings make it feel as if time has stood still. Prop up at the bar for a beer and some bar snacks as you ask the bartenders to verify the rumours about the premises being haunted.
Vesper Bar
Jordaan, off Haarlemerstraat · Cocktail bar, twisted classics · €€€ · No reservation needed
Situated in the heart of Jordaan, just off the buzzing Haarlemerstraat, this bar has an eclectic, playful vibe. You'll love this Amsterdam bar because they put a twist on cocktails by adding local ingredients and unexpected turns on the expected. The neighbourhood crowd skews younger and louder than the speakeasies, which is precisely the point.
Bar Bukowski
Amsterdam Oost · Neighbourhood bar, brunch · €€ · No reservation needed
If you ask a local where to drink in Amsterdam, they will undoubtedly cite Bar Bukowski as one of the best bars in the city. This hidden gem is way off the tourists' over beaten track in Amsterdam Oost. German-American poet Charles Bukowski, the bar's namesake, once said, 'there is always a reason to drink', and Bar Bukowski certainly lives up to this promise, with a wide array of Dutch beers and excellent cocktails to choose from. Being outside the city centre, it also offers great food options at lower prices, and serves an excellent brunch.
Café Maxwell
Beukenplein 27, Oost · Neighbourhood pub · €€ · Mon pub quiz; no reservation
Say Beukenplein, and you think of Café Maxwell. This cozy neighborhood pub has become a fixture in Oost. The place recently underwent a makeover, but thankfully, the inviting atmosphere and affordable menu remained the same. Enjoy a rotating selection of specialty beers on tap, grab a tasty daily special, and enjoy the pub quiz every Monday. A place where locals feel at home, from drinks to dinner.
Hannekes Boom
NDSM-Plein 102, Noord · Waterfront beer garden · €€ · Sun-Fri 11am-12am; Sat 11am-4am
Despite just being a short walk from Amsterdam Centraal Station, Hannekes Boom feels hidden away, like discovering a secret known only to locals rather than the hoards of tourists that fill the canal-side terraces of the city centre. Built entirely from salvaged and recycled materials, its waterfront, the sand-covered deck is one of the city's best beer gardens that regularly hosts barbecues and live music. If it wasn't for the historic city surrounding you and the hulking oxidised copper hull of the NEMO science museum standing opposite, you could be forgiven for thinking that you are at a beach-side cafe rather than one of Europe's busiest tourist hubs.
Waterkant
Marnixstraat 246, Oud-West · Waterfront bar, Surinamese food · €€ · Club nights Fri-Sat
Who knew a carpark would be one of the best places for dancing, drinking, and sunbathing along Amsterdam's canals? Another summertime favourite, Waterkant is hidden in the city centre behind a petrol station. The large space offers outdoor seating with waterside views and much like Hannekes, locals often dock their boats right alongside the bar to join the party. The menu features a wide range of local Dutch beers, cocktails, and Surinamese dishes, and there are club nights every Friday and Saturday with guest DJs providing live music.
Roest
Dijksgracht 4, Oost · Waterfront bar, urban beach · €€ · Sun-Thu 11am-1am; Fri-Sat 11am-3am
This hugely popular bar hidden away in Amsterdam-Oost is blessed with a huge canal-side terrace, complete with an urban beach. Like Hannekes Boom and Café de Ceuvel, everything at Roest looks like it was acquired from a thrift store or salvaged from a junkyard before being cobbled together by the bar's owners, giving the whole bar an eclectic, DIY vibe that matches perfectly with its surroundings, filled with derelict warehouses and industrial units.
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