The Best Bars in Amsterdam Centrum

The oldest jenever house in Amsterdam, operating since 1679 from a narrow room behind Café Roux. The proeflokaal format means you drink standing at the bar, leaning forward to sip from a tulip glass that has been filled precisely to the brim. The jenever selection covers aged, young, and flavoured expressions — the aged version with a hint of rye is what you come here specifically for. Cash only.

Order: Aged Oude Jenever — sip from the glass without lifting it first, as tradition demands

The most serious cocktail programme in Amsterdam Centrum, tucked down an alley off the Spui that you will walk past twice before finding. The menu changes seasonally and the bartenders have the kind of precision that makes every drink feel considered. The bar seats twelve; the back room seats more but the bar counter is where the interesting things happen. Book ahead for weekends.

Order: The seasonal recommendation from the bartender — they will have a strong view on what is best right now

One of Amsterdam's most photographed brown cafés, and with good reason — the canal terrace at dusk is one of those European bar experiences that stays with you. The beer list is functional rather than exceptional, but that is not the point. Come for the atmosphere, the low-lit interior with original 18th century woodwork, and the sense that this city knows how to make a bar feel permanent.

Order: A glass of house jenever and whatever beer they have on tap

A small bar with a short, well-considered menu that changes with the seasons. Bar Oldenhof sits in a sliver of a space on Elandsgracht and draws a crowd of Amsterdam regulars who have been going since it opened. The natural wine list is excellent and priced fairly. The house cocktails lean into bitter, complex flavour profiles that reward paying attention. Best on a weekday evening when the room is at half capacity.

Order: The house Negroni variation — it changes quarterly but is always the drink to order here

Amsterdam's most famous craft brewery, set inside a functioning windmill on the Funenkade. The tasting room serves the full range of house-brewed beers — the IJwit wheat beer is the most popular, but the seasonal specials are where the interesting brewing happens. The outdoor terrace is one of the most distinctive drinking spots in the city. Open afternoons only; arrive before 5pm to avoid the crowds.

Order: A glass of IJwit in the afternoon sun — it is the right beer for this setting

Amsterdam's best-known speakeasy requires a reservation via text message — the number is not listed, which is part of the point. Once inside, the bar runs one of the city's tightest cocktail menus: twelve drinks, all well-executed, with an emphasis on classic riffs made correctly. The bar seats twenty and the atmosphere earns its reputation. The gin selection behind the bar is worth examining.

Order: The Daiquiri — Door 74 makes one of the best versions in the city

One of Amsterdam's oldest brown cafés, dating to 1631 according to the sign above the door — though the bar itself is more concerned with the present than the history. The regulars here are neighbourhood people who have been coming for years. The beer is cold, the jenever is good, and the pace of the evening is determined by the room rather than any staff. A genuine piece of Amsterdam bar culture.

Order: A jenever and a glass of Heineken — the combination that has been ordered here for three centuries

A brewpub in a former convent that has been producing beer on-site since the 15th century — with interruptions for religious reform and two world wars. The house-brewed beers are well-made, particularly the amber ale and the seasonal winter brew. The space retains enough of its original architecture to make sitting here feel like something other than an ordinary Tuesday evening.

Order: The house amber ale — it has been brewed here longer than most countries have existed

The most famous bar on the Spui, and famous for good reason — Café Hoppe has been at this corner since 1670 and the interior reflects every decade in between. The standing crowd spills onto the square on warm evenings. The drinks are simple, cheap, and served quickly. This is where you go when you want to understand what Amsterdam's drinking culture looked like before craft cocktails existed.

Order: A beer and a jenever — the local combination that never needs to change

Named for the Bond cocktail rather than the saint, Vesper sits in a quiet street in the western Centrum and runs a focused cocktail menu with a strong gin bias. The bar is narrow, the lighting is exactly right, and the bartenders are unhurried in a way that feels deliberate rather than slow. One of those Amsterdam bars that does not need to be famous because the regulars are enough.

Order: A Vesper Martini — the house version uses Dutch gin alongside vodka and is better than the original