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Brown Bars in Amsterdam

Café Belgique

Alternative / Artists / Beer / DJ

Party Earth Review Specializing in Belgian beer, Café Belgique is a small brown tavern oozing with rustic charm and filled with colorful characters. Ever since the well-known graffiti crew London Police took a liking to the place years ago, street artists have gathered here regularly to showcase their talents in the bar’s narrow alleyway ... more

Gravenstraat 2
1012 Amsterdam

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Skek

20s / 30s / Artists / Brown Bar / Café

Party Earth Review Situated on Amsterdam’s oldest street, Skek is an inexpensive, student-run café and bar that caters to a casual, sociable crowd of local hipsters and students. Housed in two historic 16th-century buildings, the space includes a small dining area and a brown bar and is most known for its unbeatable deals on good food and ... more

Zeedijk 4-8
1012 Amsterdam

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Proeflokaal Arendsnest

20s / 30s / 40s / Beer / Beer Lovers

Party Earth Review Any serious beer lover who’s ready to forgo the typical Belgian bars and dive into the exceptional Dutch microbrew scene needs to check out Proeflokaal Arendsnest. Although the concept is similar to the famous Belgian abbeys – that is, there’s a wide selection of flavors, ingredients, and alcohol content, and every beer ... more

Herengracht 90
1015 BS Amsterdam

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't Loosje

20s / 30s / All Ages / Beer / Café / Funk

Party Earth Review Built in the early 1900s, ‘t Loosje’s building was originally the site of a waiting room for folks looking to snag a seat on the city’s early horse-drawn tram. Nowadays, however, it’s a great spot for people-watching and a popular haunt for mellow professionals and artsy types in the mood for one of the bar’s many tap beers ... more

Nieuwmarkt 32-34
1012 Amsterdam

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Café Proust

30s / Ambient / Artsy / Brown Bar / DJ

Party Earth Review Café Proust is an upscale bar and café that caters to the Jordaan’s artsy yet cosmopolitan population of well-heeled young professionals. A fresh take on the typical Dutch brown bar, the sleek and spare décor features a sparkling revolver-shaped chandelier amusingly aimed at a bullet hole ... more

Noordermarkt 4
1015 Amsterdam

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Café Tabac

20s / 30s / 90s Music / Ambient / Café

Party Earth Review With the swarm of mingling patrons and high-volume chatter on the street corner outside the bar, it’s nearly impossible to pass by Café Tabac without thinking there’s a great party going on. The odd part is that there’s nothing overtly special about Café Tabac at first glance – but on closer inspection it’s easy to see ... more

Brouwersgracht 101
1015 Amsterdam

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Café Hoppe

20s / 30s / Brown Bar / Casual / Hip

Party Earth Review Established in 1670, Café Hoppe is a traditional Dutch bar where the city’s intellectuals have gathered for hundreds of years to discuss politics and world affairs. Scholars and highbrows still convene at this quaint pub, but nowadays their heated debates are illuminated by the neon lights of oversized Amstel signs and ... more

Spui 18-20
1012 Amsterdam

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Whiskycafé L&B

20s / 30s / Brown Bar / Finger Food

Party Earth Review Outside, fogged and white-framed windows reveal a typical Dutch brown bar – cozy and brimming with character. Inside, the award-winning Whiskycafé L&B is a soothing and resoundingly mellow spot that practically begs for a snort or two of whiskey to accompany it. Luckily, there’s a whiskcrapload on hand. Nearly 1,500 whiskey ... more

Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 82-84
1017 Amsterdam

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Café De II Prinsen

20s / Brown Bar / Casual / Lively

Party Earth Review Though the historical portraits and antique chandeliers may create the illusion of an old-fashioned Dutch pub, patrons shouldn't be fooled by appearances. Café De II Prinsen is a lively bar and attracts a young college crowd that comes every night to let loose, meet new people, and have a good time. Even though there isn ... more

Prinsenstraat 27
1015 Amsterdam

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Café de Spuyt

20s / 30s / Anything goes / Artists

Party Earth Review Over one hundred types of Belgian and Dutch beers await in this snug Flanders-meets-Amsterdam brown bar, a place that has apparently radiated warmth and charm since the day it first opened its doors as a communist hangout in 1968. Besides the requisite beer signs, posters, and a communal acoustic guitar, the walls also ... more

Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 86
1017 Amsterdam

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Named for their 16th- and 17th-century-inspired wooden decors, Amsterdam’s brown bars are some of the city’s most prized nightlife spots. Brimming with good cheer and old-world class, these laid-back hangouts perfectly suit the city’s charming demeanor.

That’s not to say that all brown bars are the same; in fact, brown bars in Amsterdam range from upscale destination spot to cozy neighborhood grotto. Café Proust, for example, aims for a classy chic crowd (no pun intended on its gun-shaped chandelier). Meanwhile, Whiskeycafe L&B acts as more of a connoisseur’s locale with its warm interior and incredible whiskey selection. Beer lovers can sate their thirst for Dutch microbrews at well-stocked beer bar ‘t Arendsnest, laughing and chatting over a goblet of some rare trippel, while in the Red Light District the student-run Skek provides everything from beer and wine to coffee and tea. In all of these places, though, the comforting wooden walls and pervading vibe of simpler times keeps patrons satisfied down to their souls.

Though they scream their city’s past in an almost antiquated way, Amsterdam brown bars aren’t just for tourists or old souls. All walks of life converge at these establishments, happy to soak up their sense of immortality, complete relaxation, and undeniable cool.