11 Best Bars in Canal Rings, Amsterdam

Arie the cat is as much a fixture at this local brown café as its lovingly restored Art Deco features. High ceilings give a more spacious feel than your typical brown café, and the corner terrace is perfect after a day's shopping down the stylish Utrechtsestraat. Biggest perk? Café Krom may have the last working jukebox in town.

Choose from more than 50 types of beer on draft and 100 beers in bottle, paired with a nice selection of Dutch cheese and sausage, at this cozy ode to Dutch-only brews. You can belly up to the bar or sit on a terrace along the canal.

For well-crafted cocktails with canal views, intimate fireplace nooks, and an Art Deco–style bar, Pulitzer's Bar is one of the best in the city. In fact, we think it's a must-visit for both classic cocktails and creative next-gen concoctions.

Where it comes to hidden-away drinking dens, they don't come more clandestine than a bar locked away in a former bank vault. To access this open insider's secret, head to the Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam Hotel, where concealed deep within, there's a small yet stylish bar, which has made a name for itself as quite the address for whiskey connoisseurs. Here, well-informed bartenders are ready to unlock the secrets of the world's rarest and most exclusive drams, such as the prohibitively rare The Dalmore 40YO or Port Ellen 39 Years Untold Stories (both can be ordered by the glass). There are also whiskey flights and master classes with food pairings from the hotel's Spectrum restaurant.

The dark interior is more than compensated for by the canalside view. Smoke indoors or step out to enjoy a joint while watching the canal boats pass by. Amnesia is legendary for its expansive menu, friendly staff, and edibles, including milk shakes and space cake.

This kitschy gay pub attracts an outgoing, all-ages crowd, who stop in for a drink and perhaps a sing-along before heading out to the club.

The fourth generation of Oosterlings still runs this corner brown café with its original 1735 stone floor and barrels of jenever way up high. Popular with locals of all stripes, Oosterling also sells all its bottles to-go, which can come in handy when you're in a fix.

Sitting outside by the canal in front of Tabac with a beer in hand and a plate of bitterballen (Dutch meatballs) just may be the quintessential Amsterdam experience. If hunger strikes, there’s also a cozy if cramped indoor area that serves up more substantial Indonesian dishes.

This grand café dating back to 1898 is popular for both its intimate seating arrangements and a U-shape bar surrounding old-style wooden museum cases filled with zoological specimens. In the evening, the clientele sit pretty, high above the noisy, street-level clubs on Rembrandtplein. On weekends there are dance nights with live DJs.

This decade-old drag-show bar is renowned for its extravagant weekend performances. The monthly agenda includes Sunday night karaoke.