A selection of cozy brown cafes in Amsterdam
1011 JR Amsterdam
Café Fonteyn
Fonteyn is known as a cozy, homely, and warm brown café with good staff. Located on Nieuwmarkt, Fonteyn has long been a household name in the Nieuwmarkt neighborhood. They serve many different types of beer and a tasty daily special. They have a large heated terrace where you can sit in all seasons and enjoy watching people stroll across Nieuwmarkt.
1012 BB Amsterdam
Café Dijk 120
Café Dijk opened its doors in 1971. It is a cozy Amsterdam café in the middle of Zeedijk. The café has many regulars from far beyond Amsterdam.
1012 PR Amsterdam
Café de Dokter
Café de Dokter, also known as 't Doktertje, was founded by a surgeon from the Binnengasthuis. He opened the café as a meeting place for doctors and students. Nowadays, visitors come from everywhere.
1012 AN Amsterdam
In 't Aepjen
In the 16th century (the time of the Dutch East India Company), the cafe offered cheap accommodation to sailors. The sailors brought monkeys from overseas. These adorable monkeys were, of course, full of fleas, so everyone who stayed In 't Aepjen came out scratching from the itching. Allegedly, this is where the name of the cafe and the expression "in de aap gelogeerd zijn" (to be in the monkey's lodging, meaning to be in a bad situation) come from. Nowadays, you can still enjoy a drink and look around at all the relics that have been preserved.
1016 AC Amsterdam
Café ‘t Molentje
Café ‘t Molentje is located in the heart of Amsterdam. The café has been around since 1892 and is now run by the third generation. The café has a cozy living room atmosphere with a public record player. Many antique elements of the interior have been preserved and the atmosphere is still as it used to be.
1017 CT Amsterdam
Los Café
Until the 1980s, Café Los was a police station. Where the cell block used to be, there are now the café's restrooms. The person who converted the building spent all his money on it and was therefore 'broke' after the renovation. Hence the name. Today, it is a cozy brown café and stays open late into the night.
1012 XA Amsterdam
Hoppe
This cafe is a classic: Café Hoppe has been located on the central square called t’ Spui since 1670. Café Hoppe has a rich history: the foundation for one of the largest political parties in the Netherlands was laid here, former Queen Beatrix honored the traditional Amsterdam pub with a visit, and Freddy Heineken, founder of the most famous Dutch beer, was a regular at this centrally located cafe. Hoppe is still one of the most vibrant cafes in the center of Amsterdam. Settle down here for a (Heineken) beer, enjoy the sun, and look around.
1012 TP Amsterdam
Café Karpershoek
Café Karpershoek is one of the oldest pubs in Amsterdam. In 1606, the Karpershoek was an inn on the IJ for the sailors of the VOC. Today, the Karpershoek is an authentic 'brown café'.
1015 CL Amsterdam
Brandon Café
Café Brandon is a café in Amsterdam located on the edge of the Jordaan district. Opened in 1626, it is one of the oldest cafés still in existence in Amsterdam.
1016 ER Amsterdam
Café de Pels
Café de Pels is a truly intellectual creative café. Many a book or column has been written here, good conversations are held here, and fun or stupid jokes are tried out here. In the Pels, people also flirt in the Amsterdam way, discuss and, as it should be in an Amsterdam brown café, drink beer. The walls are covered with art made by regular guests themselves. It is a brown café with a creative edge, sandwiches with 'kroket' and a daily special on Mondays.
1016 GK Amsterdam
Café de Doffer
Café in the 9 Streets with a cozy terrace and a simple but good menu. You can also come here for lunch and snacks. De Doffer has been a household name in Amsterdam's 9 Streets since the seventies and therefore attracts a nice varied crowd with, of course, a good portion of Amsterdam conviviality. Something for everyone here!
1015 EA Amsterdam
The Two Swans
Café De twee Zwaantjes is a cozy brown café located in the heart of Amsterdam. Every week, a regular group of six musicians with varying lineups comes to play, but guests can also sing their favorite songs.
1011 VJ Amsterdam
Café de Druif
Café de Druif is one of the oldest tasting rooms in Amsterdam. During the Golden Age, sailors were given grapes as gifts here, which is how it got its name. Nowadays, it is a meeting place for many regulars. You can sit on the large terrace by the water and enjoy a very extensive beer menu. The decor consists of small barrels from which jenever used to be tapped, and in Location muziek you can listen to the sound of regulars chatting.
1011 VA Amsterdam
Café Scharrebier
Café Scharrebier is a recognized tasting room of Brand beers and a member of the Amsterdam Brandslang. Get acquainted with the unique character of each of the Brand beers in our Brand Tasting Room. All innkeepers have visited Brand at the brewery, where they have been personally involved in the art of brewing. Scharrebier is a perfect Amsterdam brown café where you can always go for a good portion of conviviality. Overlooking the Nieuwe Herengracht, you can enjoy people-watching here.
1015 DW Amsterdam
Het Bruine Paard
Directly opposite Café het Bruine Paard is a steep bridge. There used to be a fire station on the other side. The story goes that during a harsh winter night, the horse and fire truck slid off the bridge and ended up in the café. Hence the name het Bruine Paard (the Brown Horse).
1013 EL Amsterdam
De Blauwe Druif
With its stained-glass windows and crocheted curtains, the doors of Café de Blauwe Druif have been open since 1733. It is located near the West India House. Skippers who worked for the WIC drank farewell and welcome drinks in the Blauwe Druif.
1016 NC Amsterdam
The Golden Florin
Café De Gouden Florijn is not too big and attracts a mix of locals and tourists. Nico, the owner, is a permanent fixture behind the bar and makes the beautiful stained-glass windows himself. The café has a large TV screen where soccer and rugby matches are often shown.
1015 ST Amsterdam
Eatery De Reiger
Eetcafé De Reiger in the Jordaan neighborhood is still that neighborhood café where you can easily pop in for a good meal and a nice glass of wine, but behind the scenes, something has changed. Since 2025, De Reiger has been run by the same entrepreneurs you may know from Entrepot, Metro, and De Druif: young hospitality entrepreneurs with a keen eye for atmosphere, simplicity, and quality. They haven't changed much about the café; the wooden floor still creaks like it used to, and the Amstel signs are deliberately hung upside down, but in the kitchen, just that little bit of extra attention has been added. Think simple but well-prepared classics at a reasonable price and always something tasty on tap. A café where the past is cherished, but where the future is served up at the table.
1016 NB Amsterdam
Chris's Café
Café Chris opened its doors in 1624 as a beer house, making it the oldest café in the Jordaan district. The café is named after its previous owner, Chris Meijer. Chris suffered a heart attack in 1958 while carrying a crate of beer to the café's basement.
1016 PN Amsterdam
Café The Laurel Tree
Café De Laurierboom has been an authentic neighborhood café in the heart of the Jordaan district for 150 years. It has a cozy atmosphere and a wonderful mix of visitors. Local residents, young creative types, and tourists, but also chess enthusiasts, for whom the café is well known.
1015 NA Amsterdam
Café Hegeraad
Until the early 20th century, Café Hegeraad was a small café with an adjoining house. Later, the glass connecting doors were removed. It is a cozy bar with typical Dutch cuisine, coffee, and sweet treats.
1015 DV Amsterdam
The Papeneiland
The current café building dates back to 1642. At the beginning of the Prinsengracht, at Number , there was a Catholic clandestine church in the 17th century, which was connected to the building on the corner via a tunnel. The entrance to the tunnel is still located in the basement of the café. 'T Papeneiland made world news when Bill Clinton came to taste the homemade apple pie during his visit to Amsterdam. Stop by and judge for yourself.
1015 SL Amsterdam
The New Lily
At Café De Nieuwe Lelie, old-fashioned conviviality is paramount. The café serves as a community center and meeting place for young and old alike.
1015 LX Amsterdam
Café Nol
A true family business and an authentic Amsterdam café. Located on Westerstraat in the lively Jordaan neighborhood, the café is impossible to miss: its red awnings are visible from a great distance. Inside, everything is red and quintessentially Amsterdam. Leather bar stools, lace curtains in front of the windows, chandeliers, and old photos on the walls make Café Nol iconic. Time seems to stand still here; as soon as you step inside, you find yourself in Amsterdam in 1966 (when this café first opened its doors). If you are looking for Amsterdam conviviality, Café Nol is the place to be.
1016 JC Amsterdam
Café de Pieper
Café de Pieper is a family-run business with many regulars. It is a classic but cozy café with wooden paneling, where you can get beer, cider, and sausage.
1017 KR Amsterdam
Heuvel
Locals and gallery owners from the Spiegelkwartier regularly visit here. At Café Heuvel, it's almost always happy hour around 5:00 PM. 'If I fall, let it be at Heuvel!' This small corner café with a lovely terrace is one of the oldest cafés in the city.
1017 VT Amsterdam
Oosterling Liquor Store and Café
Café Oosterling is one of only two cafés in Amsterdam with a liquor license. Oosterling produces jenever according to its own recipe. The café has been in the family for 140 years.
1016 VT Amsterdam
Café the Young Orphan
Café De Jonge Wees, located at Looiersgracht 144, is a typical brown neighborhood pub that lays the foundation for the well-known Amsterdam conviviality with an extensive selection of beers, genevers, and snacks. Ajax is always on TV here, and thanks to the sunny terrace, you can enjoy the atmosphere both inside and outside. What's more, Café De Jonge Wees is the sister bar of Proeflokaal A. Van Wees, which means that all the jenever served in the Jordaan comes from A. Van Wees Distilleerderij de Ooievaar in Amsterdam.
1017 SM Amsterdam
Café de Wetering
A traditional brown cafe and not easy to find if you don't know exactly where you need to be. The cafe is located in a beautiful 17th century building. There is a loft above the bar with a fireplace. This brown cafe is also special because it has an excellent wine list, which you don't often see in classic Amsterdam pubs. Of course, also delicious beer, snacks and, importantly, you only pay in cash here.
1013 BX Amsterdam
Café Westerdok
Café Westerdok was originally a harbor café. Nowadays, it's the place to be if you like beer. They serve as many as 86 different kinds.
1018 DE Amsterdam
Café Eik en Linde
Café Eik en Linde is a true Amsterdam brown café with a long history. Nowadays, a mixed crowd gathers here, ranging from regulars and billiards players to students and tourists. This creates a pleasant atmosphere, making the café a household name, even outside Amsterdam. The café is known for the radio broadcasts that were recorded in the upstairs room, including the most famous broadcast 'Een dik uur met Ischa' by Ischa Meijer. In short, it is a place where politics, literature, and art come together with a beer.
1098 AE Amsterdam
Elsa's cafe
The well-known brown café on Middenweg opposite Park Frankendael has been a household name in Watergraafsmeer for decades. A real neighborhood café with good beer and satay and spare ribs on the menu. The beef sausage is a snack specialty at Elsa's. Fun fact: Elsa's stands for Elsa Maxwell, who was known in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s for the extravagant and lavish parties she organized. "The hostess with the mostest."
1074 AB Amsterdam
Café Biljart van Wou
Café Biljart van Wou is a typical neighborhood café that becomes quiet when the locals are on vacation.
1025 LM Amsterdam
Café 't Sluisje
This old brown café has been around for over 100 years. For a moment, it looked like 't Sluisje was going to disappear, but it was bought by 85 local residents and a new manager was found. It is a really cozy neighborhood café where everyone knows each other and meets up. The terrace is located on a lock, and it's a wonderful place to sit in the summer. But even in winter, with a nice hot chocolate with whipped cream and a winter coat, you can enjoy the view of the beautiful Nieuwendammerdijk and the rest of rural northern Amsterdam.