LatestBarsPeopleCocktailsAwardsBrandsEventsBar DirectoryList Your Bar

The Best Bars in Amsterdam

Amsterdam hosted the first edition of Europe's 50 Best Bars in June 2026, and its scene runs deeper than that list suggests. The best bars in Amsterdam sit mostly in the old center, from Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal to Spui, with more near Leidseplein and in Oost. Super Lyan, Ryan Chetiyawardana's 1950s-style futuristic diner in a 17th-century house, was the city's only entry, at No. 42 and The Best Bar in the Netherlands. Its Boroughs of Amsterdam menu turns the city's neighborhoods into drinks. Fitz's Bar, in the Pillows Hotel on the edge of the Oosterpark, was named Cocktail Bar of the Year 2026 by Gault&Millau, and on its Aromas of the World menu guests smell edible perfumes before they choose. Shakerato, from Handshake Speakeasy co-owner Eric van Beek, opened on the Stadhouderskade in December 2025, with food by Dorus Floris of Showw. Tales & Spirits was No. 18 on The World's 50 Best Bars in 2016, and Law & Order covers its walls in graffiti. Super Lyan takes no reservations, so walk in. These are the bars we would start with.

Read our Amsterdam cocktail bars featureBrowse every Amsterdam barBest cocktail bars in Amsterdam
  1. Super Lyan
    EUROPE'S 50 BESTCocktail Bar

    Super Lyan

    Super Lyan opened in spring 2019 as the first international venue from Ryan Chetiyawardana, known as Mr Lyan, whose team also runs Lyaness and Seed Library. It fills a round, neon-lit corner of a 17th-century house at the Kimpton De Witt on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, styled as a 1950s futuristic diner in turquoise leather and chrome. Each drink on the Boroughs of Amsterdam list draws on a part of the city, from the 020 Martinez to a Three Sisters Hi-Ball after the Westpoort docks, and the espresso martini uses rye bread kvass instead of coffee. It is No. 42 on Europe's 50 Best Bars 2026 and The Best Bar in the Netherlands. It takes no reservations except for groups of more than eight.

    Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 3, 1012 RC Amsterdam
    Full profile
  2. Tales & Spirits
    50 BESTCocktail Bar

    Tales & Spirits

    A multi-level cocktail bar and restaurant in a historic building in central Amsterdam, furnished with antiques and known for a humorous, extensive cocktail menu alongside food served late into the evening. It has been recognized repeatedly on the World's 50 Best Bars lists.

    Lijnbaanssteeg 5-7, 1012 TE Amsterdam
    Full profile
  3. Fitz's Bar
    Cocktail Bar

    Fitz's Bar

    Fitz's Bar opened in 2022 in a Pillows hotel by the Oosterpark in Amsterdam-Oost, and takes its cue from F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Roaring Twenties, with dark wood and warm tones. Gault&Millau named it Cocktail Bar of the Year 2026. Bar manager Nick Vrielink, who won gold in the Pre-Dinner category at the 2023 World Championship, built the signature Essence No. 5 around Chanel No. 5. On the Aromas of the World menu guests smell an edible perfume before they pick a drink; its destinations change every six months and now run through England, Turkey, Mexico and Japan. It is walk-in, with bookings on Friday to Sunday for up to eight.

    Mauritskade 61, 1092 AD Amsterdam
    Full profile
  4. Law & Order
    Cocktail Bar

    Law & Order

    A hip-hop-themed cocktail bar on De Voetboogstraat in central Amsterdam, named after the street's 16th-century civic-guard history, with street-art decor and a relaxed, living-room-like atmosphere. It serves accessible twists on classics such as the Pink Pisco and a Law & Order Manhattan, now run by the team behind Bar Oldenhof.

    Voetboogstraat 4, 1012 Amsterdam
    Full profile
  5. Shakerato
    Cocktail Bar

    Shakerato

    Shakerato opened at the turn of 2026 at Stadhouderskade 7, near Leidseplein, after a year and a half of construction and licensing delays. It is the sister bar of Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City, co-owned by Eric van Beek, who was born and raised in Amsterdam; the name is a nod to the Italian shaken espresso and a play on Handshake. The room seats about seventy below the NH Amsterdam Leidseplein, with a marble bar, an original black-and-white tiled floor and the look of a 1970s European café. Handshake's Paloma and Salt N Pepper made the trip, alongside a miniature Dirty Martini with a blue cheese olive, and Dorus Floris of the Michelin-starred Showw cooks the food. Handshake Speakeasy is No. 6 on The 50 Best Bars 2026.

    Stadhouderskade 7, 1054 ES Amsterdam
    Full profile
Flavour Blaster

Best bars in nearby cities

Explore the whole Amsterdam scene

These bars are the starting point. The full BarMagazine directory covers every listed bar in Amsterdam, with a map, filters by bar type, and new openings as we verify them.

Best cocktail barsAll 13 bars in Amsterdam

Best bars in other cities

2,400+ bars281 cities
Bar Directory