The 15 Best Bars in the Netherlands
Most of these bars are in Amsterdam, and the best bars in the Netherlands start with the one Dutch name on the inaugural Europe's 50 Best Bars, at No. 42 in 2026. Super Lyan, the first international venue from Mr Lyan, fills a circular, neon-lit corner of the Kimpton De Witt hotel inside a 17th-century house on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal; its menu draws on Amsterdam's boroughs, and it was named the best bar in the Netherlands this year. In Rotterdam, NY Basement has sat below Hotel New York since 2015, with an 11-meter bar, dark wood, leather banquettes and a nod to the New York of the 1920s and 1930s; its list keeps to well-made classics such as Negronis and Manhattans. In nearby Schiedam, malt wine took over from cloth and herring around 1700, and at its peak the town counted 392 roasting houses, distilleries and mills. Super Lyan takes no reservations, so just walk in; groups of more than eight should book. These are the fifteen we would start with.
★ TOP 10EUROPE'S 50 BESTCocktail BarSuper 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 AmsterdamFull profile
★ TOP 10Cocktail BarSins of Sal
Sins of Sal opened on May 19, 2022, at Westerstraat 86 in the Jordaan, a narrow, dark Latin cocktail and street-food bar from the Uzcudun brothers of the restaurant and mezcalería Salmuera. Its look borrows from the vampire bar in the film From Dusk Till Dawn, under red neon. The opening list was developed by Salmuera bar manager Martin Eisma with Milena Laurenti, and drinks still come from the tap, the freezer or the slush machine, among them the KFC Daisy with chicharrón, coleslaw cordial, bourbon and calvados, and the Flip-Flop Margarita with melon and hoja santa, which Gault&Millau calls the country's best spicy margarita. It stays open until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays, with the kitchen open until midnight.
Westerstraat 86, 1015 MN AmsterdamFull profile
★ TOP 10Cocktail BarShakerato
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 AmsterdamFull profile
★ TOP 10Cocktail BarCUE
CUE's listening bar sits down a flight of stairs below its restaurant on Utrechtsestraat, modeled on the listening bars of Japan. Vinyl DJs set the soundtrack while a short menu reworks familiar classics without fuss. The bar is walk-in only.
Utrechtsestraat 30A, 1017 VN AmsterdamFull profile
★ TOP 1050 BESTSpeakeasyDoor 74
Door 74 has poured behind a plain door on Reguliersdwarsstraat since 2008, one of the first Dutch bars to leave sweet, fruity drinks behind for serious cocktails. It was No. 15 on The World's 50 Best Bars 2013, and its Art Deco room still pairs high-end drinks with an easygoing, old-school feel.
Reguliersdwarsstraat 74, 1017 BN AmsterdamSun–Thu 20:00–03:00, Fri–Sat 18:00–04:00Full profile
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★ TOP 10Cocktail BarDe Blauwe Parade
De Blauwe Parade on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal began as a bodega where the Hulscher brothers poured the ports, wines and sherries they had found in Portugal. Rebuilt as a cocktail pub in the spirit of the Dutch bruine kroeg, it keeps most of its original fittings and serves simple, carefully made drinks.
Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 178, 1012 SJ AmsterdamFull profile
★ TOP 10Cocktail BarFitz'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 AmsterdamFull profile
★ TOP 10Cocktail BarNIDO
NIDO, Spanish for nest, is a cocktail bar on Linnaeusstraat in Oost with windows over the park next door and warm, sunset-colored light. Its menu leans on big Spanish flavors, from the Mercado Michelada to the Horchata Colada.
Linnaeusstraat 2C, 1092 CK AmsterdamFull profile
★ TOP 10Hotel BarRosalia's Menagerie
A cocktail bar established in 2017 on the principal floor of Rosalia's Inn on the Kloveniersburgwal, one of Amsterdam's oldest canals. It focuses on Dutch heritage spirits and holds what it describes as the biggest jenever selection in the Netherlands, served through creative cocktails with flavor-led menu descriptions.
Kloveniersburgwal 20, 1012 CV AmsterdamDaily 18:00–01:00Full profile
★ TOP 10Cocktail BarTaxman Cocktail Room
Taxman Cocktail Room occupies a historic canalside warehouse on Oudebrugsteeg that once held the Western world's first tax office. Owners Sergej Platonov and Vitaly Alekseyev print the menu as a 19th-century tax form, each drink named for a good that was heavily taxed back then, from sugar to salt and wine. Guests share one long communal table that runs straight into the back bar.
Oudebrugsteeg 7, 1012 JN AmsterdamFull profile- Flying Dutchmen Cocktails50 BESTCocktail Bar
Flying Dutchmen Cocktails
An acclaimed cocktail bar on the Singel owned by Tess Posthumus, Rosa Moolenaar and Alina Lucia, holding the largest back bar in the Netherlands with over 900 unique spirits. It focuses on classic and neo-classic cocktails, runs educational workshops and a guest-bartender program, and stays open until 4am seven nights a week.
Singel 460, AmsterdamDaily 17:00–04:00Full profile - Pulitzer's BarHotel Bar
Pulitzer's Bar
An Art Deco cocktail bar inside the Pulitzer Amsterdam hotel on the Prinsengracht, telling a contemporary tale of cocktail history through a classic menu. It is known for olfactory mixology, including The Alchemy of Scents, a scent-driven cocktail collaboration with fragrance house DS & Durga.
Pulitzer Amsterdam, Prinsengracht 323, 1016 GZ AmsterdamMon–Thu 17:00–01:00, Fri–Sat 15:00–02:00, Sun 15:00–01:00Full profile 
Cocktail BarBar Break
Bar Break is a neighborhood cocktail bar on Katendrecht, founded in 2023 by Salvo Calvo and Rick de Groot. The focus is on cocktails, with wines, beers and small bites alongside. The bar runs cocktail workshops, takes groups of up to 50, and has a deli next door.
Delistraat 26B, 3072 ZK RotterdamWed 15:00-23:00, Thu 15:00-00:00, Fri-Sat 15:00-01:00, Sun 15:00-23:00, Mon-Tue closedFull profile
Hotel BarNY Basement
NY Basement is in the basement of Hotel New York on the Kop van Zuid, built around an 11 meter cocktail bar. Bartenders shake creative cocktails at the bar, while the kitchen serves seasonal dishes and a chef's menu for those who stay to dine. On the first Sunday of each month it holds Sinatra Sunday with live music.
Hotel New York, Koninginnenhoofd 1, 3072 AD RotterdamTue-Thu 17:00-00:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-01:00, Sun-Mon closedFull profile- The RumahCocktail Bar
The Rumah
The Rumah is a neighborhood cocktail pub on the Oude Binnenweg, founded by Edward Nijhoff and Daryl Lieuw-On in an old pub on one of the few city center streets that predate the war. Rumah means home in Indonesian, and the drinks list is built around rum. The bar hosts guest shifts, brunches, masterclasses and cocktail workshops, with a soundtrack of 80s hits and hip hop.
Oude Binnenweg 110C, 3012 JG RotterdamMon 17:00-01:00, Wed-Thu 17:00-01:00, Fri 17:00-02:00, Sat 14:00-02:00, Sun 14:00-01:00, Tue closedFull profile
The best bars by city in the Netherlands
Explore the whole the Netherlands scene
These 15 are the starting point. The full BarMagazine directory covers every listed bar in the Netherlands, with a map, filters by bar type, and new openings as we verify them.