Amsterdam

Best Bars in Jordaan

The canal district where Amsterdam keeps its oldest brown cafes, its sing along music bars and a handful of serious cocktail rooms, all within a few gracht blocks. Here are the Jordaan bars our editors send people to first.

  1. 01

    Vesper Bar

    Cocktail Bar · Jordaan

    A 20 seat cocktail room named for the Vesper Martini, working classic technique behind a polished marble bar. Small and intentional, worth arriving early.

  2. 02

    Bar Oldenhof

    Whisky Bar · Jordaan

    A dim Elandsgracht cocktail and whisky room with leather banquettes and around 300 bottles behind the bar, weighted toward Scottish single malt.

  3. 03

    Cafe 't Smalle

    Brown Cafe · Jordaan

    A 1786 former jenever distillery turned brown cafe, with the most photographed canal terrace in the city out over the Egelantiersgracht.

  4. 04

    Cafe Chris

    Brown Cafe · Jordaan

    The oldest bar in the Jordaan, pouring since 1624. Tight, loud and fully authentic, with fast bitterballen, no cocktail list, just beer and jenever.

  5. 05

    Cafe Papeneiland

    Brown Cafe · Jordaan

    A 17th century corner cafe at the top of the Prinsengracht, all Delft tiles and worn wood, drawing a steady local crowd most afternoons.

  6. 06

    De Twee Zwaantjes

    Live Music · Jordaan

    A sing along levenslied cafe on the Prinsengracht where the accordion and the regulars take over on weekend nights. Loud, warm and very Jordaan.

  7. 07

    Cafe de Koe

    Pub · Jordaan

    A friendly eetcafe near the Leidseplein edge of the Jordaan, with no bookings upstairs and a downstairs kitchen that fills early at weekends.

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