The alley cafe off the Spui that introduced Belgian beer to Amsterdam in 1974, still pouring 14 taps and more than 200 bottles in a wood dark room.
Published Mar 17, 2026 Last reviewed May 19, 2026 · How we pick bars Location Raamsteeg 4, Amsterdam Alley between Spuistraat and Singel Price $$ Trappist bottles from mid single digits Hours Sun–Thu 1:00pm – 1:00am Fri–Sat 1:00pm – 2:00am Booking Walk in only Format Tiny brown café Drinks Specialty Belgian Trappist and abbey ales 14 taps, 200 plus bottles Beer Café Centrum Since 1974 Belgian Bottles 4.6 None aggregate across Google and Tripadvisor reviews Visit Café Gollem Reserve a table Ask the editors Listings are editorial. Tell us if hours or details have changed and our editors will verify and update.
Café Gollem sits at Raamsteeg 4, a narrow alley between Spuistraat and the Singel canal, in a building that once housed a liqueur distillery. It opened in 1974 as the first café to bring Belgian and foreign beer to Amsterdam, decades before the craft wave arrived.
The room is a pure brown café, tiny, dark and built almost entirely of wood, with chalkboards listing what is pouring. The Infatuation's review singles out the side street location as the reason it stays calm while the Spui crowds pass a block away.
The list runs 14 taps, including a house IPA, and more than 200 bottles weighted heavily toward Belgium. Rochefort, Westmalle and Orval anchor the Trappist shelf, with rotating lambics and seasonal abbey ales filling the board around them.
Tripadvisor rates the Raamsteeg original at 4.7 and regulars consistently call it the best of the Gollem family, which now runs several rooms across the city. BeerAdvocate reviewers flag the staff's habit of steering drinkers by strength and sweetness rather than brand.
Come on a weekday afternoon for a quiet corner and a heavy Belgian quadrupel. For more of the scene, see our Amsterdam craft beer guide, the best beer bars in Amsterdam, and the near me beer finder.
Weekday afternoons from the 1pm open are the golden window, when the wood room is half empty and the staff have time to walk the bottle list.