Groningen
Drinking spaces don't get cooler than Mr Mofongo. Think student-hip cafe with buzzing pavement terrace on the ground floor, and cocktail bar with…
Must-see nightlife in The Netherlands
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Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Candles burn even during the day in this 15th-century building – one of two remaining wooden buildings in the city – which has been a tavern since 1519…
Rotterdam
Sustainable, innovative and funky as anything, this bar-cafe in the former Tropicana baths has a large terrace boasting views across the Nieuwe Maas river…
Amsterdam Noord
Uber-cool Pllek is a Noord magnet, with hip things of all ages streaming over to hang out in its interior made of old shipping containers and, when the…
Amsterdam Noord
Tucked in a former shipyard and designed by architect Wouter Valkenier, built from recycled materials and with a focus on sustainability, this waterside…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
An Amsterdam institution, Hoppe has been filling glasses since 1670. Barflies and raconteurs toss back brews amid the ancient wood panelling of the bruin…
Rotterdam
Rotterdam's first artisanal coffee roastery (there are now 12), Man Met Bril sources direct-trade, 90% organic beans from across the globe and then roasts…
Amsterdam
Out on a limb by the canal and listing like a ship in high winds, this tiny black building dating to 1695 was once a lock-keeper's house on the Oude…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Pull up a stool at the carved wooden bar and choose from the glinting brass taps. It's all about Belgian beers here: eight flow from the spouts, and…
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Amsterdam
This is one of those 'only in Amsterdam' places, and well worth the trip. Once-derelict shipyards now host this epically cool artist collective–bar…
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Haarlem
At its brewery 4km northeast of Haarlem's centre, Uiltje has a lively bar area and sunny courtyard where you can try its 10 draught and two cask beers,…
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Distilleerderij 't Nieuwe Diep
Amsterdam
Appearing out of the woods like a Hansel and Gretel cottage, the quaint architecture and rural setting of this old pumping station are enchanting and it…
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De Pijp
Watch beer being brewed in copper vats behind a glass wall at this outstanding craft brewery. Its dozen beers include a summery blonde, a smoked porter, a…
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Frisian Islands
Not far from the picture-book lighthouse in Hollum is this sizzling beach club on the sand. Lounge here with islanders in the know over a G&T and cocktail…
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Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Dating from 1679, this small tasting house in an arcade behind NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky serves scores of jenevers (Dutch gins) and liqueurs. Although…
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Nijmegen
Famed far and wide for its expertly shaken craft cocktails, Demain (French for 'tomorrow') is a fantastic spot to begin or end an evening out. It has a…
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Amsterdam
This gloriously historic but updated bruin café (traditional Dutch pub) first opened its doors in 1702. It's named after an icebreaker that used to dock…
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Amsterdam
Can you get more Dutch than drinking a craft beer beneath the creaking sails of the 1725-built De Gooyer Windmill? Amsterdam's leading microbrewery makes…
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Amsterdam
Mixologist Sam Kingue Ebelle concocts impressively inventive cocktails (€10.50 to €13) at this moody bar on Amstelveenseweg. For theatrical drama, try the…
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Groningen
The hip go-to address at any time, the Concert House is a hybrid cafe, bar, and DJ and live-music space with pavement terrace overlooking one of the city…
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Amsterdam
Reachable via a couple of pedestrian/bike bridges from the NEMO Science Museum, this cool, laid-back waterside cafe is built from recycled materials and…
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Amsterdam
Zoom up to the Volkshotel's 7th-floor bar for some of the best views in town, either through its large windows or on the open terrace. A creative-folk and…
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Groningen
With traditional, plum-painted facade overlooking the Hoge der A canal, this stylish cafe is the last word in canal-side chic. Its summertime terrace –…
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Amsterdam
Look downstairs to the open cellar to see (and, better still, smell) fresh coffee beans being roasted on the Probat at this streetwise spot. Beans are…
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Amsterdam
Named after the owner’s grandmother, this charming bar in the canal-side boutique hotel, Misc EatDrinkSleep, feels like your grandma’s living room with…
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Haarlem
Haarlem's most atmospheric place to drink is this independent brewery inside a stained-glass-windowed 1910 church. Enjoy brews such as citrusy Hopen,…
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Rotterdam
This excellent brewery is the brainchild of Arno Coenen and Iris Roskam, the artists responsible for the enormous Cornucopia work on the inside of…
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Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Beneath 1930s arched brick ceilings, Cut Throat ingeniously combines a men's barbering service (book ahead) with a happening bar serving international…
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Den Bosch
Perfect for a coffee, fresh juice, croque-monsieur or lunchtime baguette, Robbies is a prize-winning 'concept store' in a former bank building – look…
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Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Chandeliers glitter beneath wooden beams at Tales & Spirits, which creates its own house infusions, syrups and vinegar-based shrubs. Cocktails such as Any…
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Medieval Centre & Red Light District
A treasure dating from 1650, with a wall of barrels made by master shipbuilders, the tasting room of distiller Bootz specialises in liqueurs, including…
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Rotterdam
Beer is a more common tipple than wine in Rotterdam, so many bars here have less-than-stellar selections of wine by the glass or bottle. That's not the…
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Rotterdam
In a bokaal (trophy) location at the heart of the enclave around pedestrian Nieuwemarkt and Pannekoekstraat, Bokaal has an indoor bar and a huge all-day…
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Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Not much bigger than a vat of jenever (Dutch gin), this magnificent little tasting house has been going strong since 1782. On offer are 14 jenevers and…
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Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Sample organic beers (Scotch ale, IPA, barley wine and many more varieties) from the socially minded De Prael brewery, known for employing people with a…
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Amsterdam
With wow-factor views whatever the weather, this bar offers a 360-degree panorama of Amsterdam from the 11th floor of the DoubleTree Amsterdam Centraal…
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Utrecht
Located unpromisingly beside the ugly Hoog Catharijne building is this blessed beer heaven, an astonishingly slick yet super-characterful reworking of a…
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Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Candles flicker on the tables, old jazz records play in the background, and chandeliers and a birdcage hang from the ceiling at atmospheric de Dokter,…
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Haarlem
From the ground, it looks like any other multistorey car park, but taking the lift to the 6th floor brings you out at this fabulous rooftop with a…
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Amsterdam
In an industrial estate at Sloterdijk, this warehouse's four enormous halls with phenomenal lighting and sound systems accommodate up to 2500 clubbers,…
