Café de Druif - A four-century-old brown bar where wood tones have drunk more generations than its patrons. Jenever and stories flow freely here.

Café Brecht - A Berlin flat-white soul transplanted here—mismatched chairs, quiet lighting, and coffee that actually wakes you.

Proeflokaal Arendsnest - Dutch craft beer bible—52 local taps, no gimmicks. A tasting room that feels like its own neighborhood shrine.

Bar Joost (Oost) - Corner pub with rotating brews and vegan hot dogs on Fridays. Honest, unpretentious, and always lively.

Brouwerij ’t IJ (Plantage) - An old bathhouse by a windmill that brews plank-thick IPAs with personality—and gives you beer with a view.

Café de Tuin (Tweede Tuindwarsstraat) - Floral wallpaper, string lights, and bitterballen that slap you back into being. Cosy with a capital “C.”

PAMELA (Oud-West) - A queer hang with Asian bar bites. Bright, bold, irrepressible vibes where you feel alive, not judged.

Pllek (Noord) - Shipping-container beach shack by the water—vegan eats, fire pits, and local humanity on display.

Mezrab Cultural Center - Storytelling in true confessional form—music, poetry, dance; the kind of place where narrative is religion.

Melkweg - Basement cinema turned pop-temple. Nirvana played here once. You could play here next.

OCCII (Amsterdam West) - Skater-punk warehouse—with gigs, sauna, bike shop, art, kids’ theatre—a squatter artery still pulsing.

Spui Square & book market - Where literature walks free in the open air—and you can buy a poetry book next to a canal without overpaying for trash.

Noord District (Café de Ceuvel, Oedipus brewery, Hangar) - Art islands, microbrews, community grit under factory skies—Amsterdam’s creative muscles flex here.

Wild Swimming (Marineterrein) - Official canal swim turned local ritual. Chop in, feel cold Dutch water slap clean your bullshit.

Negen Straatjes (Nine Streets) - Vintage boutiques, vinyl shops, lemon-cake cafés—shopping without the coercion; discovery without $.

De Ceuvel creative hub - (As part of Noord)—Floating gardens, solar-warmed cafés, art wedged into rewilded docks. Hunger isn’t the only thing fed here.

Amsterdam Centrum - Walk or bike the canals. Stop for some cheese and beer, tour the shops, snack and walk-off those full bellies.

De Carrousel Pannenkoeken Amsterdam - Some of the most delicious pancakes I have ever eaten, and I regularly dream about them, only to wake-up hungry, pancake-less, and sad.

D’Vijff Vlieghen - Dining here isn’t just a meal; it’s a time warp. Imagine an old Dutch merchant’s house from the 17th century—dark wood, candlelight, Rembrandt etchings on the wall—yet the kitchen’s turning out contemporary takes on classic Dutch flavors. It’s theatrical without being kitsch. You sip wine, hear the creak of centuries-old floorboards, and for a moment, you’re part of a history that predates your country’s existence.

Vishandel MOP - This is where you go when you want fish that tastes like it was pulled from the water ten minutes ago and slapped on the counter with a grin. No frills, no fuss—just gleaming herring, smoked mackerel, shrimp so fresh they practically wink at you. You eat it standing, elbow-to-elbow with locals, tearing into the day’s catch with the unapologetic joy that comes from knowing you’ve found the good stuff.