Upscale in Amsterdam

Tales and Spirits ★ 4.8

Lijnbaanssteeg 5-7, 1012 TE Amsterdam

Tales and Spirits on Lijnbaanssteeg is the Amsterdam cocktail boudoir of the old guard, antique cabinets, chandeliers, drinks served in vintage glassware.

Restaurant Blauw ★ 4.7

oud-zuid · Amstelveenseweg 158-160, 1075 XN Amsterdam

Restaurant Blauw in Amsterdam's Oud-Zuid runs the most consistent rijsttafel in the city, twenty-plus dishes laid across a long table, near Vondelpark.

Tip: Book a fortnight ahead for weekends. Two seatings a night, the early one is quieter.

Door 74 ★ 4.7

Reguliersdwarsstraat 74I, 1017 BN Amsterdam

Door 74 on Reguliersdwarsstraat is the Amsterdam speakeasy that opened the city's cocktail wave, by reservation only, behind an unmarked door.

Hiding in Plain Sight ★ 4.7

Rapenburg 18, 1011 TX Amsterdam

Hiding in Plain Sight on Rapenburg is the Amsterdam American-style cocktail bar, big-windowed despite the speakeasy framing, sharp menu, unfussy room.

Toscanini ★ 4.6

jordaan · Lindengracht 75, 1015 KD Amsterdam

Toscanini has been Amsterdam's reference Italian since 1985, a Jordaan room running its own bread, its own pasta, and a list weighted toward small producers.

Tip: Reserve two weeks out for weekends. The room is loud, in the best Italian-trattoria sense.

Café Hoppe ★ 4.6

Spui 18-20, 1012 XA Amsterdam

Café Hoppe on Spui has poured Amsterdam jenever and beer since 1670, the brown cafe with the dark-wood interior and the stand-at-the-bar after-work crowd.

Café 't Smalle ★ 4.6

Egelantiersgracht 12, 1015 RL Amsterdam

Café 't Smalle on Egelantiersgracht in the Jordaan is the Amsterdam canal-side brown cafe with the postcard terrace, the building going back.

GlouGlou ★ 4.6

Tweede van der Helststraat 3, 1073 AE Amsterdam

GlouGlou in Amsterdam's De Pijp kickstarted the city's natural-wine wave in 2015, a small room pouring growers without pesticides, sulphur low, lo-fi service.

Wilde Zwijnen ★ 4.5

plantage-oost · Javaplein 23HS, 1095 CJ Amsterdam

Wilde Zwijnen in Amsterdam's Indische Buurt is the city's game-forward room, a tight seasonal menu built around what hunters bring in that week.

Tip: The 3-course set at the start of the week is the value play. Cash or card both fine.

Choux ★ 4.5

centrum · De Ruijterkade 128, 1011 AC Amsterdam

Choux on De Ruijterkade behind Centraal Station runs a tight vegetable-forward tasting menu, an Amsterdam fine-casual room that has held the same chefs.

Tip: The lunch set is half the price of dinner; the kitchen has the same intent.

Roef ★ 4.5

plantage-oost · Middenweg 35, 1098 AB Amsterdam

Roef on Middenweg in Watergraafsmeer is the modern European room east of the centre, a daily-changing five-course menu built around what the kitchen sourced.

Tip: Book at least a week ahead. The tram 9 stop is two minutes away.

Café Papeneiland ★ 4.5

Prinsengracht 2, 1015 DV Amsterdam

Café Papeneiland on the corner of Prinsengracht and Brouwersgracht is the Amsterdam brown cafe from 1642, the apple pie inside almost as canonical as Winkel.

Twenty Third Bar ★ 4.5

Ferdinand Bolstraat 333, 1072 LH Amsterdam

Twenty Third Bar at Hotel Okura sits next to Ciel Bleu on the top floor, the Amsterdam cocktail bar with the city's most generous view across the city.

Vermeers Wijnkamer ★ 4.5

Zeedijk 11, 1012 AN Amsterdam

Vermeers Wijnkamer on Zeedijk runs as the Amsterdam Nieuwmarkt wine bar, a tight European list, small plates from the kitchen next door. At Zeedijk 11.

Paskamer ★ 4.5

Lutmastraat 132, 1073 GW Amsterdam

Paskamer on Lutmastraat in De Pijp won Wijnbar of the Year in 2023, a quiet residential-street room with 350-plus wines on the list and 50 by the glass.

Indrapura ★ 4.4

centrum · Rembrandtplein 40, 1017 CV Amsterdam

Indrapura on Rembrandtplein is the long-running Centrum rijsttafel house, three decades of spiced Sumatran and Javanese plates set out for the table.

Tip: Open from 17:00 daily; book Rembrandtplein-facing window seats one week ahead.

Mama Makan ★ 4.4

plantage-oost · Spinozastraat 61, 1018 HJ Amsterdam

Mama Makan inside the Hyatt Regency on Spinozastraat takes Indonesian classics through a contemporary lens: brighter rooms, cleaner plating.

Tip: Sunday lunch is the easiest booking. They take large groups, useful at the weekend.

esra ★ 4.4

plantage-oost · C. van Eesterenlaan 35, 1019 JK Amsterdam

esra opened in 2024 on the Oostelijke Eilanden, the Amsterdam room running modern Turkish: house manti, slow-braised lamb shoulder, a mezze table to start.

Tip: Book at least a week ahead. The terrace is the move in summer.

Neuf ★ 4.4

jordaan · Haarlemmerstraat 9, 1013 EH Amsterdam

Bistrot Neuf has run on Haarlemmerstraat since 2009 as Amsterdam's reference French bistro, a tight room turning out classics: steak frites from the bavette.

Tip: Walk-in often works on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Friday is a full sitting.

Salmuera ★ 4.4

jordaan · Rozengracht 106 H, 1016 NH Amsterdam

Salmuera on Rozengracht in the Jordaan is the Amsterdam Argentinian-Mexican grill, a long charcoal asado at the back and an over-70-bottle mezcal list.

Tip: Book the bar to watch the grill. Mezcal flights are a notable detour from the wine pairing.

Wynand Fockink ★ 4.4

Pijlsteeg 31, 1012 HH Amsterdam

Wynand Fockink on Pijlsteeg has poured Amsterdam jenever since 1679, the proeflokaal where you bend over the tulip glass without lifting it from the bar.

Charcuteria Barlotta ★ 4.4

Czaar Peterstraat 173, 1018 PK Amsterdam

Charcuteria Barlotta on Czaar Peterstraat in Oost runs as a wine bar with serious charcuterie, an Amsterdam Italian-tilted list and big boards to share.

Bottleshop ★ 4.4

Wibautstraat 130, 1091 GP Amsterdam

Bottleshop on Wibautstraat is the Amsterdam Oost natural-wine bar, a black-and-white striped room with a tightly-edited list and a kitchen pushing bar bites.

Rosalia's Menagerie ★ 4.3

Kloveniersburgwal 20, 1012 CV Amsterdam

Rosalia's Menagerie on Kloveniersburgwal is the Amsterdam cocktail bar set in a 17th-century canal house, an intimate room with animal-themed drinks.

De Drie Fleschjes ★ 4.3

Gravenstraat 18, 1012 NM Amsterdam

De Drie Fleschjes behind Nieuwe Kerk has poured jenever since 1650, the Amsterdam tasting room with 50 wooden vats and the only working drankorgel still.

In 't Aepjen ★ 4.2

Zeedijk 1, 1012 AN Amsterdam

In 't Aepjen on Zeedijk occupies an Amsterdam building dating to 1475, one of two surviving wooden facades, the brown cafe with the longest backstory.

Café de Reiger ★ 4.2

Nieuwe Leliestraat 34, 1015 ST Amsterdam

Café de Reiger on Nieuwe Leliestraat in the Jordaan is the Amsterdam eetcafe with the back-room kitchen, brown-cafe service out front, no-frills dinners.

Rayleigh and Ramsay ★ 4.2

Van Woustraat 97, 1074 AG Amsterdam

Rayleigh and Ramsay in De Pijp runs as the Amsterdam self-serve wine bar, prepaid card, 100-plus wines on tap, the format that makes flights painless.

Wijnbar Paulus ★ 4.2

Ceintuurbaan 348, 1072 GP Amsterdam

Wijnbar Paulus on Ceintuurbaan at the southwest corner of Sarphatipark in De Pijp is the Amsterdam pre-dinner pour, a balanced list and a counter of tapas.

Café Chris ★ 4.1

Bloemstraat 42, 1016 LB Amsterdam

Café Chris on Bloemstraat in the Jordaan has poured Amsterdam beer since 1624, claimant to the city's oldest brown cafe title, the room small enough to know.

Café Karpershoek ★ 4.1

Martelaarsgracht 2, 1012 TP Amsterdam

Café Karpershoek by Centraal Station has poured since 1606, sawdust on the floor and the city's oldest licensed brown cafe, an Amsterdam tasting room.

Café 't Loosje ★ 4.0

Nieuwmarkt 32, 1012 CS Amsterdam

Café 't Loosje on Nieuwmarkt is the brown cafe with the tile murals, an Amsterdam eetcafé that ran as a horse-tram waiting station before the floor went.