Brown Cafes of Amsterdam

useful links

Official Site (amsterdam.nl)

Brown Cafes are not to be confused with those quirky Amsterdam coffee shops that sell ‘special’ brownies, no, a Brown Café is a traditional Dutch bar, unpretentious and friendly, with walls darkly stained from years of cigarette-fuelled chatter and laid-back beer consumption. You’ll find them on almost every corner in the old neighborhoods of Amsterdam, lacy curtains on the bottom half of the window, bicycles tethered on the cobbles outside.

The décor is always decidedly lo-fi, no sleek minimalist bar furniture or Phillip Starck designed light fixtures, just wooden booths worn to a shine, basic but tasty food, and a tempting selection of Dutch beers to choose between.

Some of the most atmospheric brown cafes can be found on the Prinsengracht and at Leidseplein, but with only a little bit of exploring of the small streets that snake between the canals, you’re sure to soon find one that appeals.

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