Small bottles. Long evenings.
Amsterdam Wine Bars That Hold the Evening Properly
Amsterdam wine bars have their own pace. Small rooms, low light, and bottles chosen with intent create places where the evening settles rather than builds. Across the Jordaan, De Pijp, and the canal belt, these are spaces shaped as much by who gathers inside them as what’s on the shelf. The best Amsterdam wine bars don’t perform. They hold the night quietly, one glass at a time.
For a broader sense of the city, our Amsterdam travel guide is a good place to start. For where to eat beyond the bar, our best places to eat in Amsterdam is worth keeping close, alongside our edit of Amsterdam brown bars.
Visit → @tweeprinsen
Visit → @tweeprinsen
café twee prinsen
On the corner of Prinsenstraat and the Prinsengracht, Café Twee Prinsen has quickly become a place locals return to when the sun reaches the terrace. Stools fill early and conversation drifts into the street. Inside, wood panels and soft light frame a relaxed natural wine bar where bottles come easily from the cellar and simple plates keep the evening moving.
Bar Centraal
Just off Ten Katestraat in Oud-West, Bar Centraal feels quietly confident from the moment you step inside. The room is compact, warm, and softly lit, with shelves of bottles lining the walls. Natural wines lead, paired with seasonal plates that make it easy to settle in and stay longer than planned.
Visit → @barcentraal
Visit → @barcentraal
Visit → @glouglouamsterdam
Visit → @glouglouamsterdam
Glouglou
In De Pijp, GlouGlou helped shape the city’s natural wine scene. The small room hums with conversation while bottles from small European producers line the shelves. Wines are poured with easy enthusiasm, often something slightly unexpected, best paired with simple plates and the energy that spills out onto the street in the evening.
Café Parlotte
In the Jordaan, Café Parlotte leans closer to a French neighbourhood café than a formal tasting room. Tables sit close, candles flicker, and the room settles quickly into conversation. The list moves through thoughtful bottles from small producers, while simple plates and good bread make it easy to stay awhile.
Visit → @cafe_parlotte
Visit → @cafe_parlotte
Where to Drink Wine in Amsterdam, Properly
At places like Café Twee Prinsen and GlouGlou, the evening often starts outside, stools filling early, glasses moving between tables as the light lingers. Somewhere like Bar Centraal or Parlotte pulls things inward again, smaller rooms, closer tables, the pace settling once you sit down and the first bottle arrives.
That shift is what makes drinking wine here work. You move between terrace and table without thinking too much about it, the night stretching depending on where you land. For what sits alongside it, our best places to eat in Amsterdam and Amsterdam brown bars are worth having open, along with our Amsterdam travel guide, and our best hotels in Amsterdam if you’re still deciding where to stay.
