Best sports bar 

Satellite Sports Café
Leidseplein 11
Tel: 020 427 2529
Website: www.satellitesportscafe.nl

Where can you go to experience the rush of being in the stands at the big match, or to watch the Superbowl in peace without interruption, all while enjoying a drink with friends? For years the traditional bar on the corner of the busy Leidseplein didn't do good business. This changed seven years ago with the opening of the Satellite Sports Café. Thanks to its central location, innovative layout, friendly staff and well stocked kitchen, sports lovers have found the perfect haunt.  Sporting an impressive array of flat screens, projectors and dozens of other screens, the café can show 40 different events at the same time. Customers can use wireless headsets if they want to concentrate on the commentary either inside or on the terrace, where there are ten screens and space for 100 spectators. And don't worry about missing that vital penalty when you have to nip to the bathroom: there are screens there too! The attention to detail is such that the stairs is designed to act like a stadium stand. The Café has gone one step further by providing excellent pancakes; a must for every sporting occasion.

Best all-round bar

Coco's Outback
Thorbeckeplein 8-12
Tel: 020 627 24 23
Website: www.cocosoutback.com

Whether you are looking for some good, ice cold beers, sports, relaxation or a big party, Coco's Outback has it all. Why? Because the staff and management are dedicated to enjoying themselves and their work, so you get the benefit too. Just off Rembrandtplein, Coco's has a great terrace for the sunny months and inside you are cocooned in a spacious, warm, wood-furbished establishment with walls designed to conjure up the mystery of Ayer's Rock. The furniture—made by the staff themselves—could come straight from a real outback bar. You could well imagine that you could disappear here: there is a multitude of Australian and international beers, and five mini-fridges stocked with frozen glasses for that real cooling beer experience. Sports lovers will be in heaven with screens liberally dotted around, showing Aussie, US and international sports. For those seeking to relax, there are sofas galore. But if you want to party, Coco's is also the place for you. 

Best wine bar

Bubbles & Wines
Nes 37
Tel: 020 422 33 18
Website: www.bubblesandwines.com

On one of the quaintest lanes in Amsterdam, a mere two minute walk from Dam Square, you'll find wine and champagne bar Bubbles & Wines. It's one of the first bars in the Netherlands to use 'enomatic'--from Eno, the Greek god of wine--wine serving panels: two for chilled wines and two for wines served at room temperature, storing a total of 32 bottles. After each pouring, nitrogen is injected into the bottle to keep the wine free from oxygen, preserving the wine's taste, aroma, body and colour.

Best lounge bar 

Cafe Lux
Marnixstraat 403
Tel: 020 422 14 12
Website: www.hotelweber.nl/test/weber.htm (go to bars)

Just one minute's walk from Leidseplein, Lux is the ideal place to ease the transition from work to play. A relaxed split-level lounge bar, it offers comfy, white-cushioned seats and a DJ on the upper level who lazily spins great music. Lux attracts plenty of beautiful binnenlanders and buitenlanders alike, and its friendly atmosphere and communal seating makes it easy to meet new people. The bar's Hoegaarden is hard to beat, always served fresh with a slice of lemon. The only drawback to this great hangout is the limited toilet space — even the guys have to queue!

Best authentic Irish bar

Mulligans
Amstel 100
Tel: 020 622 13 30
Website: www.mulligans.nl

Amsterdam's own (and arguably only) little piece of Ireland can be found here. The most authentic 'Irish bar' in town, Mulligans is also one of the oldest, opening over 12 years ago. Located behind the neon-drenched Rembrandtplein, set a little back from the Amstel river, the small and gezellig Mulligans is renowned for its Irish folk music. There is live music most evenings, with an open Irish session on Sundays. The second Monday of every month, the MacSuibhne Dancers have a set dancing session with live music, in which both beginners and experts are invited to participate. There is no kitchen but snacks are served throughout the day. Although there's no terrace, it's warmly recommended for winters.

Best funky gay bar/restaurant

Getto
Warmoesstraat 51
Tel: 020 421 51 51
Website: www.getto.nl

Getto brings a touch of retro-glamour to a street dominated by men in leather and bars with doorbells. Warm and welcoming (painted lipstick red by the entrance), Getto combines a small bar area, horseshoe sofa and relaxed restaurant to create an early evening to past midnight, come-as-you-please venue. The food is reasonable (but can vary depending on the chef) and the music is good, thanks to regular DJs. Cocktail happy hour from 5pm to 7pm and Tuesday is women-only night.

Best oompah-Abba gay bar

Café Le Montmartre de Paris
Halvemaansteeg 17
Tel: 020 625 55 65
Website: www.cafemontmartre.nl

There's something about sing-along tunes that makes men from these parts jump up and down like they're on pogo sticks. And nowhere more so than in Le Montmartre, where the floorboards have suffered so much that they've created a kind of bouncy springboard effect near the door. But don't worry about that. Come here to drink lots and get merry to Steps with boys from Amsterdam and the villages. It gets crowded and hot at weekends, but it's a great start-the-night-off-in-a-good-mood bar. Just watch out for an elbow in your face. Happy hour from 6 to 8pm.

Best bar to take the parents

Dantzig aan de Amstel
Zwanenburgwal 15 (part of Stopera complex)
Tel: 020 620 90 39

With probably one of the best terraces in Amsterdam, Dantzig has a 270 degree view up and down the Amstel. A grand cafe, the service is clinical and the food only average, but when you've got boats and bikes, bridges and tall, thin houses right by you, the parents won't mind. Inside is elegant, with a library-style area to give it a touch of class. Tourist boats stop outside to take them to the next stop on your itinerary.

Best bar for beer lovers

In de Wildeman
Kolksteeg 3
Tel: 020 638 23 48
Website: www.indewildeman.nl

You know you're in a beer lovers' paradise when propped up against the window are magazines from the Blackpool branch of the Campaign for Real Ale and the in-house journal of UK pub chain JD Wetherspoon. In de Wildeman ('In The Wild Man') is nearly as famous in Lancashire as it is in Amsterdam for its range of beers and the care with which they are served. Its friendly and knowledgable staff will recommend a bok or a witte from the Netherlands, Belgium or further afield. And there's even Guinness and Boddington's available. The pub has the brown cosiness you need in an Amsterdam drinking den. After a few nine percent Belgian brews you won't notice: you'll be under the table anyway.

Best bar for watching people from behind a newspaper

Café De Jaren
Nieuwe Doelenstraat 20-22
Tel: 020 625 57 71
Website: www.cafe-de-jaren.nl

You realise how beautiful Dutch people can look when you spend an hour or so in De Jaren. This grand cafe has a very un-Amsterdam light and airy feel: a kind of anti-gezelligheid for the modern city dweller. There's a selection of Dutch and English newspapers and magazines, plus (mediocre) food and a decent range of beers and spirits. IThere's a glorious canal-side terrace for the summer but you'll be lucky to find space by the water. Visit for coffee or a beer and watch Amsterdam's social network in action.

Best bar for tostis

Gambrinus
Ferdinand Bolstraat 180
Tel: 020 671 73 89
Website: www.gambrinus-amsterdam.nl

Just south of the Ceintuurbaan on the always-hopping Ferdinand Bolstraat, Gambrinus is a slightly hipper version of the typical brown café. In addition to its laid-back atmosphere, business-casual crowd and generally good food, Gambrinus is the place to satisfy your tosti craving if you’ve already developed a taste for the Dutch version of grilled cheese. Crispy on the outside, literally bursting with flavourful, melted Dutch cheese (no skimping here), these tostis come with or without ham, on white or brown bread, and perfectly complement a cold beer. And it's slightly healthier than the usual Dutch bar food, bitterballen.

Best bar to impress a date

Ciel Bleu cocktail bar (Okura Hotel)
Ferdinand Bolstraat 333
Website: www.cielbleu.nl

In a city not known for skyscrapers with breathtaking views, the few places that can offer exactly that should be on every romantic’s must-see list. From the 23rd floor cocktail bar, a slightly stuffy companion to the Okura’s classy French restaurant Ciel Bleu, on a clear day you can see the endless rows of streets that give De Pijp its name, all the way to the River IJ. Of course, views aren't cheap so be prepared to pay double the normal price for your cappuccino or glass of wine — somehow worth it when you can sit by the window and see Amsterdam at its most serene.

Best trendy bar

Panama
Oostelijke Handelskade 4
Tel: 020 311 86 86
Website: www.panama.nl

Amsterdammers in the know quickly added Panama, a combination restaurant, bar, theatre and dance club, to their hip list when it opened in spring 2001. Just east of Centraal Station in a neighbourhood that looks more like an industrial junkie haven (but may end up like New York’s TriBeCa thanks to development), Panama is worth the journey through no-man’s-land for the understated but elegant light blue and silvery toned decor, vaulted ceilings and see-and-be-seen people watching.

Best bar for live music

Bourbon Street
Leidsekruisstraat 6-8
Tel: 020 623 34 40
Website: www.bourbonstreet.nl

If you're feeling lonely or just want to sit back with a drink and enjoy live jazz and blues, dimly lit Bourbon Street, open seven nights a week, will rarely, if ever, disappoint. Even though a good number of tourists find their way there, Amsterdammers also frequent Bourbon Street for the plentiful gezelligheid. Cover charges can vary depending on the night of the week, but consider it money very well spent.

Best bar for business meeting

Café Wildschut
Roelof Hartplein 1-3
Tel: 020 676 82 20

Spacious is not a word that describes most Amsterdam bars. In the case of Wildschut, an art deco-style café/restaurant that’s slightly past its popularity prime with locals (though still buzzing with young professionals most nights), spacious is a very accurate description. Tables, some of them marble, in the area beyond the bar provide enough privacy and room to conduct casual or late-day business meetings. Plus, the surrounding neighbourhood has room for parking, and the number of major tram lines passing through make it easy to find for out-of-towners. On a warm afternoon, the equally spacious, south-facing terrace is filled with yuppies. Service can be slow.

Best bar for Dutch beer

Nederlands Biercafé ’t Arendsnest
Herengracht 90
Tel: 020 421 20 57
Website: www.arendsnest.nl

Forget Heineken: at 't Arendsnest you can choose from more than 130 brands of Dutch beer (plus 250 seasonal beer or bockbier) from over 50 Dutch breweries. In contrast to the other specialist beer cafes in Amsterdam, which sell mainly Belgian beers, 't Arendsnest ('the eagle's nest') serves nothing but beer from Dutch breweries and even has its own brand, Kroon pils, on draft. Sit at the bar, chat with the bartender and try a mini beer tasting of four kinds of beer chosen for you. 'T Arendsnest also organises activities related to beer, including tutored tastings and theme weeks. On the last Sunday of each month from 3pm to 5pm, there is a 'guided tour of the Netherlands': a beer-tasting with a 12cl glass (about a fifth of a pint) of at least ten beers, under the guidance of Peter van der Arend, the publican and qualified beer specialist.

Best bar for a Sunday afternoon chill-out

Festina Lente
Looiersgracht 40B
Tel: 020 638 14 12
Website: www.cafefestinalente.nl

If you ever find yourself longing to play all those great childhood boardgames, this is the place to be. In one of the quietest areas of the Jordaan, with canalside seating and a great range of afternoon food, this is truly the perfect place to recover from those weekend excesses. Bring a few friends, find a table and choose a game from their great collection, including such classics as Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, Backgammon and the ever popular Connect Four. Then lazily drift through the afternoon over a few beers and even more shakes of the dice, desperately pretending that Monday doesn't exist.

Best bar for old Amsterdam charm

Café 'T dokertje
Rozenboomsteeg 4

For a bit of old Amsterdam charm, check out Café 'T dokertje located on a small side street just off Kalverstraat. This brown bar, which dates back to 1798, is ideal for a cosy, two-person rendezvous or if you're looking to hide out from Amsterdam's main shopping thoroughfare. With a floor area of under 18 square metres, the pub barely holds 10 people, not including the jovial bartender who sometimes sits at the window, snacking on cheese and pickles in between chats with patrons. The interior has been decorated with curiosities and the two inches of dust on the light fixtures attests to the bar's old-Dutch authenticity.

Best cafe/restaurant for a business lunch

Café-Restaurant Amsterdam
Watertorenplein 6
Tel: 020 682 26 66
Website: www.cradam.nl

With amazingly high ceilings and simple decor, this restored nineteenth-century pumping station is a great place to have a business meeting over a coffee or a lunch of standard cafe fare. On Sundays between 17:00 and 20:00, expect the place to be filled with families and children. The spacious building and terrace make the cafe-restaurant a great place to bring kids, who can move around freely and play in a designated area where colouring pencils and pictures to colour in are provided.

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