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.

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