32 great wine bars and wine restaurants in Amsterdam 2023
Amsterdam, the beautiful city with all its canals and bicycles – and wine venues! The last few years, Amsterdam has grown to a major wine city with a lot of interesting, fun and well-curated lists. Here is our guide to the best wine places in town.
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Phone: +31 20 334 8685
Address: Amstel 212, Amsterdam
Best Short List of the Year Netherlands 2021
Restaurant 212, located down at the Amstel River opposite the National Opera building, is a culinary hotspot in Amsterdam. After a fire and extensive renovation Richard van Oostenbrugge and Thomas Groot re-opened it in November 2022 as one of the most ambitious restaurants in the country. Both chefs (and their team) are classically trained and combine that knowledge with contemporary techniques to tune their sophisticated and refined cuisine. In a whopping two years’ time, they lifted their former restaurant from zero to 2-Michelin Stars. The style of cooking is elegant and refined, yet ext...
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Address: Camperstraat 48-50, Amsterdam
By the Glass List of the Year Netherlands 2021
Occupying a double-fronted, airy and rather a minimalist unit in Amsterdam East, 4850 is a hybrid venue that operates as a coffee and wine bar – and morphs into a more full-blown restaurant in the evenings. What’s great is that you can decide to drink a glass of grower Champagne at 11 in the morning, or a single-origin pour-over coffee at 11 at night. Anything is possible. The cuisine has a decidedly Nordic slant (reflecting its Swedish owner), with clean, fresh flavours and a lot of fairly adventurous ingredients and seasonings. The interior is dominated by the glass-fronted cellar, allowing...
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Phone: +31 20 845 2005
Address: Albert Cuypstraat 58-60, Amsterdam
Best Short List of the Year Netherlands 2021
A bit of Paris in Amsterdam. After a career in the city's culinary hotspots, Jan en Marije, friends Jean and Marie, opened their warm and 'gezellig' auberge in the heart of Amsterdam. At the end of the famous Albert Cuyp market, this cosy place was named the best French restaurant in the country. Not only in looks but more importantly, in feel, Jan en Marije bring their guests a true bistro experience. One great thing they left out: the famous Parisian rudeness and snobbery. On the contrary, after a tremendous meal, you don't want to leave the place without hugging the couple. As one can exp...
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Phone: +31 20 422 3318
Address: Nes 37, Amsterdam
Special Jury Prize Netherlands, presented by Vinos Baettig 2021
This is a small and cosy wine and champagne bar just around the corner from Dam Square. Here, you'll be right in the heart of historic Amsterdam, in one of the city's oldest streets. When it opened in July 2005, it was one of the first wine bars in Amsterdam, and when you enter, you can immediately feel the lively atmosphere and the love for great wines. Soft lighting, modern but not too clinical, and usually packed with wine lovers.
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Phone: +31 20 679 1532
Address: Van Baerlestraat 158, Amsterdam
Brasserie van Baerle is a modern-classical restaurant with an international profile in Amsterdam Zuid (south part), close to the famous shopping area. An institution for lunch and dinner, and a true classic in Amsterdam for more than 40 years. The setting is far from old-fashioned, with a festive, buzzing atmosphere. This is a typical restaurant where everybody is welcome. The dishes are honest French cuisine as a basis, but they also flirt with the Mediterranean cuisine and is at the same time faithful to the pure Dutch products. Classic dishes, like black pudding and crépinette of veal, ar...
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Phone: +31 20 737 3194
Address: Rokin 91a, Amsterdam
Below one of the best and most beautiful Champagne shops you’ve seen in a long time, Atelier du Champagne in downtown Amsterdam, the owners also started a wonderful bistro-bar: Bar du Champagne. Guess what; they only serve champagne. Oh, and some Coteaux Champenois and Ratafia. Owned by Rick Swinkels, who has made his mark with other great places like Coeur, Staets, Sjefietsje and Jacobz, Bar du Champagne is bound to be a success. Rick is co-owner with Koen van Schaick and Martijn van der Krogt. Though surrounded by tourist traps on Amsterdam’s Rokin, it makes its own independent mark. The l...
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Phone: +31 20 737 2553
Address: Van Diemenstraat 408, Amsterdam
One of Amsterdam’s first “bistronomy” restaurants, BAK started life as a pop-up in a squatted space in 2013 and breathed new life into the Netherlands’ then stuffy dining scene. They now co-own the warehouse space, with its wonderful wooden-beamed ceiling and views over the water at Houthavens. You’re in for a highly creative seven-course tasting menu – except at lunch or weekday nights when there’s also a cut-down option. The cooking goes all out for seasonality and provenance and concentrates on foraged ingredients, vegetables, game and wild-caught fish. Flavour combinations are adventurous...
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Phone: +31 20 626 4939
Address: Vijzelgracht 5h, Amsterdam
The smart team at BAK are behind this entirely different offspring. Housed in a double-fronted canal-house, the space is broken up by stairs, mezzanines and walls, which works rather well to create a feeling of intimacy. Where BAK is all about the tasting menu, Bambino is about having fun. Sharing plates come in various sizes, but all are extraordinarily delicious, with a modern European, seasonal focus. Arroz with rabbit, or clams in white wine have been recent hits. You can sit here all night, happily grazing with friends.
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Address: Bilderdijkstraat 36, Amsterdam
Binnenvisser took over the site of an old ”stamkroeg” (pub) in 2018 and transformed it into one of Amsterdam’s most buzzing locations. The space still has wonderful period touches such as the stained glass quarter-lights and a proper room-length bar. The concept here is very much “bar” and not “wine bar”. The owners are serious natural wine fans, but there are also excellent craft beers and cocktails on offer. Food also takes centre stage for the earlier part of the evening. The five-course set menu is amazing value for money, and focuses a lot on creative treatments of vegetables – but the...
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Phone: +31 20 210 3090
Address: De Ruijterkade 128, Amsterdam
Choux had its gestation in two hugely successful pop-up restaurants before the team settled on its current location in a spacious, airy converted warehouse looking out onto the Ij waterfront. It’s been one of the pioneers in bistronomy-style cooking – serious cuisine that nonetheless breaks the formal, fine-dining mould, and in natural wine. The menu invites you to choose a number of courses, all cryptically identified only by their main ingredient. When the dishes arrive at the table, they’re often beautiful in their conception and appearance. There’s a definite Nordic slant in the use of f...
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Phone: +31 6 25305030
Address: Westerstraat 182, Amsterdam
Talk about having guts... Having worked at a vast array of restaurants, owner Margot Los opened Café Parlotte with her business partners Marjolein Peltzer and Maarten Pinxteren at the height of the 2020 Covid crisis. To no surprise, the café/restaurant has been an immediate success from the start. The flamboyant Margot has surrounded herself with a team of enthusiastic young waiters, most of them with significant wine experience. Pinxteren cooks in a classic bistro-style with comfortable French dishes. His sauces are to die for, and when you ask him about it, he will give you an hour-long le...
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Phone: +31 20 623 8244
Address: Prinsenstraat 22, Amsterdam
Best Short List of the Year Netherlands 2021
Right in the middle of the picture-perfect Jordaan district, Cafe de Klepel defines the Dutch concept of “gezelligheid” (cosiness, to translate approximately) with its welcoming, intimate interior. You have to reserve well ahead to score one of the precious tables, but there’s also a prominent bar with seating for couples or latecomers in search of a glass or two of the good stuff. Klepel is really all about the wine – the food is classic French bistro fare, well-executed but designed not to take centre-stage. The cheese selection is one of Amsterdam’s best. The staff here can recite lists of...
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Phone: +31 20 678 7450
Address: Ferdinand Bolstraat 333, Amsterdam
Everything in Ciel Bleu (Blue Sky) is high: You dine in a luxurious setting on the 23rd floor of the Okura Hotel in Amsterdam South (the best restaurant view in Amsterdam, by the way). The level of the kitchen is also high, and it is not a surprise that they have gained two Michelin stars. Bring a well-filled wallet, because the prices are not exactly low either, but then you'll also get a truly unforgettable evening with impeccable service without stiffness; loose and friendly, Amsterdam-style. The parade of dishes is a feast both for the eyes and the tongue. For the foodies: If you wan...
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Phone: +31 20 233 8642
Address: Tweede van der Helststraat 3, Amsterdam
This “bar à vins naturelles”, modelled on Parisian establishments such as Aux Des Amis or Café de la Nouvelle Mairie, kickstarted a natural wine revolution in Amsterdam when it opened in April 2015 – before then, there was absolutely nothing like it. The cosy shabby-chic interior has been packed almost constantly since opening, and the generous back-street terrace also gets mobbed in the summer months. There are, of course, no airs and graces here – basic glassware, a crumpled paper wine list and service that can sometimes struggle to keep up with the hoards that pour in. That said, it’s wond...
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Phone: +31 20 421 0699
Address: Peperstraat 10, Amsterdam
This warm, welcoming place has over time become one of the must-visit classics of the Dutch capitol. Just a short walk from the Central Station, yet in the quiet Lastage district, it is beautifully situated in a corner building bordering the canal and a lovely bridge. The atmosphere feels like a mix of an old traditional 'bruine kroeg' and a modern-day French bistro. Clean white linen tablecloths contrast harmoniously with the brown wooden walls. Under the leadership of owner Paul Hartering, a new generation chefs prepares pure, authentic uncomplicated, but refined dishes. Produce, traceabil...
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Phone: +31 20 636 5170
Address: Aambeeldstraat 10, Amsterdam
It’s not a hotel, and there’s no golden pheasant. But it is one of Amsterdam’s truly unique dining experiences. Housed in a vast warehouse (partly filled with vintage cars), in a gritty industrial part of Amsterdam North, Goudfazant regularly serves 300 customers on a Saturday night. If that sounds crazy, it is – but what’s even crazier is the excellent quality of the food and the efficiency of the service, given this massive scale. The cuisine is based around French bistro classics, with a daily changing menu that can be configured as a set or a la carte. The team who run Goudfazant are unc...
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Phone: +31 20 775 4344
Address: Tweede Tuindwarsstraat 12 H, Amsterdam
It’s almost overwhelming how many Italian restaurants you find cramped in the tiny Jordaan neighbourhood, making it all the more difficult to choose. Luckily three of them have fantastic wine lists, which makes the selection a lot easier. Perhaps the best of these three is La Fiorita in the buzzing Tweede Tuindwarsstraat. La Fiorita is owned by chef Thor Lunstroo, who made his mark in other fine Amsterdam establishments, and Benjamin Sanchez, who also owns one of Amsterdam’s best pizza places, ‘La Perla’ next door. Besides the wine list, the interior of this restaurant is also top-notch. Und...
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Phone: +31 20 737 0811
Address: Tijdelijk op:, Geldersekade 29, Leidseplein 26, Amsterdam
Restaurant Lastage in the Lastage quarters near Amsterdam Central Station is your favourite living room before it is a restaurant. Warm and welcoming it is regularly host to a mishmash of wine lovers, local wealthy elite and Dutch theatre artists. With a maximum of 26 guests, it is impossible to leave this homely establishment without gaining new friends. The cooking style is honest and expressive with a strong traditional French influence. Must-try is their classic epoisses with brioche and (sorry-to-say) foie gras. Patron chef Rogier van Dam has held his Michelin star for quite some years,...
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Phone: +31 20 638 0866
Address: IJdok 185, Amsterdam
Austrian Wine List of the Year Netherlands, presented by Austrian Wine 2021
Restaurant MOS at Amsterdam's 'IJ' waterside is one of those restaurants where you could eat every week and never feel like it's repetitive. Though the setting is formal-chique, it is a very warm and comfortable place. The Michelin-starred food has always been good and over time seems to have improved to even higher standards. Light, refined, and at the same time unpretentious. The water view is fantastic, the service is friendly, and the wine list is great. Also very important, the value for money is superb, which is an extra reason to go back regularly. If you're looking for a more fancy n...
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Address: Frederiksplein 29h, Amsterdam
Congratulations to all wine enthusiasts in Amsterdam because in October 2022, Oocker opened at a stone’s throw distance from the famous Rembrandt Square and Amstel River. Owned by a sommelier team (Tim Meyer Viol and Niels van der Werf) who have previously worked at different great wine restaurants in the city like De Lobby, Gebr. Hartering and Shiraz, this place is a wine place that is here to stay. The snacks and food (made by Stefano Orofino) are honest and yummy, but what else would you expect from Domenica’s former chef? The wine list is already great for a newcomer and promises to grow...
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Phone: +31 20 223 4901
Address: Van Ostadestraat 354, Amsterdam
The modern Peruvian cooking at this newish restaurant is nothing short of spectacular. It combines thrilling freshness with an elegant approach that never strays into fussiness. The wine list is one of the most eclectic I’ve seen in the Netherlands, period. Ever tried a Dutch Frühburgunder with your ceviche? Or how about a glass of Assyrtico with a divine dish of grilled mullet? The by-the-glass list is lengthy and varied, with good mid-priced options as well as some more prestigious choices. There are plenty of classics, including exciting grower Champagnes, well chosen Burgundies and Borde...
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Phone: +31 20 626 1912
Address: Beulingstraat 7, Amsterdam
This smart and intimate two-story dining room is hidden on a back-street just minutes away from the central station. It offers Italian fine dining which manages to achieve a rare combo – authenticity and innovation. The team have a strong commitment to slow food ethics and organics, and their use of as much local produce as possible leads to fascinating mash-ups of seasonal Dutch ingredients reinvented into Italian dishes. It’s possible to choose a surprise tasting menu – but if you don’t like surprises (I don’t!), then the staff will reveal all.
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Phone: +31 20 774 6720
Address: Noordermarkt 7, Amsterdam
It must have been a heav
