Brown Cafes are comfortable, friendly neighborhood bars or pubs where locals hang out, chill & relax, either after work or on the weekends with friends. The cafes’ dark brown interiors and dim lighting add to the gezelligheid (warmth, coziness, friendliness) and their old-time interiors have a homey, familiar feeling. In fact most of these cafes have been around for hundreds of years.
The term “brown” is derived from their dark wood paneling and their wallpaper and curtains, which have turned brown from lots of cigar and cigarette smoke which hung in the air before it was illegal to smoke in them. Once considered old-fashioned and places your grandparents would hang out it in, these cafes are also becoming popular with young locals looking for a bit of retro and visitors, who are charmed by their old world ambiance.
The actual definition of a brown café varies from person to person. Mostly they are described as I have above, but there are some purists who think that real brown cafes only serve drinks and no food; and that music shouldn’t be played.
In any case, try these great examples and I’m sure you’ll feel like a local, sipping a beer in the glow of low lighting and enjoying the charming atmosphere of years past.
Café ‘t Smalle
Located in the Jordaan on a pretty canal, this café was once a distillery, started by Pieter Hoppe in 1780. After moving the distillery to Schiedam, the Amsterdam property became a café/bar. The interior has beautiful full windows in front and a cozy dark brown dining area upstairs in the back. They serve drinks, snacks and small broodjes. A favourite with both locals and internationals, this is a popular place, even in the summer when they set up tables and chairs outside along the canal.
Egelantiersgracht 12H, 1015 RL Amsterdam
Cafe In ’t Aepjen
is housed in one of the only two remaining all wooden houses in Amsterdam. On the edge of the Red Light District on the Zeedijk, the building was an Inn and bar, dating back to the 1500s. When sailors couldn’t afford to pay their bar tabs with money, they would pay the Inn owner with exotic goods that they brought back with them from their far-away sailing voyages. One of these was monkeys. The owner didn’t have problems with the monkeys but his Inn customers did. It wasn’t unusual for his guests to wake up in the morning with flea bites. This gave rise to the popular Dutch expression,”In ‘t Aepjen, gelogeerd zijn”. Literally translating to “you slept or stayed with monkeys”, the Dutch use it to acknowledge when someone is in trouble.
During the 1970s the area became riddled with crime and drugs, but started to revitalize during the 1990s. At this time In ‘t Aepjen opened up as a brown café, decorated as if it would have been back in the day, even with stuffed monkeys and other animals thrown in for cheeky effect. A favorite with older locals, tourists are also discovering its charm and history. They serve drinks and cheese cubes.
Zeedijk 1 1012 AN Amsterdam
Café Hoppe
Not to be confused with distiller Pieter Hoppe from above, this bar started in 1670 and is one of the oldest bars in Amsterdam and boasts such visitors as Queen Beatrix and Freddy Heineken. The bar has two sides. On the right, is the older/browner side with liquor barrels behind the bar and sawdust on the floor. On the left, the space is a bit more modern with an Art Deco interior. Located on Spui Square this bar continues to be a favorite with locals after work and on weekends, especially on their outdoor area in front. They serve drinks, bar snacks and basic breakfast and lunch items.
Spui 18-20 1012 XA Amsterdam
Café Karpershoek
Once an inn for the sailors of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), it stood right at the harbors’ edge when it opened in 1606. Entering Café Karpershoek is like traveling back in time, with its low wooden beamed ceilings, tiled walls and paintings and photographs from long ago. One of the best things about the place, are its fun, older waiters who I’m sure have plenty of stories to tell. No music as they consider this place as a “talking café”, but they serve bar snacks as well as drinks.
Martelaarsgracht 2 1012 TM Amsterdam
Café Papeneiland
Located in the Jordaan on the corner of the Prinsengracht and the Brouwersgracht, this brown café also has a lot of history behind it. The building dates back to 1642 and during the Protestant Reformation there used to be a tunnel that led from the building’s basement to a hidden Catholic church across the canal. This café dates back to the 1896 and its current interior looks as if time stood still. The interior has high glass windows, kitchen utensils hanging on the walls and at night the brass chandelier gives off a a golden glow. And forget all other opinions. This place has the best apple pie in the city. Even US President Bill Clinton thought so too, as he bought a whole apple pie to go from here when he was in Amsterdam in 2011.
There are plenty more brown cafes for you to discover in Amsterdam. We pass by a few of them on my walking tours and sometimes we stop at one to take our half-way break.
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Prinsengacht 2 1015 DV Amsterdam
We also made a video about Brown Cafes on my Amsterdam Calling YouTube Channel.
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