Café 't Smalle

A brown cafe dating to 1786, tucked along the Egelantiersgracht canal in the Jordaan. The interior is everything you imagine when you hear "Amsterdam brown cafe": dark wood paneling, candlelight, a ticking clock, beer taps polished by centuries of use, and the faint sweet smell of old tobacco that never quite leaves these places. It is one of the oldest and most atmospheric drinking spots in the city.

The terrace is the real prize. It juts out over the canal on a small wooden platform, and on warm evenings it's one of the most beautiful spots in Amsterdam to drink a beer. The Egelantiersgracht is one of the quieter canals in the Jordaan, so you're watching ducks and houseboats rather than tour boats. Inside, the cafe is small and fills up quickly, but the crowd is mixed: old Jordaan locals, tourists who found it on a canal walk, young couples on dates.

The beer list focuses on Dutch and Belgian options. A Heineken here tastes better than it does anywhere else, simply because of the setting. They also pour decent jenever (Dutch gin), which you drink in the traditional way: the glass filled to the brim, lean down to take the first sip without lifting it. The food is simple bar snacks: bitterballen, cheese, nuts. You don't come to 't Smalle to eat. You come to sit on a canal in a cafe that's been pouring drinks since before the French Revolution.