My search for the perfect brown bar in Amsterdam

My search for the perfect brown bar in Amsterdam I swerved the tourist traps and went on a bar crawl of the city’s bruine kroegen , the cosy, dimly lit pubs that are the Netherlands’ ‘surrogate living rooms’ I s there anything better than a good old British pub? Well, a Dutch person may prefer a bruine kroeg (brown bar). Often nondescript from the outside and thus easy to miss, these cosy, homely, rustic cafe-style bars typically have plain dark-wood furniture, candles on the tables, aged knick-knacks and faded pictures. There will be dim lighting, usually from antique-style lamps, and they make ideal hubs – they are often referred to as a “surrogate living room”. The name comes from the venues’ tobacco-stained walls and ceilings, which since the smoking ban started in 2008 have been topped up by dark brown paint. Beers and jenevers (Dutch gins) are the most popular drinks, and snacks such as bitterballen (meat ragout croquettes), boiled eggs and borrelnootjes (nuts with a crispy coating) are often available too. The choice of background music is a vital component; soft vintage jazz is ideal, so when I visited Cafe ’t Hooischip the Michael Jackson and Culture Club soundtrack jarred somewhat with the cosy, historic setting. These drinking rooms used to be all-male hangouts, but today everyone, young and old, flocks to them. Few places encapsulate Dutch culture and tradition like the bruine kroegen . But in recent years they have come under threat from ever-rising rates, property prices and modern bars that are able to generate greater income. They are still found throughout the Netherlands but it is estimated that more than a quarter have closed since 2010. That said, those I visited in the centre of Amsterdam (the city has the highest density, and boasts hundreds) appeared to be thriving. Café ’t Smalle This one, in the Jordaan district, has the usual enticing brown bar attributes and features a cute curved wooden staircase leading to a cubby-hole room above with fu...