Affordable beer in Amsterdam: here you will find a vase of lager for 3,50 euros or less
F*ck, everything is so expensive! Just have a drink somewhere and the amount in your bank account will disappear behind the clouds as quickly as the sunshine of this but-not-coming spring. Drinking at home remains the cheapest option, but we don't want that. We want to go into the pub and onto the terrace. And we especially want to do that more often. Amsterdam is a lot of fun, but also the most expensive city in the Netherlands to visit.
That's why: a list of nice bars in Amsterdam, where you can get a vase of beer for less than 3,50. You often get interiors from the (very) old days, brown counters, bartenders and bartenders who have been standing behind the counter for I-don't-know-how-long and just no bullshit. Perhaps you can arrange a bitterbal or a plank of Amsterdam sour, but we are not going to make things difficult in these places. Just good old fashioned tapping vases and talking about things. Don't count on the Golden Age, because then you will never be happy again.
Do you know a pub in Amsterdam that also has a beer on tap and charges 3,50 euros or less for it? Share the love for affordable beer in the comments #bartsbiertje
Under the Stork – Fire, 3,40 euros. In the Utrechtsestraat on a corner. Enjoy people watching and order a plank of Amsterdam pickles.
In the Wildeman – Here they have the German Jever on tap: crisp, clean and with a generous swirl. It is 3,60 euros for 30cl, which amounts to 3,00 euros for a vase. You hardly see those prices anywhere anymore.
Cafe Chris – the regulars are still in charge here and always have a place. Even if you were sitting in that spot just before, but that's also part of the charm.
Cafe Mulder – On the last corner of the Vijzelgracht. It's cozy inside, but they still have quite a few tables outside. Here you can drink a vase of Amstel for 3,30 euros.
Scharrebier – on Rapenburgerplein, towards Amsterdam East. A pub like you would expect your grandfather to have entered. A vase of Amstel is 3,50 euros and on the third Sunday of the month they always have a German keg on the bar.
Sluyswacht – here you will find a mix between student and old(er) today with also some tourists for variety. Very nice terrace (also at the back) and friendly service. On the Hertog Jan menu for 3,40 euros.
Café de Zon – It doesn't get much more Amsterdam-like, and you can take that positively or negatively. Do what you want with it, but on the terrace overlooking the Nieuwmarkt it is good to people watch and drink beer with an Amstel for 3,50 euros.
The boss – this sports café can be found on Vijzelstraat. An ice-cold Heineken for 3,30 euros and don't complain. Watch football.
Brecht – near Le Patron, and Brecht also has a view of the Weteringscircuit. Inside it is a jumble of chairs, old lamps and knick-knacks and it feels like you are in Berlin. A bit raw, also a bit cozy. They change between lager/lager, but there is almost always a 25cl between 3,30 euros and 3,50 euros on tap.
Tasting room De Ooievaar – it is located on a corner at the beginning of the Zeedijk. Lots of regulars and the occasional stray tourist. Lovely interior and the table in the left corner is a favorite: your own spot but with an overview of the (tiny) small bar. A vase of Amstel is 3,50 euros.
Dijk 120 – On the Nieuwmarkt side of the Zeedijk. As if time has stood still. Not necessarily the nicest brown pub in Amsterdam, but the bartender is always up for a chat and a good base to visit more of the Nieuwmarkt and Zeedijk. Here too, the Amstel is 3,50 euros.
Papeneiland – you will find this on the edge of the Jordaan. Always busy, always cozy and both inside and outside there are several trays where you can sit and drink an Amstel for 3,20 euros.
Cafe 't Monumentje – On a corner in Westerstraat. Tiny inside, and a not much larger terrace, so definitely not a good idea for groups. But for two or three people you can drink a beer here for 3,00 euros, which is nice that that is still possible.
Pool bar – a bit of a no-brainer, but yes: playing pool and drinking beer. Golden combination. It can be quite busy during sporting events, so make sure you arrive a little earlier. Vase is 3,10 euros, so that won't break the bank.
Dopey's Elixir – They have a lovely sunny terrace at Dopey's, and a very nice beer list with special beers. With all those IPAs and tripels you won't stay below 3,50 euros, but with a vase of Heineken you will, because that's exactly what it is.
Café Buhrs – you will find this on Van der Helstplein (where you will also find both Renato's). We always find the square itself to have a bit of a vacance-in-France feel, so you don't have to break the bank with a 3,50 euro Heineken.
Albert cuyp – the not 'hip' places at the back of the stalls often still have sympathetic prices, such as Coffee house de Cuyp and the Roof pigeon.
Lager bird – tropical atmosphere, that's what the terrace of the Pilsvogel in De Pijp screams. It is almost always full around drinks time, and we understand that with a Heineken for 3,50 euros.
Tapmarin – OK, you have to be with a group to keep this budget, but for 100 euros you get 10 liters of beer to tap yourself. If you can now tap without tap loss, that works out to 2,50 euros per vase.
Bar Kosta – on the canal and nearby Vondelpark. An ideal place to grab an Amstel vase for 3,40 euros after a sunny walk.
Café Helmers – around the corner from the always pleasant Overtoom you will find Helmers. Fries rendang and vase of Heineken for 3,30 euros it is.
Oslo Beers – so nice: they have swings on the terrace. Not exactly worth it, but after a few Birra Moretti (3,30 euros) you actually want to try it. Oslo can be found at the end of the Overtoom, near Bar Kosta. Little pub crawl?
Bar Botanique – just before the viaduct that goes to Javastraat. There are plants and greenery both inside and outside. They have good pizzas here, and an Amsterdam Heineken for 3,50 euros.
The New Deep – varying German on tap and therefore also varying prices, but almost always one small under 3,50 euros. And that view of the small fen with the weeping willows around it is also worth a lot.
Thúskomme – a touch of Friesland in Mokum. With a vase of Gulpener for 3,25 euros you can really sit here for a while, also because they have a very nice menu with slightly different dishes. Also a lot of vegetarian.
Check Point Charlie – CPC owes its name to the busy intersection it overlooks: always bells and howls of trams, buses, cars and bicycles, plus the bridge that opens and closes + an alternative Berlin vibe. Now let them also have one of the better and cheapest pilsners on tap: a Weihenstephaner Pils for 3,00 euros. We'll see you there, yo!
Bar WOOD – yep, in the Houthavens. With no fewer than two sunny terraces and a small but nice snack menu, the Hertog Jan lager is available here for 3,50 euros per 25 cl.
Café Thuys – a nicely tapped Jupiler pilsner is always available, especially for 3,00 euros. Thuys is located on a cozy corner of the De Clerqstraat and the staff is very friendly.
The Lock – ten minutes by bike towards the Vliegenbos and you are at Café 't Sluisje. Un-Amsterdam fun and cozy, with a terrace overlooking the marina and the Pereboomsloot. Un-Amsterdam prices too, with an Amstel for 3,25 euros
The Brotherhood – a kind of playground, but not quite a real one, but with sand, space and even a vegetable garden. That's fun for the kids. A Heineken for 3,20 euros is nice for mom and dad.
Walhalla Brewery – with a hidden beer garden/sandbox and an Apollo lager for 3,50 euros, this place is a very good idea on a sunny day (because the beer garden is in the sun) or on a Sunday (because there is live music in the brewery). Affordable lager between the beer tanks, noice.
Fluff – Pelusa is a new place in North where you want to go for really good food, a bit of a throw-it-on-the-table-and-share-everything idea and to get a Jever for less than 3,00 euros. drink (the Jever actually always comes in a 30cl glass).
