Café Emmelot in Burgwallen-Oude Zijde

Very unsafe place and disgusting.

We were really disappointed by our experience. A barmaid, who was already acting quite aggressively, took our order and then asked us to leave after barely five minutes because, according to her, we were “not drinking fast enough” and she wanted to close. This happened one hour before the closing time written on the door, simply because we were the only customers and it didn’t seem convenient for her. Before pushing us out, she even called us “tourists” — which makes no sense, considering my husband is Dutch. I’m sorry, but this kind of behaviour is absolutely not acceptable. We left feeling shocked and uncomfortable.

Great spot for a beer and people watching 🍻

Great cafe, lovely staff really friendly and good prices! Lovely outside dining area next to the canal with heating for the chilly months. Inside is a welcoming tavern kind of feel. Definitely worth a visit on your trip to Amsterdam!

Nice café with a great atmosphere

Thank you for the warm and welcoming service we enjoyed every day during our trip to Amsterdam. After just our first visit, Emmelot quickly became our favorite bar in Amsterdam. First-class service, beautiful location right on a canal, and excellent value for money. Best regards from the two ladies from Germany :)

I have been coming to this place for many years! One of my favorite spots!

Ordered Glüwein and jägershots. The bartender was polite but the drink took forever to arrive. When going inside to see what was taking so long, i found our drinks on a tray. I offered myself to carry the tray to our table but the bartender gave it to a member of staff. I told him we were outside waiting, but he tried to give our drinks to some other guests that were inside at the bar. After pointing out this mistake, he finally agreed to go out with our drinks. When trying to put the drinks down at the table he spilled out one jägershot into my bag, in the bag were two brand new pair of American Eagle jeans that i just had bought. He then got a new drink and mumbled some kind of apologie but seemed to have no plan of compensating us. The man was eather drunk or high. To top this of the Glüwein had turned cold when it finally arrived to the table. Wow.

My experience was awesome the English guy + monique were awesome. Fantastic atmosphere and service.

A bar near Amsterdam's Red Light District. Prices are relatively high for the quality. No drinks are served with appetizers. As is often the case in this city, the service is lacking, as is the hygiene in the restrooms.

Excellent service by English-speaking waiter Jame. We returned several times and were treated like royalty each time, including our four-legged friend.

The first impression was already unpleasant, as we wanted to order, but the waiter left us hanging and said he would come back later. He did come back after about 10-15 minutes. After another long wait, he brought our drink, which he wanted to push into my hand, but I couldn't take it from him because my hand was full. He refused to put it on the table, as he was not a waiter, but a server. After we pointed out that he wasn't very nice, he told us that if we didn't like the service, we should go somewhere else, and he took back the drink we had put on the table. After that, we went to Cafe Aan De Amstel, a few meters away, where we had a great time, mainly due to the nice and fast service.

Cozy on the red light district, nice tourist service, fast toilet, clean.

Excellent experience! We watched the PSV vs. Ajax game. We had a traditional Dutch beer. 10 out of 10. Excellent service.

Poor quality staff and there service

Very disappointing service. We had to wait more than half an hour just to place our first order. We had two rounds of beers, but after we said we wouldn’t order a third round, the waiter who came next was rude and dismissive. He basically made us feel unwelcome. Completely unacceptable not to allow guests to sit and relax a bit with empty glasses. If you want a relaxed evening without the pressure of constantly ordering new drinks, better choose another bar.

Attitude of bar staff was changeable (polite way of putting it). Pool table👍 beer was €9 pint so cheaper than the usual €12 elsewhere

Beer was flat and they made me pay 1€ for the glass of water. Outrageous service as well. Don’t go there.

Horrendous experience with the staff. They were rude and super unwelcoming. We saved a spot with our things still at the table-food and beer, they dumped it all and charged us for everything.

Beautiful location. The British waiter serving on the terrace was rather unwelcoming and rather disinterested. The beer went flat in the glass immediately. A shame for such a beautiful location.

I had a cafe latte and apple pie. They were delicious but they served the latte with a water glass. In my opinion this breaks the atmosphere. If the drink were served with a cozy mug my experience here would feel much more cozy and gezellig as well, especially with the beautiful architectural view ☕️

Located in the heart of Amsterdam. Perfect for stopping by and having a quick beer! Extremely busy in the essay district.

50 minutes waiting for order. Said there isnt coffe at this time and served it to people next to us that came after us

After an hour of waiting on us, the waiter tells us they can't serve coffee. Later, the table next to us has no problem ordering a cappuccino.

The only good thing is the atmosphere. But is the worst service I’ve experienced. I would not recommend to sit here!

Disgusting service and very dirty

bad service, everything is dirty, employes are very rude. Better visit some other bars

Excellent wine selection. Service could be better.

Service was extremely slow. ~20 min just to order, and another 20 to bring the order. We tried to order another round and couldn’t catch the server for another 20 minutes so we left.

Cozy terrace for drinks, very friendly staff. Definitely recommended. I've been there several times, and the staff is always up for a chat.

Amazing! Loved their apple pie! Our service host was friendly and the canal view was spectacular.

Had a lovely first night sitting indoors. Nice place, friendly staff, billiards table. Cozy atmosphere with some sports on. Returned a second night at sat outside, Gem was our server and her was absolutely wonderful. Drinks came quickly although it was quite busy, raining most of the time (our server was darting about in the rain across both sides of the patio taking care of everyone) and I would absolutely come back. The outside tables are lovely for a people watch. It feels safe, comfortable, and easy to catch a cab nearby. About a five min walk to the nearest pick up. Great canal view.

Horrible service. Asked the woman for a margarita and she said they had none, so she pointed at a table across the room and said cocktail menu is over there. After I took a look at the menu and was ready to order my drink, asked her if I can order (since she was washing dishes and wasn’t sure if she was listening) and she SCREAMS AT ME “what do you think I’m doing just standing here” So we left…

Worst service possible: Waiters were about to get in a fight with each other right at the door, stood by the bar forever hoping to get the attention of the bartender, and then when asked one question she flips her lid and calls us idiots. Obviously we left at that point. Based on other reviews, this is “funny” or a slight to tourists. Why have a bar in the most touristy part of the city, where you make your most off of tourists, if you hate them? Really disappointing, night ruined.

The waiter is super rude, he doesn’t know the menu. If he doesn’t like his job he must quit.

Nice place, but it took ages for anyone to serve our table. After we ordered, the drinks took another twenty minutes to arrive. We tried ordering the next round at the bar, but got told to wait at our tables. Now another half hour has gone without anyone coming, and we are leaving.

A great place to sit, have a drink, and watch life unfold around you. Highly recommended!

Qué ubicación fabulosa, nos encanta este lugar y lo visitamos muchas veces, el personal es encantador, también ofrecen bocadillos ligeros, los paninis son sabrosos, asientos adentro y afuera.

It overlooks my favorite bridge in Amsterdam. It's a nice place to sit and have a beer in the evening. You can try local beers, it was very enjoyable. They let you buy friet from the side and accompany your beer. Definitely, when you come, have a beer and relax. Watch the view.

A café by the canal. The staff are very attentive. It's a great place to have an enjoyable time.

The terrace and the English guy working there was the best of our trip . Really cool dude ! Coming back next time for good 👊👊👊

Great smoke bar, nice service lovely woman behind bar. A must visit when in Amsterdam

Very bad customer service, if you can avoid it and have another option I wouldn't hesitate.

Couldn't pour a pint for their life.

Great place but had a very rude waiter serving us . . . Said has to make 350 euros in an hour for the table

Just had two or three beers by the canal Great atmosphere And still cheaper than in Paris

This is a place I would never recommend to anyone. The worst service in all of Amsterdam! Yes, the location is nice – tables by the water and open late. But the staff… rude, cheeky to the guests, they even argue with you! A place you definitely won't want to return to.

Only got drinks, beautiful day out. Ivan was lovely but Efnar (or how ever it’s spelt) was not it. So so so rude and aggressive.

Not bad. It s close to Red Light to give a pause. Beers are good and service is also very nice. I liked the cozzy atmosphere

Nice spot to have a beer and people watch

Horrible service from the waiter. He took a long time to serve us even though the terrace was empty, and we had to ask him if we could order. He was rude the whole time, and when we finished, we asked him if we could use the bathroom, and obviously, he angrily told us no. Terrible service. We should definitely go to other bars because there are plenty in the area.

Worst customer service, the waiter was very rude, took a long time to serve us and we ended up leaving because he never came back after we asked for an order. Didn’t even want to serve a tea (he said they don’t serve hot drinks anymore.. they need special equipment to boil some water).

We sat on the terrace and ordered beers, but the waitress said, “You need to order more.” We were sitting with our children and had to leave the place after this super rude behaviour.

Jim C. was awesome!! He filled us in on all the local spots to check out (that aren’t tourist traps). Definitely worth stopping by for a drink!

Unfriendly waiter outside, behaving rude to many people, did not split the bills because he did not want to split. L

Amazing place by the canal!! The waiter so nice and chatty makes you feel like home. Love love love this place

Excellent atmosphere, very friendly and super-friendly. An incredible view of the canals. The drinks menu is very varied and the prices are very reasonable. I would definitely return; I highly recommend it.

Very slow service. Other than that.. OK.

The apple pie was insane ❤️ the service was super fast

Best Apple pie in Amsterdam. Great staff lovely surroundings. Cem was fantastic at service and very friendly

The one place I do not miss when visiting Amsterdam. Perfect to rest a bit and drink something refreshing. I would recommend for a beer or two. If you looking for cheap beer, you should find another place.

Very busy for a Tuesday, nice on the terrace. The service takes care of everyone quickly and has a nice chat. Nice place along the canal.

Nice staff, fast service and very nicely located.

We ordered a coke zero, a glass of white wine and a coffee. The white wine tasted like... Well not like a white wine. The coffee was cold, and when we told the waiter, he took it in to the bar, and then there came TWO waiters out to tell us, that the coffee was warm when they served it. We had only had it for a few minutes, it was not enough time for it to get cold. The coke zero was nice. So.... Just order a coke. It's in a bottle they have to open right away. They cannot fail that. But, nice view tho.

Boire une bière au bord d'un canal d'une belle ville est magnifique, attendre 30 minutes pour passer une commande est un autre soucis, sachant que dans cette ville , le prix des consommations pourrait dépasser celui de Paris CAR les boissons ne sont pas de 25 cl mais de 20 cl et cela ils ne le vous disent pas, c'est quand vous le recevez qu'il est trop tard !!!!! A bon entendeur

Decent place to sit. Coffee was cold and got told that it was hot when it arrived to the table, besides that, nice environment, friendly staff until you complain. Best of all, you can sit there and decide NOT to go into favorite chicken & Ribs .. They are a scam. Chicken was old, dry and tasteless

I laugh at the reviews of the uptight (probably yanks and Brit’s) who don’t appreciate Anna’s hilarious, dry, Dutch humor. Anna and Gem were great on my February visit. The people watching is one of the best spots in the city. The hot chocolate was a dessert, and they kept the whiskey flowing. This is definitely one of my regular spots in the future.

Gem was a jewel! He was constantly moving. Funny, quick and very helpful. Go here for a drink!

Very friendly setting but a lot of waiting and the waiter is unpleasant.

(Late post) Lovely cafe by the canal. Took a breather and just sat there with my beer for a good while.

This Café is Super when ure in inner Amsterdam its one of the rare Cafés we're u dont see people that are high

Our boy from Brighton is an absolute gentleman. Very good service. Great bar!

If dealing with tourists bothers you that much, choosing to work at a bar in the very center of the Red Light District might not have been your brightest decision. It’s genuinely impressive how someone can manage to radiate such hostility in a place that literally survives on tourism. (Yes sir, I'm talking about you. Yes, the bald one. Probably that's also because of all the stress you caused the people around you - glaring at all the tourists like we personally ruined your day.) The other waitress, always far too busy to take an order, wasn’t exactly the embodiment of hospitality either. Maybe you guys should consider a career path that doesn’t require you to interact with people. Just a thought. Bar à fuir, les gars

fast service , nice guy working serving us....english guy. Will come back cheers!

Wandered past this bar after a lovely boat trip on the canal and I am so glad we stopped in for a drink! The atmosphere was so relaxed and the heaters outside were perfect to stop outside and enjoy the evening air. Jem, one of the bartenders, was an an absolutely gem, so helpful and friendly and it was so lovely for him to stop and chat. An absolute highlight of our stop was the neighbour's cat, who came to say hello and stopped for a fuss on multiple occasions! If you’re in Amsterdam and lost for places to have a pleasant drink, Cafe Emmelot is a great place to start! :)

Good for a quick drink and great views. Service was good, fast and friendly.

Great Sunday afternoon sat relaxing with a few beers and good friends

Bar to avoid!! The waiter is aggressive and violent! Terrible experience, he doesn't like the French and shouts it at the top of his lungs! There are sunny bars just as well located and much more pleasant

Cem and Celeste were the best. Love this place. My local when I visit the Dam

Worst bar of Amsterdam don't go there. The waitress was rude

A fantastic location, a spacious terrace, and a pool table inside for some fun challenges with friends—haha! And above all, a wonderful waitress with a warm smile that brightens your day (short salt-and-pepper hair).

Great bar by the canal. Friendly staff

Delightful canal views and service with a smile!

The waiter was rude, very bad service, we didn't like it at all. And while it's a bar, everything is prepared in bottles. Simply unacceptable. And of course, at the time of payment, he knew very well to come and serve us to take the money.

Unacceptable behavior, poor quality of drink

Heel spijtig dat wij als vaste gasten op zondag 02-02-2025 om 00.42 geweigerd werden door de bar dame die toen dienst had terwijl gasten tot 01.00 de tijd hebben om nog binnen te komen Verder een heel gezellig Amsterdams bruin café, op deze bar dame na, super gezellig gestoord personeel 😁

They were playing good music and you could watch football on the different screens. The service was okay, I feel like the normal service for a bar. Could be of course friendlier. The atmosphere was good, even on a Wednesday.

Called in this cafe bar for a few drinks. Great atmosphere, staff friendly also great service. Watched the world go by as people come and go.

excellent staff and amazing atmosphere, i would go again and again and recommend to anyone

I've been there, great relaxed atmosphere, I definitely felt at ease there, drank a delicious beer moretti

Certainly the best cafe bar for a traditional dutch atmosphere and amazing Staff. Made to feel welcome from the moment I walked in. A special thanks to Ruggero Gem,celeste,Monique,Anna,until the next time Many Thanks Tony.

Don’t go there!!! The staff is rude. I ordered a local beer, not knowing there are two. The Barwoman didn’t even told me or ask which one, just gave me one. Turned out there are two and I had the wrong one. So I came back to tell her, first the lady ignored me, till the guy came and I explained it to him. Both didn’t even cared. She just continued ignoring me. So I tried to talk to her several times till she said in a very arrogant way: „It’s not my problem, that you ordered wrong“. In the end they weren’t willing to give me the right order. This is not how you treat customers. Then taking 5€ for a small beer and not even serving it you need to get it yourself and pay immediately, probably so you cannot complain afterwards. And to continue the doorman was very impolite too! Worst Bar experience in my whole Life.

Great bar loved it had a very good time good drinks, felt very comfortable and cozy Thank you to Rina and Cem for showing us a good time

Nice atmosphere, outdoor seating with heaters and blankets for the cold weather decent selection of drinks and friendly staff, only negative thing is the mens bathroom lock is broken and has been for a number of years

The waiter was very attentive. We visited January 1st. It was cold and rainy. Owner should provide the wait staff with a rain jacket at least.

Good coffee (€6/coffee), good service, good spot. A coffee stop before continuing to visit Amsterdam.

Nice pub in Amsterdam, great staff! 👍

nice for a drink. Amsterdam conviviality

For a café and bar, nice service and cool people. Lots of locals and tourists go there. Had a lot of fun there.

A beer sat outside the best bar in Amsterdam. What more can I say