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All the Netherlands Amsterdam Café De Dokter
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

Café De Dokter

The smallest bar in Amsterdam has stayed in the family since 1798.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Added By
Olga Lisina
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Amsterdam’s smallest bar has been in business for more than two centuries.   Olga Lisina / Atlas Obscura User
Amsterdam’s smallest bar has been in business for more than two centuries.   Olga Lisina / Atlas Obscura User
The darkened interior of the tiny bar is full of eclectic antiques.   Rex Roof / CC BY 2.0
“The Doctor” was started by a surgeon.   Olga Lisina / Atlas Obscura User
Cafe de Dokter, Amsterdam   Vicki Arkoff / Atlas Obscura User
Cafe de Dokter, Amsterdam   Vicki Arkoff / Atlas Obscura User
Entrance, Cafe de Dokter, Amsterdam   Vicki Arkoff / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Tucked away just a few steps from the bustling Kalverstraat, Amsterdam’s main shopping street, Café de Dokter (literally meaning ‘The Doctor’) is more than just another traditional Dutch brown bar with dark wood paneling and furnishings. Founded in 1798 by a surgeon from a nearby hospital, the bar initially served as a meeting point for doctors and medical students.

More than two centuries later, it attracts a more diverse public but is still run by the seventh generation of that same family. You will be greeted by Maria and Henry, an elderly couple who treat this bar as their second living room. They took over the bar’s management from Maria’s parents, who worked there for almost 50 years, carrying on the family tradition.    

The locals fondly call this spot ‘Het Doktertje’ (‘The Little Doctor’), and this diminutive reflects the tiny size of the bar. With an 18 square-meter area, ‘Het Doktertje’ is considered the smallest bar in Amsterdam, or at least one of the smallest—but it is not its only quirk. The interior is filled with antique trinkets, from clocks to bird cages to old-fashioned lusters, intentionally covered by a thick layer of dust (but the glasses for guests are crystal clear).

Anytime you come here, you will hear the sounds of jazz and have a chance to try the ‘Dokters Recept’ jenever — a variation of the traditional Dutch juniper-flavored alcoholic beverage, made according to an old family recipe. Of course, simply drinking a beer or two is also possible.

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Time Capsule Bar

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The bar is open Wednesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. till 1 a.m. 

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Added By

Olga Lisina

Edited By

Vicki Arkoff

  • Vicki Arkoff

Published

February 14, 2025

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  • https://www.facebook.com/p/Cafe-De-Dokter-100063656104401/
  • https://www.parool.nl/ps/cafe-t-doktertje-wil-nooit-subsidie-dan-worden-we-erfgoed-en-moeten-er-perzische-kleedjes-op-tafel-en-levensliederen-aan~b4bda639/
Café De Dokter
4 Rozenboomsteeg
Amsterdam, 1012 PR
Netherlands
52.369271, 4.890815
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Photo of Amsterdam

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