The Best Bars And Pubs In Leeuwarden Netherlands

Searching for an authentic, local watering hole in Leeuwarden? Or maybe somewhere fun to chill out and drink a cold one? Then make sure to take a look at our guide to Leeuwarden’s best bars and pubs.

1. De Stee, Leeuwarden

Pub, Dutch

This down-to-earth pub opened its doors over 40 years ago and has catered to Leeuwarden’s (drinking) population ever since. De Stee keeps an impressive selection of local and international brews behind its bar including a local amber beer that’s named after Leeuwarden’s iconic Oldehove tower.

2. Grand Café Post-Plaza

Cafe, Restaurant, Hotel Restaurant, Contemporary

This expansive grand café is housed inside a former post office in Leeuwarden’s historic city centre. The building still features many stately design elements, including high ceilings, exposed wooden beams and hard stone floors that match perfectly with the café’s vibrant, yet cosy atmosphere. The café centres around a large, open bar that serves a large range of coffee, beer, wine and cocktails throughout the day. It is also possible to spend the night inside this magnificent building (or an adjoining historic bank) by booking a room at Post-Plaza’s boutique hotel.

3. Specialbier Café de Markies, Leeuwarden

Bar, Dutch

Looking to try some tasty local craft beer while exploring Leeuwarden? Then make sure to stop by this charming special beer café on Groot Schavernek, which stocks a wide range of Frisian brews and many other delicious ales, lagers and stouts from the Benelux region and beyond. Like all good Dutch beer café, de Markies serves a selection of well-balanced cheese alongside its drafts and bottles.

5. Café de Bak, Leeuwarden

Cafe, Dutch

This cosy café is located inside Leeuwarden’s Blokhuispoort – an enormous cultural centre that’s housed in an historic prison complex that dates back to the late 19th century. The café has plenty to offer when it comes to food and drinks and recently added a beer brewed inside Blokhuispoort to its menu.

6. Café de Spoek, Leeuwarden

Cafe, Dutch

This lively music bar was founded over 30 years ago under the now-defunct name café de Spoekepôlle. The entire café is decked out in musical memorabilia and including posters, guitars and a stand-up double bass. There’s always music playing over de Spoek’s sound system and the café regularly invites musicians to play on its stage.

7. Kelder 65, Leeuwarden

Bar, Dutch

This subterranean bar runs underneath the northern banks of Leeuwarden’s Nieuwestad canal. Although Kelder 65’s entrance is rather narrow, it leads onto an enormous lounge, complete with booths, bar stools and group seating areas. The bar has some of the best pub grub in the entire city and its menu features traditional Dutch snacks like cheese platters, as well as other classic, international hors d’oeuvre such as plates of cured meats or hoisin chicken-skewers. There are also plenty of drinks to choose from, including G&Ts, cocktails and Dutch beers.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.