Bar The Tailor is the cocktail bar of the Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky at Dam 9, on the eastern edge of Dam Square in central Amsterdam. It is open daily from 5 PM to 1 AM, takes walk-ins as well as reservations, and is named after the hotel’s founder, A.W. Krasnapolsky, who trained as a tailor before he ever ran a coffee house. That tailoring idea is not decoration alone: cocktails are named after fabrics, the lights are made from ribbons, and the carpet is stitched rather than woven.
Visit essentials
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | Dam 9, 1012 JS Amsterdam, inside Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky |
| Opening hours | 5 PM to 1 AM, every day |
| Reservations | 020 554 9455 or [email protected]; walk-ins accepted |
| Style | Hotel cocktail bar with lounge seating, a snug room and a heated patio |
| Food | Pairing bites and small plates, no full restaurant menu |
| Live music | Jazz trio twice a month on Sundays, 5 PM to 9 PM |
| Parking | Hotel garage, €7.00 per hour for bar guests |
| Nearest transit | Dam tram stop, roughly one to four minutes on foot |
The bar publishes 1 AM as its closing time on all seven days, although at least one bar directory lists a midnight finish on Sundays. If you are planning a late Sunday drink, call ahead.
From tailor to cocktail bar
A.W. Krasnapolsky arrived in Amsterdam in 1856 at the age of 22 with a tailoring diploma, following his father and grandfather into the trade. He spent his off-hours in the coffee houses around Dam Square and took one over in 1866, which grew into the hotel that still carries his name. The bar borrows his first craft rather than his hotel career, which is why the theme reads as workshop detail instead of period costume.
You see it in small choices. Drinks reference fabrics such as cotton and velvet. Ribbons are used as light fittings. The carpet is stitched. It is a quieter piece of design than a themed bar usually attempts, and it holds up because the drinks carry the same level of attention.
The cocktails and the Wynand Fockink link
The bar team built its menu together with Wynand Fockink, the Amsterdam distillery in the alley behind the hotel, and the resulting cocktails were developed specifically for this bar rather than adapted from a house-standards list. The builds lean on house-made infusions, liqueurs and sodas, with tobacco bitters and aromatic sprays used as finishing touches. Wynand Fockink gins and liqueurs also appear on the back bar in their own right.
Bar manager Alexander Montrose runs the team and has spent more than a decade working in and managing cocktail bars. If you want the tailoring conceit made literal, sit at the counter and describe what you normally drink; the bespoke approach is the point of the room, and the bar builds drinks to order around it.
Recognition
- Voted best classic hotel bar in Amsterdam in 2025.
- Bartender Octavio won the Rémy Martin Talent Academy Benelux finals in 2025, competing in Cognac.
- Rated 4.7 out of 5 across nearly 300 Tripadvisor reviews, an unusually high score for a hotel bar on a tourist square.
The room, the snug and the heated patio
There are three distinct places to sit, and choosing the right one changes the evening. The main bar and lounge sofas suit conversation and watching drinks being built. The snug is a small private lounge, named after the Victorian pub rooms where a local police officer, a clergyman or a couple could drink unobserved, and it works for a group that wants to talk without an audience. The heated patio, which the hotel also calls the Summergarden, stays usable in Dutch shoulder-season weather and is where the cigar and cocktail pairing is easiest to enjoy.
Cigar pairings are offered alongside the cocktail list, with bites available to eat with the drinks. This is a drinks-first venue, so plan dinner elsewhere.
Best time to visit
- Doors open at 5 PM, so an early arrival gets you counter seats, an unhurried bartender and a room that is still quiet.
- From roughly 9 PM the bar fills with a mix of hotel guests and Amsterdam locals, which is the livelier version of the same room.
- Sunday evenings twice a month bring a jazz trio from 5 PM to 9 PM in an intimate setting. The dates are announced on the bar’s social channels rather than fixed to specific Sundays, so check before making the trip for the music.
- Cold months favour the heated patio and the cigar pairing; the enclosed, warmed terrace is the reason the outdoor seating is not seasonal here.
How to get to Dam 9
Entry is through the Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky lobby on Dam Square, directly opposite the Royal Palace and the Nieuwe Kerk. From Amsterdam Centraal it is about a 10-minute walk straight down the Damrak.
- Tram 4, 14 or 24 stop at Dam on the Rokin side of the square, one to two minutes from the door.
- Tram 2, 12, 13 or 17 stop at Dam on the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal side, three to four minutes across the square.
- Metro 52 stops at Rokin, about five minutes on foot through the square.
- Pay for trams and metro by tapping a contactless card or phone with OVpay, or buy a GVB travel ticket if you are riding frequently.
- Driving is the weakest option in this part of the centre, but the hotel garage is open to bar guests at €7.00 per hour.
Lines 9, 16 and 25 appear in older Amsterdam guidebooks and no longer exist, so ignore them if you are working from a dated map.
Pair it with Wynand Fockink or dinner in the hotel
Around the corner in the Pijlsteeg, at number 31, sits the Wynand Fockink tasting room, in business since 1679 and open daily from 3 PM to 9 PM. It is standing room only, there are no reservations, and the house tradition is to bow to your first brimming glass of jenever rather than lift it. Because it closes at 9 PM and Bar The Tailor runs to 1 AM, the natural order is jenever first, cocktails after, a two-minute walk apart.
For dinner beforehand, the same hotel houses the Michelin-starred restaurant The White Room, set in a monumental hall dating to 1885 and led by Jacob Jan Boerma, and the Grand Café Krasnapolsky, which looks out over Dam Square and the Royal Palace. Reserving The White Room well ahead is advisable; the Grand Café is the easier walk-in.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Bar The Tailor in Amsterdam?
Bar The Tailor is at Dam 9, 1012 JS Amsterdam, inside the Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky on Dam Square. Entry is through the hotel lobby, opposite the Royal Palace.
What are Bar The Tailor’s opening hours?
The bar is open from 5 PM to 1 AM every day, with no daytime or lunch service. One bar directory lists a midnight close on Sundays, so call 020 554 9455 if you are planning a late Sunday visit.
Do you need a reservation at Bar The Tailor?
No. It is a walk-in bar, but reservations are accepted by phone on 020 554 9455 or by email at [email protected], which is worth doing for groups, the snug lounge or a weekend evening.
Is Bar The Tailor only for hotel guests?
No. The bar is open to the public as well as to guests of the Anantara Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, and the hotel garage is available to bar visitors at 7.00 euro per hour.
When is live jazz at Bar The Tailor?
A jazz trio plays twice a month on Sunday evenings from 5 PM to 9 PM. The specific Sundays change each month and are announced on the bar’s social media, so check before you go.
Does Bar The Tailor serve food?
It serves pairing bites and light plates designed to go with the cocktails rather than a full dinner menu. For a meal first, the same hotel has the Michelin-starred White Room and the Grand Cafe Krasnapolsky.
