Café Eijlders is a traditional Amsterdam brown café and artists’ pub at Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 47, around the corner from Leidseplein. It opened on 24 December 1940, during the German occupation, and became a meeting place for poets, painters and writers. It still hosts a monthly poetry afternoon and shows art on its walls. Go for a beer, a plate of Dutch old cheese or bitterballen, and conversation. Don’t go expecting a full meal.
Café Eijlders at a glance
| Address | Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 47, 1017 PW Amsterdam |
|---|---|
| Area | Leidseplein, Amsterdam-Centrum |
| Type | Brown café (bruin café) and artists’ café |
| Opened | 24 December 1940, by John Eylders |
| Known for | Its wartime and literary history, a largely original interior, stained-glass windows, art exhibitions and a poetry afternoon on the third Sunday of each month |
| Food | Bar snacks, such as Dutch old cheese and bitterballen |
| Phone | +31 20 624 2704 |
| Website | cafeeijlders.com |
Opening hours
Café Eijlders publishes these opening hours on its official website:
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 16:30–01:00 |
| Friday | 12:00–02:00 |
| Saturday | 13:30–02:00 |
| Sunday | 12:00–00:00 |
Hours from the café’s official website. Some third-party listings still show older hours.
From Monday to Thursday, the café opens at 16:30, so it isn’t a lunchtime stop. You can stop by at midday on Fridays and Sundays, or from 13:30 on Saturdays. Brown cafés sometimes close for a summer break or on holidays. Check the official website before you make a special trip.
A wartime artists’ café
John Eylders opened the café in a converted garage on 24 December 1940, several months after the German occupation began. At the time, the streets around Leidseplein were full of theatres, artists’ clubs and cafés. Poets such as J.C. Bloem, M. Vasalis, Hans Redeker and Anna Blaman came to Eijlders regularly.
During the war, the curfew meant the café couldn’t stay open after 8 p.m. Once it closed, writers including Ed. Hoornik, Bertus Aafjes and Jan Elburg gathered in the living room upstairs. In 1943, cafés were required to display a sign reading “Voor Joden verboden” (“Forbidden for Jews”). According to the café’s history, the owner stuck it up with a rubber suction cup, and it soon fell down behind the stove. The café calls itself an artists’ and anti-Nazi hangout from the start.
After 1945, a new generation took over the tables, including Remco Campert, Lucebert, Simon Vinkenoog and Ramses Shaffy. In 1950, Campert and Rudy Kousbroek started the literary magazine Braak at Eijlders and ran its editorial office from the café. Braak played a key part in launching the Vijftigers, the Dutch experimental poets of the 1950s. The Eylders family sold the café in the 1960s, and it has had several owners since then.
You’ll see both spellings of the name: “Eylders”, the founder’s spelling, and “Eijlders”, which the café uses today. Search for either one when looking for maps or old photographs.
What to expect inside
A brown café, or bruin café, is a traditional Dutch neighbourhood pub. The name comes from walls that turned brown after decades of tobacco smoke. At Eijlders, most of the original interior is still in place, and the collection of stained-glass windows keeps growing. The walls always have paintings on show, so what you see changes from one visit to the next.
It works like a local living room. Most customers are regulars, but because it’s right next to Leidseplein, the staff are used to seeing new faces. It’s quieter and more talkative than the neon-lit bars on the square, which is why so many visitors end up here.
Come for drinks, not dinner. Order a beer or jenever along with classic Dutch bar snacks like cubes of old cheese or bitterballen, which are crisp fried balls of meat ragout served with mustard. If you want a proper meal, eat somewhere else first.
Poetry and art at Eijlders
Poetry is still part of the café today. Since 1999, the Eijlders Dichters (Eijlders Poets) have run a monthly open-mic poetry afternoon on Sundays. The café lists it on the third Sunday of the month. Most readers perform in Dutch, but English and American poets come along too. The group also organises a summer Dichtersmarathon (poetry marathon) and publishes anthologies. In 2026, as part of the café’s 85th anniversary, it awarded its Eijlders Poëzie Aanmoedigingsprijs (a prize for poets with a recent Dutch-language debut collection) for the second time.
Times and special events change, so check the café’s website or social channels for the next poetry afternoon or exhibition opening.
Best time to visit
- Weekday evenings: doors open at 16:30 from Monday to Thursday. Early evening is a good time for a drink before a show at the nearby theatres.
- Friday and Sunday afternoons: the café opens at noon, which suits a slow afternoon drink.
- Third Sunday of the month: come for the poetry afternoon if you want to see the café’s literary side.
- Friday and Saturday nights: the café is open until 02:00 and gets its liveliest crowd.
- Autumn and winter: a warm brown-café interior is at its best on a wet Amsterdam evening.
How to get there
Café Eijlders is on Korte Leidsedwarsstraat, a short side street that runs off Leidseplein. Once you reach the square, it’s about a one-minute walk.
- By tram: lines 2 and 12 run from Amsterdam Centraal to Leidseplein, and lines 5, 7 and 19 also stop there. GVB has announced that tram 1 will run a diverted route from the Leidseplein stop until 1 May 2027. Check the GVB journey planner before you travel.
- From Schiphol Airport: take Connexxion bus 397 (Amsterdam Airport Express) from stop B17 straight to Leidseplein. The journey takes about 35 minutes, and you don’t need to change. After midnight, Niteliner N97 runs the same route.
- On foot: from Dam Square, allow about 20–25 minutes through the canal ring.
- By bike: Leidseplein has an underground bike park. If you don’t have a bike, A-Bike Rental & Tours Leidseplein is nearby. Watch out for the tram tracks around the square.
Nearby places to pair with a visit
Eijlders is a good first or last stop for an evening around Leidseplein. Our Leidseplein neighbourhood guide covers the theatres, music venues and late-night options nearby. Café de Wetering is another historic brown café a short walk east, known for its fireplace. For a longer route, try the Brown Café Crawl Map.
Frequently asked questions
Is Café Eijlders open for lunch on weekdays?
Not from Monday to Thursday, when it opens at 16:30. On Fridays and Sundays it opens at 12:00, and on Saturdays at 13:30.
Are Café Eijlders and Café Eylders the same place?
Yes. Founder John Eylders spelled his name with a y, and the café now uses the spelling Eijlders. Both names refer to the pub at Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 47.
Is the poetry afternoon in English?
Most readings are in Dutch, but the café says English and American poets also attend. It is an open-mic afternoon on the third Sunday of the month, so check the café’s website for the next date.
