One of our Dutch colleagues insisted we should stop for late drinks on Sunday in this odd pub.
It is definitely one of the weirdly styled places to drink in almost spooky.
It is quite small so we were lucky to find places. The beer and drink choice were good and reasonable.
Excellent bar staff kept us engaged throughout the evening.
Definitely a "cool" (is that still used?) Place and good fun if you can grab a place.
As for the history of "oldest wooden house" and "survivor of the big fire"...I wouldn't place a bet on it.
Still... I'd love to trop here again on my next trip to Amsterdam.
Price per person
€10–20
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Really cool bar with an eclectic and tiny/cozy interior. high, high ceilings and walls full of oddities and knick knacks, and of course a fairly extensive bar. We were recommended to try their housemade beer (only available in their pib!) and I'm glad I did - I don't even like beer in general that much but it was delicious.
Price per person
€1–10
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Pilsner
Another cool and weird place with a nice story behind it (or not) is In't Aepjen. Supposedly, after the almost destruction of the city, only two buildings remained standing. Officially, it's one, but you know, stories.
Well, In't Aepjen is one of those places remaining and one of the oldest bars in the city.
The story goes that sailors were out of cash when they returned from expeditions. Still, they brought back exotic things, like animals and whatnot. The owner of In't Aepjen started charging in a particular way: IN MONKEYS!
The lad saw monkeys coming from other continents and went out of his mind. The sailors paid for their beer or genever in the currency of the moment, the monkey and everybody were happy.
In't Aepjen means "in the monkeys", and the bar is nothing more and nothing less than that, a place with monkeys of all sizes and colours.
Ask for the house beer, and you will always remember it.
Price per person
€10–20
Food: 5
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 5
Beautiful and quiet historic bar with a bizarre story. It’s one of the only two wooden buildings survived to the fire in Amsterdam in 1452. Sailors used to offer monkeys for food and drinks.
Price per person
€1–10
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Pilsner
An amazing little treasure - one of the best original "brown bars" of Amsterdam.
Great beer, atmosphere and service from the staff, and prices are very reasonable.
Highly recommend it.
Price per person
€1–10
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Very good pub with professional and hospitable service. Quite small but this adds to the convivial atmosphere. You might have to wait for seats but people come and go pretty quickly. Lots of history here too (sailors could trade monkeys for goods, beer etc. if they ran out of money apparently). Not the best music but definitely a fine selection of beer. Losing a star as I think they could further diversify the variety on offer e.g. only one (bottled) stout on offer, which was out of stock, no sours/saisons, limited selection of fruit beer. Still, would definitely return next time we are in town for the history and atmosphere.
Price per person
€20–30
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Great place for a calm beer at night, we got there because of its historical value but the prices and the atmosphere didn't disappoint us at least. I would only suggest a better hygiene when it comes to washing the glasses.
Price per person
€10–20
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5
Absolutely a must see if in Amsterdam. So much history here. Dates back to the 15th Century, and quite a cool tale, with the monkeys! Great ambiance and vibe, at this historical pub!
We were in Amsterdam during a vacation and I found this bar listed in Atlas Obscura. The history is interesting and the atmosphere of the bar was perfect. It was a small, dark bar with tons of monkey decor. We got the Apejen bier and it tasted like a nice Belgian beer! Really nice! The place is small and cozy and the stairwell down the the restroom was quite an experience. I reccommend this place for anyone who needs a quite place for an afternoon or night drink. Would recommend.
Great history at this place. Supposedly, in it's heydey, sailors used to pay for lodgings in monkeys, rather than money. Eventually the pub got so overrun with monkeys that they had to be sold off to a regular visitor (and that guy's garden became a zoo in Amsterdam). It's also one of two wooden buildings to survive a massive fire in Amsterdam years ago. It's a small pub, limited seating and clearly very popular with locals. Beers are good, service is great!
