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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