Louis

Once upon a time there was an ugly brown café. (Of een bruin café op zijn Nederlands.) It looked like it was patroned only by whoremongers popping in for some Dutch courage before visiting one of the local working ladies. The combination of clientele and browness made this a distasteful place. The stinking urinoir opposite the entrance seemed quite fitting.
Who would ever had thought that this ugly brown creature would transform into the bright and fresh Café Louis? Such a transformation is worthy of a fairy tale. The layout, the design, the clientele are all totally different.
It is rather isolated (with the well hidden Hoppy Days as nearest alternative) so if you come here you probably won’t be popping «next door» if it’s too busy or too empty. It’s not exactly chic, but for some reason it always seems to burn a hole in my pocket (specially if snacks are ordered). The terrace is very small and opposite the aforementioned urinoir.
But one thing makes this place quite special: there’s room to stand. There’s nothing worse than arriving at a busy café, all tables are taken, so you decide to stand at or near the bar, only to find that there is no room to stand. Café Kobalt is at least twice the size, has about four times the number of seats, but has less than half the standing room the Louis has. There’s got to be something said for that. Long live Louis!

Cool little hang. Cheap beer and friendly staff. Seems to be a mix of regulars and tourists.
Update: this turned out to be my favorite local hang in Amsterdam. Just really nice staff and exceptionally nice patrons. Fun, every time, the many times I stopped for a coffee, a beer, or several!

Super cool and chilled out café with great food, very friendly service, awesome vibes, and a cat. I could spend hours here!

I love this place! It is small, cosy, located in one of the oldest neighborhoods of Amsterdam. Just far away enough of the Central Station to avoid all the coffeeshops and masses of tourists, Louis has managed to keep the feeling of a neighborhood bar. Food choice is limited, but good, and the same goes for the beer on tap. They serve stuff from good, local breweries apart from the mandatory Heineken. Whenever you find youself west of Dam and not quite up to the husle and bustle of Jordaan, this is a lovely alternative.

Great new bar located on one of the finest canals in Amsterdam. The place has been fully refurbished this year and has a very pleasant new vibe. Cosy interior, good personell and a great selection of beers, wines and bar food. Absolutely a great addition to the neighbourhood.