Cafe Hill Street Blues
Cafe Hill Street Blues
4.5
12:00 PM - 1:00 AM
Monday
12:00 PM - 1:00 AM
Tuesday
12:00 PM - 1:00 AM
Wednesday
12:00 PM - 1:00 AM
Thursday
12:00 PM - 1:00 AM
Friday
12:00 PM - 3:00 AM
Saturday
12:00 PM - 3:00 AM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 1:00 AM
About
Conveniently located in the heart of Amsterdam, Café Hill Street Blues is known for its long history of top quality hospitality services, underground style and popular music events. An ex-coffee shop turned café and juice bar, Hill Street Blues stands out from the crowd thanks to its artsy interior, welcoming staff and unbeatable prices. Offering one of the best milkshakes and hot chocolates in the 'Dam, along with a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, our hip café is a favorite among locals and tourists alike. Don't forget to check out our Happy Hour and monthly specials for beer and cocktails at more than affordable prices! Buy your smokes at Green House Effect Coffee Shop, just a few minutes away, then come back to smoke it in one of our comfortable armchairs, while admiring the hustle and bustle along the canal! Our central location also means that we are just a few steps away for some of the city's best tourist attractions! Café Hill Street Blues can be found between the largest train station in the city, Central Station, and the oldest building in Amsterdam, Oude Kerk. The bustling canalside Damrak can be admired directly from our windows, whilst the quirky Sex Museum is just a few blocks away. Madame Tussaud's fun Wax Museum can also be found just down the street from us, whilst the Nieuwe Kerk is just in its vicinity. Considered by many one of the most iconic bars in town, Café Hill Street Blues is the ideal place to get together with a couple of your best friends for an afternoon chill. Fan-favorite music artists come and play to an enthusiastic crowd during the weekends, touching party genres like hip-hop, reggae, drum and bass and dubstep. The hip atmosphere and the grungy interior are the result of years of graffiti and artwork provided by none other than our creative costumers!
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Damrak
How to get there
- Centraal Station • 4 min walk
- Amsterdam Centraal • 6 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
458 reviews
Excellent
317
Very good
98
Average
22
Poor
4
Terrible
17
These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
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Ajwad A
Nazareth Iliit, Israel40 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
Lovely kind team and cozy place. The waiter (thank you❤️) helped rolling some cones immediately when asked. Because of the friendly team and nice environment we kept coming the whole vacation to enjoy our time there.
Written February 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your feedback! We look forward to welcoming you again.
Hill Street Blues.
Written February 15, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ramez R
12 contributions
May 2022 • Friends
This place was definitely the highlight of our amsterdam trip, smoking joints is allowed inside and they serve alcohol too. They have seating on the water front with an amazing view. Music was super good and the staff is really friendly. The decor is absolutely legendary. Thank you for an amazing experience!
Written May 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ca Ro
Ulm, Germany8 contributions
May 2024 • Friends
Definitely a favorite place to visit on any Amsterdam vacation. Really cool atmosphere! If you like the rancid/ghetto look, this is the place for you. You just feel comfortable! Almost everything has stickers or tags on it, long papers are stuck to the wall, the music is good. Nice staff!
One of the few bars where you can smoke! You have to bring your own stuff, but you can drink and smoke in the smoking room downstairs. Prices are good too.
I definitely recommend it!💪
One of the few bars where you can smoke! You have to bring your own stuff, but you can drink and smoke in the smoking room downstairs. Prices are good too.
I definitely recommend it!💪
Written June 8, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nico
1 contribution
Aug 2023 • Friends
We had an incredibly disappointing experience at Cafe Hill Street Blues due to the horrendous behavior of one of their wait staff. This waiter's rudeness, complete with eye-rolling and evident annoyance, made us feel extremely unwelcome. It's astounding how someone so bad at their job could still be employed there. To top it off, our drink order was even wrong, and served rudely on one side of the table. Our dissatisfaction led us to complain to the manager, but the damage was already done. We will never return to a place that allows such unprofessionalism to flourish.
Place and location 4/5
Place and location 4/5
Written August 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mcflang
3 contributions
Apr 2022
The staff were really helpful and up for a laugh. Good atmosphere if a little Smokey at times. The clientele were ages from 20 -50 with some good music playing too. We had a fun in hill street blues as it was 15 years since we had been there last.
Written April 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andimau5
Glasgow, UK37 contributions
Jul 2024 • Friends
I don't want to be unfair to this place as I clearly arrived just after opening on a Monday afternoon and of course the place looked great but was devoid of life. It was good that it was open at that time as many other places weren't though this is definitely not the best time to go. I could imagine it being much better at night. The staff were friendly and polite. It was very expensive though for drinks. And I'm talking about drinks on draft, nothing fancy or big label.
So yeah, visit knowing it's cool looking interior but it's expensive. Though part of that is due to the location being in an extremely tourist spot. And this is a tourist venue.
So yeah, visit knowing it's cool looking interior but it's expensive. Though part of that is due to the location being in an extremely tourist spot. And this is a tourist venue.
Written August 10, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nehabudhiraja
London, UK1 contribution
Jan 2023
I had heard a lot about this place in Amsterdam, but I can't say it was completely up to my expectations. What works for this bar is probably its location and definitely a very chilled vibe. But apart from that, overpriced drinks and rude staff are a bit of a kill joy, if I am completely honest. They hover around like hawks to stop you from using tobacco inside the pub. That's fair enough, but I am sure it can be done without a threatening tone :)
Written January 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your feedback! We hope to welcome you back soon.
Café Hill Street Blues
Written January 30, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Andreea
Bucharest, Romania5 contributions
Jun 2023 • Couples
We visited on a Monday night as we were on vacation, therefore it was not particularly busy which allowed for effective service (we encountered friendly staff) and a nice, relaxed atmosphere. Located very close to the Central Station, they are easily accessible and have beautiful views of the canal. The look of the location genuinely impressed me but I can definitely say it does not cater to all. They offer a wide variety of popular drinks. Overall, the atmosphere is very enjoyable.
Written June 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your feedback! We hope to welcome you back soon.
Café Hill Street Blues
Written June 26, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Colette C
Leeds, UK12 contributions
Feb 2020
Our first trip to Amsterdam and the weather was so bad we spent most of our time in coffee shops haha. Hill street is not a coffee shop, it's a bar where you can enjoy what those coffee shops are famous for. Bring your own, get the drinks in and chill :)
We wanted somewhere that played reggae and google suggested this place. When we walked in reggae was NOT playing so we asked the bar staff if they would put some on and they did yay! The whole place is covered in graffiti and at first glance looks a bit dirty, on closer inspection it's actually really clean, including the toilets. Anyone can add to the graffiti, they just ask you not to write on the mirrors and glass. There are a couple of lounges that overlook the canal as well as the main bar area. We were there for about 5 hours, had a right laugh and met some fab people.
Staff were lovely with the exception of the tall Australian guy who was quite dismissive and not very helpful! Will deffo go back.
We wanted somewhere that played reggae and google suggested this place. When we walked in reggae was NOT playing so we asked the bar staff if they would put some on and they did yay! The whole place is covered in graffiti and at first glance looks a bit dirty, on closer inspection it's actually really clean, including the toilets. Anyone can add to the graffiti, they just ask you not to write on the mirrors and glass. There are a couple of lounges that overlook the canal as well as the main bar area. We were there for about 5 hours, had a right laugh and met some fab people.
Staff were lovely with the exception of the tall Australian guy who was quite dismissive and not very helpful! Will deffo go back.
Written February 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your feedback! We look forward to welcoming you again.
Hill Street Blues.
Written March 2, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nizar K
Almere, The Netherlands12 contributions
Mar 2023
One of the best unique experiences in Amsterdam. Never seen a place like this before, the vibe that you get when you walk is indescribable. You have the feel the vibe yourself in order to understand what thousands of people before have meant to describe. Also very nice people that work here, because it was very VERY busy, but still serve everybody like they are their only customer.
Written March 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for your feedback! We hope to welcome you back soon!
Café Hill Street Blues
Written March 21, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Pero como es que ponen personas que han ido que no venden yerba y ellos tienen una foto con una carta de precios de yerba? Mañana vamos y nos gustaría tener información
Written July 10, 2019
Is this place still a coffee shop? And is it busy in winter( December time)
Written July 6, 2018
Well, they said it was not a Coffee Shop any longer and point you in the direction of their sister cafe if you wish to buy. But you can come back and enjoy participating in the Hill Street Blues Cafe itself. I only went in June so am unsure about Winter time. It was pleasantly busy - nice atmosphere without being over-crowded. Hope this helps.
Karyll
Written July 7, 2018
Is this place still a coffee shop? And is it busy in winter( December time)
Written July 6, 2018
It was when I last went in April 👍 I’ve been at all different times & always seems busy to me but we always get a good table so never been a problem. Hope this helps :)
Written July 6, 2018
I presume banana's. They are no longer a coffeeshop and don't have said licence to sell cannabis now. Is a shame because they had nice stuff but you can still take your own there, just think of it as a trendy bar/cafe that you can still smoke in.
Written November 16, 2015
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