Café Aen’t Water

I love this place. Every time I go to Amsterdam I take some time to sit by the canal in this bar. Coffee was better than in other places I tried and it’s one of the loveliest corners in the city.

Great service-​friendly bartenders! They have nice but small menu but with daily specials we found to be mostly excellent. Few tables inside but cozy and charming. Outdoor dining available with views of the canal.

This place is on the edge of the Red Light District (RLD) and borders on the gay «section» of the RLD as the bartender informed us. We didn’t care, we were happy to be out of the rain and somewhere dry where we could enjoy a beer and music. Finding this place was a fluke of luck and I will go back each trip to Amsterdam, this place is awesome! It sits on a corner and is not necessarily «out of the way», it’s just not «in the middle of the RLD action» either.
I wouldn’t classify Aen’t Water as a dive bar because it is a clean and well-​kept establishment. But after a few minutes you can almost feel the «diveness» seep into the atmosphere, from the «Jäger is our House Wine» sign, prominently displayed on the bar top, to the streaming of Heavy Metal and Classic Rock music videos on the TVs. There exists a wide assortment of music video and concert DVDs behind the bar, and as another reviewer noted, the bartender is very accommodating regarding fulfilling of requests.
There is a pattern of three videos before the DVDs are changed out which lends itself to part of the atmosphere. You won’t likely find yourself tuning out the music because you «know all their songs» or «can’t stand this group» — give it 10 or so minutes, the music will change, and that is one of the great things about this place. A couple of us were sitting there drinking beers, chatting it up among ourselves or with anyone else who happened to stop in for a beverage (or on one particular night, just to get out of the rain).
Over the course of several hours we drank and rocked out to Quiet Riot, Judas Priest, AC/​DC, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Rammstein, Anthrax, and on and on, and while playing video DJ for us our glasses were never empty. The bartender is friendly, welcoming, quick with a song (video) and quicker with a drink.
This place has now been added to my «must visit» list each return trip to Amsterdam from here on out. Drink, smoke, and rock on at Aen’t Water.
(Note: Upon our asking, the barkeep informed us that «Aen’t Water» is essentially Dutch slang for «At the water» and it was an appropriate name given the bars location at the canal.)

You wanna go where good old fashioned rock rules the joint? This is the place to be! In Café Aent Water they play raw rock concerts through the speakers and on TV screens. The barkeep is always ready to fulfil your requests so don’t hesitate to ask for your favorite AC/​DC, Metallica, Led Zeppelin or Rammstein concert… good chance they have in stock! Friendly people in a typical raw hard rock café! Go there!