If you look for it, you don't actually see anything. On the facade of the building on the Voetboogstraat hangs a mosaic: a fruit tree, two clovers like on playing cards. That's the clue. The small door next door leads to Zum Barbarossa, a speakeasy bar-restaurant, in the basement of The Seafood Bar on the Spui, which is completely hidden behind the center's facade. No signboard, no window to the outside. Just: to know or not to know.
Co-founder Pepijn de Visscher built the concept around the history of the building itself. The building dates from around 1900 and originally served as a beer cellar. Not just any warehouse: this is where barrels of Barbarossa beer, a Groningen brand, secretly flowed while gambling took place behind closed doors. So the bar's name is not an invented romance but a direct reference to what actually happened in the cellar. That the atmosphere of secrecy and underground activity is incorporated into the concept therefore doesn't feel forced.
The space itself is completely invisible from the street. Those inside are shielded from everything outside: no windows, no see-through. The bar runs on inventive, seasonal cocktails made by hand. Small dishes are served in partnership with The Seafood Bar, a well-known name in the Amsterdam hospitality industry. This gives the kitchen a clear profile: fish and seafood, expertly prepared, to accompany a good glass.
The name Barbarossa refers to beer that once flowed stealthily from the barrel, and the bar keeps that tradition neatly alive.
The Voetboogstraat is right in the center, near the Kalverstraat and the Spui. A neighborhood full of tourists and walk-throughs, which makes it all the more remarkable that Zum Barbarossa sits here so inconspicuously. The neighbor probably doesn't even know there's a bar behind that wall. And that is exactly the point: the name Barbarossa refers to beer that once flowed surreptitiously from the barrel, and the bar neatly upholds that tradition.
Check out our list of Best Cocktail Bars of Amsterdam enjoy sipping and sipping the tastiest cocktails.