Bitterzoet: Music venue in Nieuwe Zijde, Amsterdam

★★★★★ 4.4

Bitterzoet is a club and pop stage at Spuistraat 2 in the centre of Amsterdam, with a main room for about 350 people. The programme changes daily: one night a band on tour, the next a DJ night of hip-hop, R&B and throwbacks. It suits anyone who likes to pick a night by its line-up rather than by the place, because you may love one evening and not the next. The club started in 2003, set up by Pieter de Kroon, Joris Bakker and Nica de Bloeme, and quickly made a name in hip-hop circles. It was sold in 2008 to Bas Louwers and Sjoerd Idema, and Louwers has run it alone since 2020. Concerts range through rock, punk, ska, funk and soul, and the idea is to give DJs, bands and musicians room to experiment or reach a bigger audience. Paradiso regularly programmes concerts here too. Bitterzoet does not book bands itself: promoters and labels hire the room, nearly every day, for concerts, showcases and album releases. It can also be hired for private parties and drinks. There are no fixed opening hours, as each night has its own door time and ticket price. The minimum age is 18, but concerts are open to all ages, and ID checks are possible at the door. The cloakroom works with lockers, and using one is compulsory. ID can be checked at the door, and anyone visibly drunk or wearing the group colours of a club or association is turned away. For a car, Bitterzoet points to the Oosterdok, Nieuwezijds Kolk and Centraal Station garages. Lost property goes through lostandfound@bitterzoet.com.