The claim
A cosy Jordaan corner bar with a good story: that the builders of the nearby Westerkerk collected their wages here in 1624. Historians have found no trace of a bar at the address before 1882, but Chris remains a genuinely old-fashioned neighbourhood brown café, known for its toilet that is flushed from outside the cubicle.
What the records show
The 1624 is the café's own claim, and Amsterdam750 records it as such before testing it: Café Chris says it dates from 1624 and poured beer for the men building the Westertoren. Amsterdam750 found no evidence of a drinking house at this address before the 19th century, with café use documented from 1882.
| Year | What | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1624 | Claimed founding | The pub |
| 1882 | First record of a drinking house here | Amsterdam750, on strong drink first poured in 1882 |
What to look for inside
- Legend of Westerkerk builders paid here in 1624
- Café documented from 1882
- Toilet chain famously pulled from outside the cubicle
Visiting
Café Chris is in Amsterdam, Netherlands, at Bloemstraat 42, Amsterdam. We do not list opening times, because they change; the pub’s own site is the place to check before you set out.
Sources
- amsterdam750.nl/verhaal/wat-is-de-oudste-kroeg-van-amsterdam/
- www.dutchamsterdam.nl/170-amsterdam-oldest-cafe
- api.data.amsterdam.nl/v1/horeca/exploitatievergunning/?adres%5Blike%5D=Bloemstraat%2042*&_format=json
Know something we don’t?Suggest a correctionLast checked Sept 2026
Run this pub? There is a badge for it
Free to put on your own site, no permission needed. It shows what the pub claims and what the records support, and it changes when the data does.
How to use it, and how to change what it says — if you have a document we have not seen, we would like to read it.
