Cafe Gollem

ballewblake

New Jersey

4.34/5  rDev -3.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Found this place hooking up with some locals my first time in Amsterdam. I've made it a point to frequent the place since. This place has a local crowd cooked into its tiny space. I'm thinking maybe 40 person occupancy here. Lots off beer geeks can be scene here, beer bibles and high lighters in hand. Service is friendly and cool. I love this place, atmosphere is warm and inviting, very personal, old and unchanged by the times. Get here early as possible, after 8-9 its near impossible to squeeze in. The selection is incredible, primarily Belgian beers, easily over 200. At least ten different drafts, which change frequently.
Side note, very cool storage system and keg system under the place. Highly recommended if you like good selections of Belgians and old world dives.

02-11-2008 21:57:20 | More by ballewblake

JBogan

Nevada

4.16/5  rDev -7.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

This right across the walkway from the Cracked Kettle beer store, so while it's a little hard to find, especially at night for someone not familiar with Amsterdam, it's well worth the effort.

I'd gone a few nights earlier to the Kulminator in Antwerp, and this was an entirely different scene. We'd gone to the Kulminator on a weekday evening, and Gollem on a Saturday night, so perhaps that's why the Kulminator was as quiet as a library and Gollem was packed and noisy.

All in all Gollem had an excellent selection of brews, and served in a reasonable manner for such a busy place. The atmosphere was I suppose typical for a bar in Amsterdam on a Saturday evening, buzzing with activity and crowded. It was enjoyable for a short visit, but not what I prefer for long stretches, your tastes may vary.

Summing it up, if you're anywhere near Amsterdam then Gollem (and the Cracked Kettle about 10 feet away) are well worth visiting. And oh yes, watch your head on the way to the water closet.

01-20-2008 11:21:47 | More by JBogan

CBA

British Indian Ocean Territory

5/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Another great bruine kroeg in the same vain as De Garre. Be foreward this was the most "bruine" of them all. Get there early though and share a few glasses with locals on their way home after work, minus the copious amount of smoke with the after dinner crowd. Excellent service, pricing very reasonable and a wide selection in bottle with more limited tap selection. Although I could drink the draft LaChouffe all night. I spied a few bottles of Pannepot in the cellar from my seat at the bar. Although not on the list the barman was more than willing to get it for me.

The best part of the place was the bar cat - Snoppy who took a shine to my coat and everytime I came in for a drink he'd be my companion as long as he got to sleep on my coat.

Word to the wise - take the steps slowly to the washroom, least you end up flat on your back as (edit) I did.

If I moved to Amsterdam, I'd ensure this place was on my route home from work.

01-13-2008 17:05:39 | More by CBA

Dukeofearl

California

4.3/5  rDev -4.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

My wife and I spent a lovely few days in Amsterdam last April (has it been that long??) as part of a longer vacation, and we had a very nice time enjoying this little spot 2 blocks from our hotel. Be careful of the bikes in the alley out the front door, though- they whiz through and after a couple of Belgium's finest, it's a bit challenging!

A very homey place, nice cozy atmosphere, the bartenders seemed to know a lot of locals but were very nice to a couple of American tourists. Very knowledgeable, and the beer list written in chalk across 2 walls was very impressive from the balcony/upper floor where we sat. Great selection- we really enjoyed our time here.

Overall, I only had three negative comments on this place- 1) it was smokier than many places we visited, and 2) it was mostly about Belgian beer, and since I had fallen for for Dutch beers in the previous few days, I missed those, and 3) we only had a chance to go here once.

Recommended.

01-10-2008 03:18:50 | More by Dukeofearl

jasonm

Pennsylvania

4.56/5  rDev +1.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

After a doing a bit of shopping of The Cracked Kettle, why not head over to Cafe Gollem...

I pretty much fell in love with the place when I walked in. Cozy (yeah, that means small) split level setting. Small bar area on the ground floor with a flight of steps leading up to some more tables on the upper level. Dark, candlelight, lots of breweriana. Customers are a perpetual mix of Dutch locals and tourists. Within short time I was conversing with locals and Anglo speaking tourists (from the UK and New Zealand) alike.

The beer selection is excellent. Over 200 bottles of Belgian, Dutch, and German beers. All Trappists represented (including Westlvetern) along with the gamut of Abbey, Lambic, Flanders, and other styles. Several tap offerings as well, including what I gather to be a few seasonal offerings. The bok beers were on, including ones from Anker and Chouffe.

Prices were reasonable, running from 3,00 to 4,50 euros for most bottled offerings (12,00 euros for the Westvletern 12). Service was manned by a single bartender who did a wonderful job keeping up with the busy crowd, making recommendations and serving everything in proper glassware.

And to reiterate, watch your head when going down to the bathrooms. Also, the steps themselves are at a pretty steep pitch, so it can get precarious after a few drinks.

10-23-2007 01:09:35 | More by jasonm

YankSubSomerset

United Kingdom (England)

4.56/5  rDev +1.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

We stopped in here just the other day, 8 months after our last visit, but we felt like we had come home. What is it about the atmosphere of this place? Is it the perfect proportions, the super coziness, the inviting tables up a half flight of stairs, the cat that prowled underneath our table, the excitement of the other beer afficianados, or was it all of these things? Either way, this certainly my favorite beer bar in Amsterdam. My wife usually would choose a less beer focused place, but the charm of Gollem has enchanted her. So for those men that drag their wives around euro beer bars I suggest taking her here...or not, the place is rather small so please stay away while we are there. If you do secure yourself a table or seats by the bar then don't waste your luck: stay on for an extra beer or two.

They were out of one beer I wanted to try, but the bartender said could suggest something similar. I relectuantly agreed, as I chose the beer more the fact that I never of it. However, he came through with another beer I never tried or even heard of.

10-22-2007 13:47:20 | More by YankSubSomerset

theformula

Virginia

4.29/5  rDev -4.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Stopped by in May of '06 before heading 6ft. across the street to the Cracked Kettle.

Great little (it's very small) cafe with a nice selection of Belgian, German and regional brews written on chalk boards across the walls. The atmosphere was very traditional and very cool, with brewania on the walls and old wooden tables. They could use more of a selection I think to really spice it up, but the Saison Dupont and Chimay Triple were very good with a plate of sausages and Trappist cheeses.

NOTE: Those over 5'11" duck while going downstairs to the restroom. You WILL hit your head.

Highly recommended.

09-11-2007 15:38:12 | More by theformula

GregMcQ

Texas

4.26/5  rDev -5.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Visited on 10-May-07. This is a very neat little beer-bar. I stopped in for two beers prior to spending massive amounts of money at The Cracked Kettle; had a Mort Gueuze and a Rochefort 10 (both were, of course, served in the appropriate glassware and were excellent!). I got there right at 4pm... right when it opens; the guy opening up was laying out coasters, but was putting them face-down (they were Amstel coasters); I had my beer upstairs as I perused through the entire listing of beer-offerings... the guy came up to distribute more coasters (non-Amstel coasters now), saw that my coaster (i.e. Amstel) was face-up, smiled, and proceeded to turn it face-down again: "Sorry, was running low on coasters and had to borrow these, but we won't sell that beer here." That one statement said it all for me and I spent the rest of the afternoon smiling broadly! :)

Seriously, though... nice atmosphere; good service. Only suggestion would be to broaden the beer-listings. There was a nice listing of beers; but - given the region - could have included so much more.

But, having said that, this will be the first stop I make whenever I get back over to Amsterdam.

05-11-2007 23:23:35 | More by GregMcQ

Truh

New Hampshire

4.28/5  rDev -4.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

We were lost. You’d think that would be hard given that the canals and streets were laid out in a grid, and yet we found ourselves in a labyrinth of water-lined alleys, red tinted cobblestone, and pied piper coffee shops. It also didn’t help that we’d been up for something close to 34 hours by that point, and had just consumed liters of excellent Dutch beer. I half expected to find the Minotaur lurking around the next corner, but to my surprise, I spied the sign for Gollem and breathed a silent sigh of relief. Jim had been threatening to “get in on some of the local action,” unless we found the bar soon. That would mean Kumar and I would likely have to spend the next day searching for his poxied form in one of three places: a gutter, the local jail, or raising cane in a quiet café. None of those prospects were particularly appealing.

As we entered the bar, I noticed a bottle shop across the street, the Cracked Kettle, and made a mental note that we’d have to stop in there at some point to check out their wares. The bar was fairly crowded, and given the relatively small footprint, we were lucky to find seats at the bar proper that sat along the window to the street. In all, the L-shaped bar could seat about 10, while a small, open upstairs area looked like it could hold about 20 or so at some loose tables. All the draughts were listed on a chalkboard opposite the bar, and it looked like they had close to 25 on, including Charles Quint, Babar, Jopen Koyt, some of the Westmalles and Rocheforts, and the local Mary. They also had quite a bottle list, though I noted some of them weren’t available. The bartender, a guy in his early 30s, cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, raised his eyebrows at us and we ordered our first round.

“I’m off to the head,” Jim said and disappeared down some stairs to the left of those that went to the upper level. Kumar, his eyes at half-mast, took in the crowd we had joined, and raised his goblet to some unknown entity up above the bar. Two guys next to us, Americans, obviously old friends catching up with each other, were trying to decide if they should get another round.

“Fuck,” we heard Jim yell. He emerged from the bowels of the bar, rubbing his head and plunked down between our fellow expats and us. “Watch that fucking stairway when you go piss. Hit my fucking head on the way up,” he said panting. He scanned the menu perfunctorily and yelled at the barman who was no more than five feet away that he wanted a Charles Quint, and that it had “better not be a sissy pour.” The two guys next to him had stopped talking and were staring in disbelief. Jim noted the absence of conversation, sized them up, and yelled once more, “And get these two queers something too, but not too expensive.” The barman accepted Jim’s demands with aplomb and served up the drinks, Jim’s in a Charles Quint three-handled ceramic mug.

“Now that is fucking cool,” Jim said, “If only I had a third hand, right,” he asked his two new best friends. One of them, a gaunt, pale gentleman, proceeded to tell him the story of the mug, and amazingly, Jim seemed to be listening. I could see though that he had started to shuffle the deck of cards he always carried with him under the bar with his free hand, a feat I had never been able to accomplish.

Kumar sat transfixed by a black and white cat that had come up from a small stairway behind the bar and was sitting on the stool the barman used. The cat sat there perched, watching the barman eating a steaming plate of linguine that had also appeared from the basement. In between mouthfuls of pasta, the barman explained that the cat ruled the roost here, that he was just an employee. Taking that as its cue, the cat jumped from the stool to land on the bar in front of Kumar, who carefully stroked its fur, its back arching up and stretching.

“This would never be allowed back at home,” Kumar uttered, his goblet raised up high above his head so as not to get any cat stuff in it. “The health inspectors would have a field day with it.” Kumar glanced up above his head, noticed his drink, and took a quick sip before raising it up again out of the way of the cat.

“Jesus, get that beast off the bar,” Jim thundered, noticing the cat for the first time. “Damn, Kumar, his ass is all over your hand,” he said, laughing. Kumar stared at his free hand for a moment before he bolted up from his stool and rushed down to the bathroom. Everyone at the bar found a great deal of humor in the whole scene, and somebody ordered us all a round. I gratefully accepted mine, while Jim, without looking, swooped up the fresh pour and took a long haul off of it, not missing a beat. By this time, it was past midnight and the light in the bar seemed to be growing increasingly more dim, shadows creeping out from spaces formerly occupied by people and living things. All in all, it had been a great start to our vacation. We had an early train to catch the next day to Brussels. It would be a miracle if we made it.

01-06-2007 01:56:56 | More by Truh

rudyarmand

Georgia

5/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Cafe Gollem is just plain outstanding. The only thing that I didn't like was that they opened at 4:00 pm and I was waiting with such anticipation that by the time I was seated I was in a frenzy and drank way too much. The choices and selection were unsurpassed. The location was excellent and the bar tenders were friendly and knowledgeable. I tried so many beers and ales I can't even remember all their names. I had a great time conversing with the bar patrons who were a blast.

This establishment is a MUST visit to all beer lovers. They have so many choices its amazing. The value was very fair compared to other places and my friends and I can't wait to go back.

FIVE STARS!!!!

05-02-2006 22:28:12 | More by rudyarmand