The Amsterdam

Update: They now accept credit cards with $ 10 minimum.

High quality brews run by a top notch staff! This is THE place to go in St Petersburg for hanging out with friends or catching music by some of the areas best bands and musicians!

Love this place!
And the wall art is pretty sexy too!
Tasty shake & the Downstairs Mix-​up! Holler back, chica. WERK!

–CASH ONLY–
It’s small and intimate with a very cool vibe. You can tell they put a lot of thought and planning in the design and layout of the place. Take a chance to look at the walls and the fake taxidermies that line them. They also have an oldschool arcade game in the right corner which is a nifty addition to any place. The staff is very friendly and polite and their craft selection is great because it’s not the usual stuff you see everywhere else.
I wish they acquired a system to accept cards though (Square perhaps) because it’s pretty inconvenient for us that stick to plastic.

***CASH ONLY***. Really disappointing. Also, awful pricing clarity.
I don’t carry cash. Most people I know do not carry cash.
This is a poor business model in the year 2015. The 75-​year old incense vendor at my local craft fair takes cards!
We came expecting to spend the whole evening, but left after one drink. ATM Fees get double dipped by the venue ATM *and* my bank, making it silly to consider. Especially when there is a superior venue 30 seconds away (on foot) that accepts cards and has a clear menu with prices.
The venue itself is a very basic box-​shaped room with limited character. The outdoor deck area could be cool (it was not in use when I visited). It does not have any covering though, unlike the «superior venue» 30 seconds away.
If you have nothing unique or special to offer –and– don’t take cards — why would I come back? I can get fantastic beer at a dozen places nearby. Meh’d

I go here occasionally. I don’t like that theyre cash only. I like the live music. The service is respectable. The craft beer selection is decent but definitely not my favorite in town. Overall this place isn’t bad but it isn’t really anything special either. I will say it’s a very clean bar.

The biggest thing I look for in a craft beer bar is variety of breweries and beers that are rare or hard to find. Most bars in the area copy each other and order a lot of the same beers. I found it interesting that they also have a good mead selection. Most bars don’t bother with meads because of the cost. When I went to order I was pleasantly surprised that both bartenders had great knowledge of the beers on draft.
The atmosphere is very artistic and is a unique. It reminds me of craft beer bars in Portland, OR and Brooklyn. The bar is very dog friendly and is on the most artistic block in St. Pete. The comedy shows and live music make it a destination for those looking to do something beside hop from bar to bar downtown. Overall I think this place is one of the coolest bars in St. Pete. I’m sure overtime, many bars will start to model themselves after this bar.

This five star, locally owned and operated bar is dog friendly, has regular (and excellent) live music, a laid back crowd and a good selection of beer from blondes and IPAs to stouts and quads. The selection is really quite good, they have a great atmosphere and a really interesting crowd. I can actually hear my friends’ conversation, and I like the large farmhouse-​style table they have in the middle of the room. The vibe is good here, so I plan to come back regularly for more — it’s similar to the old St Pete Independent back in its better days — only with a LOT less smoke, more intellectual conversations, even more great beer and more room for a band. If you decide to go to only one local bar, this is the one

We love this place. It has great craft beer. Great, local craft beer (and wine). The bar has a great location on Central Ave. in downtown. Live music is always great when they have it. And, it is completely dog friendly. Can’t go wrong with this place. If you want a real local bar in downtown, this is the place.

beer music and good time. Definitely worth a visit. the review below definitely sums it up.

**CASH ONLY**
We came here while we were wondering the streets of downtown St. Petersburg because they had a sign outside their door for happy hour. There’s another beer bar /​brewery a few steps away and while I’m not complaining, I was confused as to why that one was packed full of patrons and this one was empty. It’s got a dark, grungy, almost goth feel to the place, but don’t be intimidated if that’s not normally your scene.
I remember The Amsterdam being a big ol’ square. Pretty open. No tables or anything. Which would make sense for a big area for folks to linger and drink (like a brewery) but it felt empty and sad with no one there. On the plus side, we were able to get a seat at the bar.
The biggest asset this place has is their bartender. He was friendly and chatted without overly inserting himself into our conversations and made some excellent beer recommendations based on our tastes. We didn’t get that anywhere else in St. Petersburg and it was really appreciated because we were unfamiliar with the local brews. He even pointed us towards excellent food. When I started searching on Unilocal for local businesses with pinball machines, he provided numerous recommendations just down the street that didn’t pop up on Unilocal at all. Super helpful guy!
But… CASH ONLY. I feel like I need to scatter it in caps throughout my review. They’ve got an ATM but you know how that goes.
They had one (maybe 2) flat screen TVs with whatever football game was most important at that time.
This would definitely be a cool place to come with a huge group (with CASH) or even by yourself, as it seems like there were a lot of solo patrons, but it felt a little awkward as a couple.

Some bands that I like were playing here, so I made a trip out.
They have a decent selection of taps. They don’t have a lot of taps, but what they have is good stuff. Their beer board is very readable and is setup very well.
They are CASH ONLY, but have an ATM on-​site.
The seating inside is nice enough. One big table in the middle of the room, some booth-​like seats along one wall and a few bar stools kept the room pretty open. There are a few tables outside as well.
The place wasn’t smoky, I don’ t know if they only allow smoking outside or not, but I think most everybody who was smoking, did so outside. That was nice.
Sadly, service was really lacking (and the reason for only 3 stars). Neither of the folks behind the bar was quick to notice an empty glass or any new customers looking for a drink. One of bartenders gave my drink to the wrong person. I corrected that. He then proceeded to give my change to that same wrong person. Luckily, I knew the other customer and got my money back.
The other bartender came outside to clear glasses from the tables. There was a nearly empty pepsi bottle on the table. She asked if she could clear it and my buddy confirmed as it wasn’t his anyway. She then picked up the pepsi bottle and attempted to pour the remaining contents into his unfinished glass of beer. That was just so bizarre.
The bands sounded good. It was a little loud, but when you have a full drum set backed into a corner of concrete and glass, it’s going to echo a bit. Luckily, the PA was up to task, and kicked the vocals up enough to be heard.
It is my understanding that the bands actually get paid decently and get half-​price drinks, So, it you want to support local music and aren’t expecting Cicerone-​level beer service, this place is A-​OK.

Still a great selection of beer and the bands are fun, but the whole cash only thing takes it off the list of options most nights.

They have an excellent assortment of beer on tap and the atmosphere is very… different but cozy. They have a dart board which was fun to play while we tried different beers I never heard of but were awesome. Met some nice people at the bar too so overall my experience was very good. Will most likely be back again.

CASH ONLY! If you’re going to be a cash only establishment you MUST make it more obvious. I think it is such a scam to wait until customers order, the drinks are poured, and wait until you hand them your card to tell you they only accept cash. Then they point you to the ATM they have, which i’m convinced they get kickback from. Joke.
The atmosphere and people there in general were just creepy. Very odd group of folks.
The only positives were a very adorable, friendly dog behind the bar. I also found a really interesting grapefruit beer that was delish. They could have gotten two stars for this but the cash thing and bitchy bartender just killed it. Methinks not.

Great place to hang with friends as drink great beer. Four legged friends are welcome inside and out which makes it even a bigger plus for me! Hanging with teachers and firefighters now. A laid back place for a laid back crowd!

Love the atmosphere and the fact that they are dog friendly. I got to meet the owner and she was very welcoming and took the time to not only order pizza for customers (can you saw awesome?), but also to interact and make you want to return. The beer selection was great. They had a very talented local band the last time I was there and the vibe made my friends and I feel at ease. I hope they continue to thrive in the downtown area and I look forward to returning again.

Fun place. The bartender was friendly, knowledgeable and informative. It was a bit quiet and empty the night we went here, but it was good for a drink or two. I would like a larger beer selection, but everybody’s gotta start somewhere, right? Overall clean place that I’d visit again.

I love this place, infinity. It’s by far the coolest, friendliest bar downtown. I’m so hoping that it doesn’t attract an annoying crowd who go to a place because they’ve heard it’s the place to go and simply want to be seen there… that would make me terribly sad.
The Amsterdam is another another auto repair place turned bar. They have about two dozen craft brews on tap, as well as some wine selections. The bartenders are extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the beer. They also encourage creativity and experimentation with the beer. For instance, they’ll mix two beers together for a delicious melding of flavors. I tried a raspberry mixed with a coffee stout. The fruitiness of the raspberry beer complemented and toned down the darkness of the stout. YUM!
They’re working an a beer garden on the side, patio area that will offer games, like ping pong. Additionally, they have local bands play almost every night.
Aside from the beer and the super friendly atmosphere, I really like that there are no TV’s anywhere. If I want to see a game, I’ll go to a sports pub. Sometimes, I want to go to a bar, socialize with friends, perhaps meet new people, and of course, enjoy the brew.

So far, so good. This new place only just opened a few weeks ago, and they’re still working out the kinks. But what they have achieved so far, is very promising. The vibe is cool and on the small side. It’s dark in there, which I like. You have so many options for craft beers now, so new places have to stand out. This one does.
It looks like they will be doing a lot of live music, which is a huge plus that many other competitors just don’t seem to get. You need something to attract people beyond just beer.
Their prices are a little stiffer than some of their competitors. I’m guessing they need the markup to budget for the live entertainment. It’s worth the extra $ 1 you will pay for some of their beers, though certainly not all. They have a small rail, but it looks to be excellently curated. This one is worth checking out.