Bar Twenty Two

Bar Twenty Two is a cocktail bar at Leidseplein 20 to 22, on one of the busiest squares in central Amsterdam. It presents itself as a warm, casual place where drinks and food are built around good ingredients, with spirit lists that keep changing. The idea behind it is less about the bar itself than about the mix of people it draws: the venue describes itself as a spot for friends, wanderers and adventurers to share a drink as equals, and it positions itself as a local hotspot even though the square around it is full of visitors.

Music is a regular part of the programme rather than a side note. On weekends there are live DJs and performances, and the bar also hosts concerts across a range of genres. Recent listings include Redux Saints, Antho Decks and Dirty Secretz in 2026, with a bill that has also featured Doc Brown from the USA, 22 Weeks and Trashley. The scale is intimate, and the events are listed accordingly, with many of them tagged as small venue shows rather than large club nights.

The place also shifts into a club format under the name Club22. Thursday nights, billed as Confessions or Thirsty Thursdays, run from 22:00 until late with hip hop, R&B, Amapiano and Latin sounds and two for one deals on selected cocktails. A Friday night called Urban Friday follows a similar path. During Amsterdam Dance Event the bar has taken part in the festival programme, hosting house and tech house showcases, label parties and daytime and nighttime sessions, including events from Born House Records and a Housestars night. That range, from cocktail bar to hip hop night to house showcase, is what sets it apart from a standard Leidseplein drinking spot.