Café 't Mandje
Café 't Mandje is a historic bar on Zeedijk street in Amsterdam. It opened in 1927, founded by Bet van Beeren, who was a lesbian. The Amsterdam Museum has a small replica of its interior.
People often say it was the first gay bar in the Netherlands, but that isn’t correct: there were other gay bars in Amsterdam earlier. Also, 't Mandje wasn’t only for gay men; it was a tolerant place where prostitutes, pimps, sailors and lesbian women came together.
The bar’s address is Zeedijk 63 in Amsterdam’s historic center. Bet van Beeren ran it until she died in 1967. Her sister Greet kept the place alive until it closed in 1982. The interior was preserved and could be visited on request. Just before she died in August 2007, Greet helped reopen the bar. Since 29 April 2008, it has been run by her niece Diana.
Orlando Lansdorf once worked there as a bartender.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 12:34 (CET).