Bar BLEND

BLEND took over the west end of Reguliersdwarsstraat and quickly became the default first stop of the street: open from mid-afternoon, pop and dance hits from the speakers, cocktails made fast and a crowd that spills onto the street on warm nights. It works because it does the simple things well — drinks are fair for the street, the staff keep the energy up, and by midnight the room usually tips from bar into party. When it overflows, the same owners run the larger BLEND XL diagonally across at number 44, with more floor space and later dancing. Weekends it pours until 04:00. Come early for a table, late for the party.