Amsterdam's new catering policy closes snack bars, restaurants hour earlier on weekends

Regular catering establishments in Amsterdam must close an hour earlier in the weekend, at 2:00 a.m. During the week, these catering establishments, which include snack bars, restaurants, and bistros, can stay open until 1:00 a.m. This is stated in the Catering Policy 2025, drawn up by the Amsterdam office of mayor and aldermen.

Medium-heavy catering establishments like bars and cafés and heavy catering establishments like nightclubs have longer opening hours. Medium-heavy catering establishments can stay open until 1:00 a.m. during the week and 3:00 a.m. on the weekend. Heavy catering establishments must close by 4:00 a.m. during the week and 5:00 a.m. on the weekend.

Catering establishments can apply for an exception to stay open longer a few times a year. The new opening hours must come into effect at the beginning of 2026.

According to the municipality, the new opening hours will help improve the quality of life in Amsterdam neighborhoods. “The city is becoming more crowded and busy. New catering concepts are emerging. There are more visitors, and more homes are being built in neighborhoods. Entrepreneurs want to do business and residents want to live comfortably. Those sometimes conflict. That is why the agreements and rules regarding catering in the city have been updated.”

The closing times for terraces will remain the same: 1:00 a.m. during the week and 2:00 a.m. on weekends in the summer, and at midnight every day in the winter. A mandatory environmental plan permit will be introduced for new terraces. Companies that already have an existing terrace will automatically receive this permit.

There are approximately 4,500 existing catering establishments in the capital. The municipal council still has to vote on the policy.