With their penchant for classy wines and French cuisine, Panama should by rights go by a more Provencal moniker, but it’s easy to ignore this minor discrepancy when inside this hip tri-functional hangout.

Panama’s bar, club and restaurant is located a little way out from the center in the Docklands district, but when the entertainment hits the right spot it ticks all the boxes for a night out. Well shaken cocktails before a gourmet meal, finished off with a wiggle on the dance floor amid their minimalist décor: the perfect antidote to the all too often gaudy and crowded Centraal.

Those seeking respite from the pounding bass lines and warped synths permeating from endless clubs in town will find sweet reprieve at this spot. Purveying mainly hip hop, soul and funk, the club’s owners consistently recruit some mighty fine DJs and performers to keep the loyal crowd of young scenesters shuffling to the beats.

Despite its central location, Bitterzoet is remarkably devoid of the backpacker crowd and offers up some delicious dancefloor grooves every night of the week, with the unmissable Struttin’ parties purveying rare and classic funk tunes. The owners regularly mix the program up, throwing in the occasional theater performance or skateboard battle for good measure. Arrive early to avoid the queues.

While most places with roots in the squatting scene have a grungy, post-apocalyptic 1980s vibe, Zaal 100 actually looks quite smart and fresh. The structured schedule also sets it apart from its more anarchistic counterparts as Monday nights are reserved for squatting information hours, Tuesdays for Jazzy sounds while a quality vegan meal is served every Wednesday and Thursday.

Zaal 100 has its own company of improv comedians and hosts a monthly poetry café every third Thursday of the month. It’s also a gallery space and is rented out for all kinds of non-commercial activities and events.

An evening in Zaal 100 can sometimes be a trip through undiscovered territories: one night we took in an 8mm art film based on footage of the Dutch National Socialists, which morphed into The Witchfinder General (1968), took in a spoken word performance, an explosive ska band and finally ended up at a screening of Female Trouble by John Waters, all liberally doused in cocktails which benefited an organization that supports illegal immigrants.

Located in the former newspaper building of the Dutch publication, Trouw, this revamped industrial space plays host to a club and restaurant complex.

While the stark concrete may give off a slightly cold air, don’t worry, the industrial hot air blower will create all the warmth one could need.

The former owner of the beloved Club 11 opened this post-industrial space and while the food might need some tweaking, the club line-up will make any party-goer giggle with glee.

This former church located near the Leidseplein was turned into a youth center in turbulent 1968 (partly through the intervention of local legend Willem de Ridder), becoming one of the headquarters of the hippie and provo movements, and one of the first places in town where the sale and consumption of “soft” drugs like hash and marijuana was tolerated, if not downright encouraged.

While the countercultural flag has been passed to other locations throughout the city, Paradiso remains one of the best places to catch a live show: all the big names have performed here, from The Rolling Stones and Nirvana to Pink Floyd, but this hasn’t gone to the venue’s head, any young upstart still gets a chance.

The Noodlanding (“emergency landing”) parties are more or less the after school parties of the nearby Barlaeus high school, but if you you don’t mind hormone-addled teenagers (or paying through the nose for a flat Heineken beer), you could be in for a wild night.