CUE — Amsterdam’s Sonic Table
By Rafi Mercer
New Listing
CUE is one of Amsterdam’s most finely tuned listening bars, explore more in our Netherlands Music Venues guide.
Venue Name: CUE Amsterdam
Address: Amsterdam, Netherlands (exact street not yet publicly listed)
Website: cue-amsterdam.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cue_amsterdam
Phone: Not listed publicly
Spotify Profile: Not available
Amsterdam has always been a city of canals and crossroads, where cultures converge and creativity finds expression in unexpected corners. CUE brings that sensibility into sound. Opened as part of a hybrid dining and music concept, it is a listening bar where food and fidelity are treated as equals, each amplifying the other.
The space is sleek and modern, with the kind of restrained design that draws attention to detail. Tables are set low under warm light, records line curated shelves, and the sound system anchors the room. Turntables feed into amplification tuned for depth and warmth, driving speakers that cast sound evenly across the space. It feels more like a salon than a restaurant, where every element is shaped by intent.
Programming reflects Amsterdam’s global identity. Curators spin jazz, soul, funk, and electronic records, but always with patience — full album sides played, transitions left to breathe, silence held as part of the night’s arc. Guests are invited to dine within this rhythm, making listening part of the meal rather than an afterthought.
Food is central to CUE’s ethos. The menu blends fine dining with casual accessibility, drawing on seasonal European produce and international influences. Dishes are paired with the evening’s sound, creating unexpected resonances — a plate of oysters with ambient textures, or a glass of natural wine with a Coltrane side. It is dining not just accompanied by music but structured around it.
The audience is international, reflecting Amsterdam itself. Locals, travellers, and creative communities gather here, drawn by the novelty of the format. The atmosphere is communal but attentive, shaped by an unspoken agreement that listening is as much part of the evening as conversation.
CUE matters because it positions Amsterdam firmly within the global listening-bar map. While the city is famous for its clubs and electronic heritage, this venue offers an alternative — a slower, more focused experience where fidelity and flavour converge. It shows that listening culture can stretch beyond nightlife into the realm of dining, becoming part of how a city eats as well as how it listens.
Stay until dessert and you will feel the balance. The final record spins, the last glass is drained, and silence lingers before you step back into the canalside air. The city feels sharper, slower, more attuned. CUE leaves you carrying its rhythm long after the night ends.
Rafi Mercer writes about the spaces where music matters. For more stories from Tracks & Tales, subscribe, or click here to read more.
