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bridgettesb
bridgettesb
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5 out of 5
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Editor Pick

Various Coffee Shops

  • February 5, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Andrew from Toronto, Ontario
Various Coffee Shops

Of course, no visit to Amsterdam is complete without a visit to one of its famous coffee shops. While I imagine they all do serve coffee, that is not what they are famous for. The coffee shops are the places you go to take advantage of Amsterdam's relaxed attitude to marijuana. Strictly speaking, possession of it is illegal, but apparently this is ignored when small quantities are involved.

So I sampled a few of these places. The first was a place called Siberië. It was a peculiar experience, walking up to the bar and being presented with a menu featuring prices for "grams" and "pre-rolled joints." But I gave it a shot, selecting a pre-rolled joint (and a coffee) and taking a seat to enjoy it. It turned out to be pretty mild, and all in all, it was a pleasant experience. I liked this place--it was not too big, not too crowded, and it offered free magazines and newspapers to pass the time (although most of them were in Dutch). I later visited another place, Goa, that struck me as similar in atmosphere to Siberië. Both seemed like casual, un-touristy places. I get the feeling that a lot of these places are tourist-focused, as the greatest concentration of them seems to be right around the train station.

On the second day, we went to a breakfast restaurant/coffee shop called Barney's. I figured that breakfast and a joint ought to have been a good way to start the day. Unfortunately, the joint we had here was a bit stronger than what I had expected, and that kind of messed up the morning for me. That was not the experience I was looking for. Barney’s disappointed me a bit; it seemed touristy and was rather crowded. Plus, I spent a few hours rather confused.

That was almost the end of my coffee-shopping in Amsterdam, until a last-minute change of heart brought us to a place called Greenhouse. There are several Greenhouses in the city; we went to the one farthest south, past the Rijksmuseum. And it was a good thing, because this was the coolest place of all. It was the kind of place that would have been nice to hang out in even without the novelty of marijuana for sale. The atmosphere was great, the staff was friendly, and I was disappointed when we had to leave because it was closing.

Overall, I had a good experience with Amsterdam's coffee shops. The Dutch attitude towards cannabis seems to be an effective one. I hope it spreads...

From journal Amsterdam: It's Great

Editor Pick

Coffee Shops

  • January 16, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by bridgettesb from Boston, Massachusetts
Coffee Shops

There are so many to choose from so hopefully this will help a bit... my advice stay clear of large neon signs!

One of our favorites is The Dolphins, wonderful coffeeshop, go sit downstairs, the atmosphere is much nicer with circular couches and tables. It is dimly lit with a couple of windows to the outside. The room is painted with a under water theme with blues and greens from floor to ceiling. Upstairs is more bar like, with more of a party atmosphere. They offer coffees, drinks and a wide assortment of pot and hash.

Their hours are Sunday-Thursday 10am-1pm, Friday and Saturday 10am-3pm
The Dolphin Coffee Shop is located at Kerkstraat 39 on the Southern Main Canals near Leidsesplein.

The Grey Area is great, SUPER small, owned by two american guys, the music is good here - one of the only shops to not play dance music. They have bongs for customers to use and they are very friendly. Unfortunately the place is so small and can feel a bit cramped, but it is still a great spot to check out. Their pot is amazing and you will leave a happy camper.

Their hours are Tue-Sun 12pm-8pm
The Grey Area is located on Oude Leliestraat 2 in the Western Main Canals and Joordan area.

Homegrown Fantasy is a nice coffeeshop as well, searving alot of coffee and drinks. The shop is also an art gallery, so there is always stuff to look at. The place is more modern and large, but still comfortable. You can check out their website online at: http://www.homegrownfantasy.org/.

Their hours of operation are Monday-Thursday 12-11pm; Friday-Sunday 12pm-12am. They are located at Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 87a in the Centrum district.

Smokey Coffeeshop is a not-so-great coffee shop. This was my first ever coffee shop and we learned quickly that it would be our last visit to Smokeys. Nothing was really horrible about it. It was more bar like and very touristy. Nothing special. The pot was OK. The fact that they had a bouncer at 10 a.m. was a little odd, but who knows how this place works as a first-timer. It was right across from our hotel and the large, bright neon sign was calling our names. It lacked that comfortable quality that you learn to love and expect when entering a new coffee shop. They have a website you can visit online: http://www.smokey.nl/Home.htm

They are located at Rembrandtplein 24 in the heart of the square.

Finally, The Grasshopper Two, the most well-known and largest coffeshop. It is very touristy, especially since it is the first coffee shop outside of the train station. It is more of a bar and club than a coffeeshop. It is nice, but there are alot of other shops in the Dam worth visiting. The pot was good, but not amazing.

The hours of operation are Sunday-Thursday 8am-1pm, Friday and Saturday 7am-3pm

They are located at Oudebrugsteeg 16 and the Grasshopper One is located at Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 59.

From journal Amsterdam: A Delight!

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