Despite a recent spate of closures, Amsterdam still has literally hundreds of cannabis coffeeshops, whose continued popularity comes from both locals and tourists. Nearly half a million Amsterdam tourists set foot in a coffeeshop each year, and 10% of all tourists cite it as a motivation for their trip. Not all coffeeshops are created equal, however, and this fact can make or break your impression of the cannabis coffeeshop scene. To that end, these three classic Amsterdam coffeeshops, with a total of ten locations between them, are solid favorites for their product, atmosphere, customer service and extras.
Barney's Coffeeshop
Photo © Tracy Vierra
Haarlemmerstraat 98
Open daily, 7 - 1 a.m.
Barney's is a familiar name to those who follow the Cannabis Cup, where their products have amassed several awards over the years. The Barney's emporium consists of four distinctive locations, such as the centrally located Barney's Coffeeshop and the Barney's Uptown restaurant (located across the street at Haarlemmerstraat 105), both a mere ten minutes by foot from Central Station. Purchase some of Barney's celebrated cannabis and smoke it across the street (it's allowed!) before a proper restaurant meal for two complementary sensory experiences in one.
To read more about the seed company behind this coffeeshop and the world-class cannibis strains it offers (like the excellent Vanilla Kush, the 2009 Cannabis Cup award winner), check out the Barney's Farm web site.
Green House
Photo © Daniel Julià Lundgren
(Green House Centrum) Oudezijds Voorburgwal 191; (Green House Coffeeshop) Haarlemmerstraat 64; (Green House Effect) Warmoesstraat 53/55; (Green House Namaste) Waterlooplein 345; (Green House Tolstraat) Tolstraat 91
Open daily, 9 - 1 a.m.
Greenhouse is no slouch either when it comes to fine quality cannabis; fans of the coffeeshop wax poetic about their Super Silver Haze and Arjan's Ultra Haze #1, two marijuana strains that usually appear on their trophied menu. The Green House Seed Co. web site even features an inventive cannabis "Flavour Wheel" for customers to find their personal strain of choice.
The newest Green House location on Haarlemmerstraat feels like a stoner's Starbucks, and the waitstaff could certainly pick up the pace, but all in all, the coffeeshop delivers some of the best cannabis in Amsterdam and five comfortable dens to consume it in.
De Dampkring
Photo © Flickr User Ballistik Coffee Boy
Handboogsteeg 21
Open Mon. - Thurs. 10 - 1 a.m., Fri. & Sat. 10 - 2 a.m., and Sun. 11 - 1 a.m.
Possibly the most touristed of the three, De Dampkring nevertheless trumps its competitors for best atmosphere. The sculpted walls of its dimly lit interior make it feel as if one has temporarily stepped outside Amsterdam, and a chill cat perches on a small bench behind the front window. The crowds actually make it all the more cozy, and it's not unusual for a lone stoner to strike up a chat at the bar; on my most recent visit, a man from Haifa unloaded the rest of his stash on me before he left to catch his plane. (Thanks, man!)
The "Ocean's Twelve Haze" on the menu testifies to the coffeeshop's appearance in a scene from the 2004 Ocean's Twelve remake, a fact the owners are visibly proud of: the scene is on perpetual loop on the house LCD screens. Their self-conscious celebrity aside, De Dampkring is certainly worth a stop on any cannabis lover's Amsterdam itinerary. (Bonus: The best fries in Amsterdam are just one street over, at Voetboogsteeg 33.)
