Amnesia

[DaveS]

I've been coming here almost as long as I've been visiting Amsterdam (except for very first trip over, probably 10 years + ago), and this has been a true home away from home.

Firstly, it's just that little bit further away from the majority of the tourist crowds, which is always good news...

Secondly, the staff have ALWAYS been nothing but pleasant and polite, and I've made some good friends here who I see almost every time I come over...

Third, the weed is great. Sativas are nice and spacy and the Indicas can and will knock you into a stupor if you let 'em!

The food is very snacky - just right after a serious session. Milkshakes are to die for and the cakes - mmm, mmmm, mmmmmm!

Yes, it can get quite busy and no matter how good the staff are, they're at some point gonna get a bit stressed, so you have to take this as it is - sometimes (very rarely) you may feel as if they're not treating you with the respect you think you deserve, but snapping your fingers at them (I've seen this on more than one occasion) does you no good whatsoever. Just chill out and remember that they don't have to serve you if they don't want to, especially if you're behaving like a spoilt child. I work in retail myself, and have to put on a "happy face" for the customers, so I know all too well what it can be like when you're confronted all day with bolshy and very stoned tourists (customers) who think they should be treated like royalty and behave quite badly because of it.

Be cool with the people there and they will be cool with you. Don't click your fingers at them when you want service, unless you really want to piss them off! I've known Sissi have some bad days, and I've seen her at her finest as well.

This place really is a treasure, and despite it becoming more and more popular, thanks in part to the great reviews it gets, it never gets to be a chore visiting there - whether it be for a quick weed pickup or for a lengthy smoking session...

The seats are fantastic, and the toilet is kept clean (that's why they check it after people go in) - I've paid to use the toilets at the Grasshopper when I was caught short and found the mess in there disgusting... Besides, you don't want to find someone unconscious in there - or do you?!?

Overall I find the place to have a great balance of atmosphere and ambiance with good weed and hash, great food & drinks (and not over-priced either) and a nice location. Part of me would like to keep this little oasis hidden to prevent it from becoming spoiled and commercialised, but at the same time I can't help shouting about this place from the rooftops.

If you're a regular, you'll know what I mean. If not, then you should become part of the scene there... It'll grow on you, believe me.

[hey_bobby]

nice review dave. thanks for taking the time.

what weed did you smoke last time you were there? the ambiance, food and drink sound very decent indeed. especially a good clean toilet (stoner must have imo) but a few recent posts about the quality of the gear has been less impressive.

don't get me wrong, a coffeeshop is about much more than weed and i'll be visiting amnesia for the reasons above regardless.

[Tall Guy]

One word of caution - don't upset the locals in here! I carelessly took a photo once and nearly got a kicking from one of them...so I won't be returning in a hurry. My fault, but he was a total cock about the whole thing. It was my favourite hangout until then. Lovely girls working there too.

Dave welcome along man, I can't remember a new member making such a good contribution to the forum in their first few posts before

[Weemanio]

i agree its a great shop!!! and the milkshakes are prob the best i've ever tasted!! i used my first roor in there i was verrrrrrrrrrrrrry high!

tho on my 2nd vist there was guy from the states serving drinks, who i thought to be a tad rude. tho the rest of the staff a great people.

[Johnny J]

This is BY FAR my favorite place to chill at. However, the menu selection seems to have slipped a little. Back in 2005 they had great stuff.

My advice is to buy around the corner at Grey Area, then hang at Amnesia.

BTW, the owner is married to Derry of Barney's. Derry manages the place when shes out of town.

yours

!!JoHnny J!!

[Damster]

Yes yes.....I love this place. Had never been here before so went on my last visit after reading daveS post. The staff are friendly, the menu is good and the chairs are so comfy that i didnt move for four hours (usualy 2 j's and im gone). Lots of board games and just round the corner from Grey Area .....What a great place to chill . Thanx daveS.

[hey_bobby]

seconded. great place to relax after waiting for hours in the queue at grey area. comfortable, chilled with a clean toilet and good music.

i think they are trying to improve the menu. the dealer sat down with us and explained the different strains upcoming and how they can't compete with dna genetics so are trying something different. admittedly i was off my face at this point but i remember him producing a bag with the biggest single cola i have ever seen. shame we spent all our money next door!

most relaxed venue of the trip.

[monty]

a good shop but prices are high like barneys but the quality is very good. they make a nice cup of hot chocolate.

[dr.stranger]

Beware! Thought this place was ace until I went with my girlfriend who was visiting me recently. We walked in on a relaxed sunny afternoon on a public holiday. Everybody in the place (all guys) eyeballed us as we entered. We sat at the bar hoping to order a coffee each. The bud-tender came over and asked if we had ID . Funny I thought as I'd bought various bags from him, had a chat and smoke with him and others there not long ago and was never asked for ID. In 15 years or more visiting coffee shops I've never been asked for ID. He maintained that he always ask 4 ID and that we'd have to leave immediately as I'd said I didn't have ID. My girlfriend said she did. Immediately some other guy who had been sitting smoking came over and began aggressively shouting rules and regulations at my girlfriend. We began to leave and were told they have plenty of other customers... we don't matter and that we were ass holes. Nice decore. Bad attitude. Smoker beware.

[dr.stranger]

Beware! Shame... Thought this place was nice until I went recently with my girlfriend who was visiting. We walked in on a relaxed sunny afternoon on a public holiday. Everybody in the place (all guys) eyeballed us as we entered. We sat at the bar hoping to order a coffee each. The bud-tender came over and asked if we had ID . Funny I thought as I'd bought various bags from him, had a chat and smoke with him and others there not long ago and was never asked for ID. In 15 years or more visiting coffee shops I've never been asked for ID. My girlfriend said she did have ID. He maintained that he always ask 4 ID and we'd have to leave immediately as I'd said I didn't have ID. . Suddenly a sweaty looking guy who had been sitting at a table eyeballing us came over and began aggressively shouting rules and regulations at my girlfriend. Leaving I said I'd never had this response when I'd been there before . He shouted back "I've never seen you here before. We have lots of other customers... you don't matter to us" and then shouted obscenities at us through the door when we'd left. Average weed / hash at high prices. Bad attitude. Smokers beware.

[Boner]

I used to like the place as well but the last couple of visits didn't go very well, plenty of better coffeeshops in town imo with better quality goodies, especially since Derry from Barneys got involved, if I could change my vote to 'didn't like Amnesia' I would.

[rks0]

I agree with the last two posts.
I went last week, and went to Amnesia on two occasions- on one occasion I got some Honey B, and some NLX5 Haze, on the other occassion I just got a drink.
The place seems to have lost some of its previously accomodating 'vibe', but nevertheless, I stopped for a while on the second visit (drink only), and managed to get a seat outside- the weather was fabulous, and I sat there for an hour just people watching as they went past on their way.
If I hadn't managed to get an outside seat, I doubt I would have stopped.

[Dave J]

Only ever been here the once, just to see what all the fuss was about. It was about feb or may 2006 I think (dont recall off the top of my head lol).

To be honest I did'nt see what all the fuss was about over other well rated coffeeshops!. Thus even 2 years ago I thought the place quite over-rated. Of cause I know it's a different story now and clearly not as good as it was say 3 years ago.

But I did like the feel of the place and it was clearly a place the locals liked to hang out at. Which to a point says a lot about about a coffeeshop when you can sit among locals and enjoy a joint.

This was the first coffeeshop of the trip we went to. Got my buy (dont recall what) and proceeded to smoke it. Only on the second drag, I prob took it wrong as it seemed to hit my throat in a bad way and made me choke and cough for a few mins. It felt like it was burning my throat for a good 30 mins.

However I'll prob head there again this year as I've still to try Gray Area.

[DaveS]

hey_bobby, Tall Guy and Damster - Thanks for the kind words.. It's hard remembering exactly what I've been smoking and where, but here goes...

The Sour Diesel, when they have it, is very nice, though from what I can recall, it wasn't on the menu the last time I visited. I had a gram of the Mekong Haze at €10 and a gram of Laughing Buddha at €12, and both were very pleasant... I seem to recall NYCD along the way as well, but hey - you know how it is!

All I can say to those who've had bad experiences there is that you've been very unlucky IMHO... They do have a local crowd who use the place but I've never experienced anything of the kind of attitude you describe here.

I'm lucky, I suppose, that no-one ever asks me for ID these days, but then again, I'm 40 now and I've been coming here for many years, so that's not so much of an issue for me.

dr.stranger - Bad luck is all I can suggest here, fella. Holidays are always busy in Amsterdam, and it can get quite fraught in some of the more popular places - it's up to you, but I'd give them the benefit of the doubt and try them again the next time you're over there (this time with ID perhaps?)

On my last visit, I noticed a lot more places were really hot on the ID thing, especially with the younger (and younger-looking) tourists, and I've seen arguments brew up over this on more than one occasion, admittedly due to the poor attitude of the 17/18 yr old kids who think they're ALWAYS in the right and like to make up noise in front of their mates.

Now, I'm not for a minute suggesting that this was the case with you or your girlfriend, but at the end of the day, the coffeeshops have to protect their licenses, and if this means a more draconian approach to keep the underage kiddies from smoking themselves into more trouble, then I'm all for it. Bad service however, is still bad service, and if you feel this is what you received, then perhaps write it off to experience and remove Amnesia from your list of haunts in future?

We all have our favourite places to hang out - for many different reasons... maybe the music, maybe the weed selection, maybe because the clientele are a bit more mature, maybe because it attracts a "younger" crowd... I don't know. Perhaps when I revisit Amnesia in the next couple of months I'll have found the vibe very much different to my previous and numerous visits.

That's the greatest thing about these forums - you can see how things change without necessarily having to take the plunge and visit these places. I know that since my very early days, Barneys (to take just one example) has changed quite a lot, and is no longer the first choice for my usual "wake 'n' bake" sessions in the mornings, but this doesn't mean I won't go back there from time to time to re-evaluate the situation...

All I can say is this - I've never had a bad time at Amnesia, but should this ever change, I hope that I'm big enough to admit it, swallow my pride and write about my experiences here on this fine forum!

Life's too short folks - go out and find somewhere that fills your needs and have a great time there - I know I will!

[Themindwanders]

I really love this place and have never had a bad experience here. The staff are all friendly, the menu is extensive and full of quality. Nice atmosphere with a great spot outside to sit by the canal- absolutely love it! I have been working my way through the weed menu and have like everything i've tried so far.

Recommend - G13, Pink Kush highly.

Good choice of drinks, helpful staff who are never fazed when someone needs help using a vaporiser, pipe or bong. I have seen the staff in their skin up for people loads of time. I was especially impressed at how they handled tourists who smoked themselves over the edge. A few in the same group- one girl who blacked out and smacked her head on the chair another guy who practically fainted and started pouring water over his own head. This was at exactly the same time as each other! The staff were so patient and kind- especially that girl with the short hair. What more could you want from a place? I love Amnesia.