Pick Up The Pieces

Dave from Ireland sent 23 Dec 2012
I've just been to it and it is the first time (out of 12 years visiting Amsterdam at least once a year) that I have been ripped off. First of all, the staff are obnoxious. Trying to force different types of hash on me when I said I wanted weed. That was when I should have left but sadly, I didn't. I was in a bit of a rush so I opted for the Thai Stick and the bag I got was very small and when I got back to the apartment I noticed the weed was overly dry and had tonnes of seeds in it. It cost €15 and was supposed to be 2 grams but isn't even one. I should have just said no in the shop but I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. That was a mistake. I really didn't think this sort of thing happened in Amsterdam, the Mecca of Weed, but it sadly does.

Caerl from Sweden sent 20 Jan 2009
Living in a nearby hotel for a week, this shop quickly became one of our absolute favourites! I don't know if it's expensive or not (who travels to Amsterdam in order to save money anyway?) but the staff was very friendly and co-operative. And after you've made your purchase, take a few long minutes - roll a fatty and you'll feel it! The mirrors are all around you and a big portrait of a sea-god (resembling Bob M) taking a hit from the pipe is the only decoration. (That I remember!) The light was dimmed just enough and with the relaxing reggae-music it really made up the perfect place to be whilst blazin' that shit up! Their toilet is a must see! High as I was at the time, it felt kinda trippy actually. During our visit in A-dam, we always went by Pick up the Pieces on our way home, and it was never too crowded. Actually most of the time, we had the shop to ourselves. If you're a dedicated smoker, just wanna relax and likes to light up the spliff with a 33cl coke in your hand - this is the place!

Courtjester from USA visited 17 Dec 07; sent 7 Mar 2008
I always seemed to gravitate here once each trip, and always seemed to buy the Northern Lights. Unfortunately, in the span of 17 months, the price has gone up by more than one-third, to 1.5g/E14, for a relatively short-flowering indica. Oh, and that orange juice I raved about in 2006 is just a crummy little glass like every other place now. Value in the details has vanished. Skip it and go to Rusland, Basjoe or Bagheera nearby.

WoodhamStoner from UK sent 12 Jun 2007
Never heard of this place before took a random wander in there due to one of the members of our little group was unfortunately weirding a fair bit on sum shrooms and needed to sit down. The bloke behind the bar (Asian man) kept us laughing all night, fink abusive stoned sarcastic with a big heart. He recommended the White Widow, smelt good, nice smoke, high was amazing. Bit more expensive than in other places but when you consider the other appalling excuses for coffeeshops down this street it is an amazing find. Perfect place to stop for a quick doobie before the traditional stroll round the Red Light District.

FL Pothead from USA sent 26 Apr 2007
I purchased Skuff from PUTP; it was average. I tried to put a little in a pipe to check out the quality, but the pipe had a lot of tobacco in it and I really couldn't taste it over the tobacco aftertaste. I used the skuff to build up some of the lesser pots and it bumps up the high considerably. Not sure I could recommend the skuff, but it wasn't bad.

Courtjester from USA sent 15 Aug 2006
One of several places lumped together on Oude Hoogstraat, none of which has particularly great weed prices. But order a fresh-squeezed orange juice, and you'll find out what separates Pick Up The Pieces. You aren't going to get a six-ounce juice glass, but rather a big 12-ounce whopper that really gets you going and lasts to the end of a spliff. Value often is in the details, and that orange juice makes the marginal weed prices (Northern Lights, 1.8G/E12.50) completely palatable.

Lynnz from UK sent 3 Mar 2006
Having never visited a coffee shop in Amsterdam before, we were a little apprehensive about where to start. As it happens, we stumbled across Pick Up The Pieces and as it was quiet, thought if we made fools of ourselves there'd be few to witness it. We entered and were given a menu by the owner, we chose a pre-rolled spliff (3 Euros) and a portion of space cake (5 Euros) the best 5 Euros we ever spent. This cake was wild, we had a half each, and the taste and texture were nice, but when it finally took effect (and hour or so later) were absolutely flying. We spent the rest of the evening wandering round, laughing at things, or laughing at nothing, or just at each other. Had an excellent night's sleep and woke up in the morning laughing still.

Sickboy from UK sent 5 Aug 2005
Without a doubt this is my favorite coffee shop in Amsterdam, having visited the Dam a fair few times over the years. The mature (!?) Asian owner behind the counter never fails to amuse me with his sarcasm/dry sense of humour towards foolish stoners strolling through the door asking dumb questions, "do you have a piano?" (said in Alabama accent), I jest you not! The herb is excellent, the Red Leb is a favorite behind the counter for good reason, sound price and a deep stone, what more could you ask for. Grab a seat at the bar at lunch time and if you're lucky the gentleman behind the counter will give you a master class in skinning up multiple cones when he tops up the pre-rolleds, yes they are packed, having seen many succumb to their fog. But the best thing off all, the one thing that lets down even the best cafes in the Dam is the drinks are always ice cold, even in peak time in August when the flow through the door is at its highest! Oh and there's air-con as well, very welcome when you start to buckle under the Dam's charms.

James from UK sent 13 Dec 2004
We dived into this coffee shop after being harassed, no threatened by a random Eastern European guy who bumped into us in the street and claimed our group had his weed and was demanding money out of us. When we told him to fuck off he said he was going to stab us! So as you can imagine, we were a bit shaken up when we first walked in. We were greeted by a friendly African woman who gave us a menu. We sat by the window on some stools, I bought a bag of their Northern Lights which didn't smell too great but the smoke certainly did the trick and after a few spliffs we were once again chilled enough to venture back out into the crazy city that is Dam. We didn't really get to check out the back or rest of the coffeeshop as there was a group of about 15 Americans at the bar and I wasn't up for wrestling through them to get to a toilet! How ironic was the name of the coffeeshop after our little experience with one of Amsterdam's gutter crawlers?! Freaky shit methinks!