Hey everyone, I just returned from an 8 day trip to the Dam. Thanks to the map and all of your recommendations, my buddies and I hit all the best shops. The prices for good weed ranged from 10-17euro and hash was around 9-15 or 20-50 for good and amazing hash respectively.
We got into the Dam early in the morning so the pickings were slim… we chose Barney’s where we tried Laughing Buddah (13e), Utopia Haze (15e) and Quasar Haze (17e). The Laughing Buddah was excellent, it had a nice taste and a giggly, light headed high which mixes well with other weed or hash. I kept a bag of it on me all week, it was our group’s favorite because it didn’t make us tired or quiet like some of the hazes. Quasar Haze was an awesome, yet expensive 17e/g, haze that had a knock-you-out smell and flavor. Quasar, according the the budtender, has the highest THC content ever through it’s 18 week grow process and weird, bud-less crop. Bob, the great budtender at Barney’s even filled up a volcano bag so we could try it first. It was strange looking, without big buds and had long stems. It was worth the price, we got baked, but we didn’t go back for more.
We ate breakfast at Barney’s Breakfast Bar – it was pricey (about 12e/person for a big breakfast and a coffee). They were playing awesome classic rock and had the best (real) coffee in Amsterdam. We went to eat there a few times that week because it was great to kick back and relax with a smoke, a pancake and a nice coffee.
Later that day, we headed over to Grey Area to pick up some buds before they sold out of everything. I bought Chiezel and Chocolope (13e). The chocolope had a brilliant flavor, but the high wasn’t too strong. The Chiezel was pretty strong and was a bit sedative.
We hit the Bulldog Palace so we could smoke in their jail cell. This was our favorite place to smoke! The jail cell is kind of hidden, has a glass door separating it so you can smoke tobacco and we never once had people in there with us. There were large benches, tables, a trashcan and a live weed plant. I bought a pack of 4 pre-rolled joints (don’t yell at me, I just wanted to purchase something so we could hang there for a while). The Purple Haze was strong, but their other bud was all sub-par.
420 Café was a nice cozy shop off Damrak near our hostel. We bought some haze and used their Volcano. The staff there was so friendly and would always stay attentive and talkative even when we only bought one drink and no weed. They stay open till midnight usually, so we stopped in there often to have a cup of tea (great slection) and hit their volcano. If you ask nicely and buy a drink, they’ll let you smoke your own bud from their volcano. The NYD was good, but not as strong as I would have liked… I was still coherent when I left.
Greenhouse had a nice selection and a sweet pair of fish tanks in the floor. I chose the Super Lemon Haze and Afghan Hash (I can’t remember the name… I was too high to write legible notes). The SLH was strong, very strong. The hash was the most euphoric high I’ve ever had – I was laughing, smiling and constantly announcing my love for everything and everyone. I highly recommend it.
The Winner is…. DAMPKRING. Dampkring (near Spui) was the hands down winner for best of everything in Amsterdam. The only bad thing – I didn’t go until the last day of my trip! Damn, I’m stupid. The shop is hard to find, but it is a gem. The Water Works (Moonshine) Hash is AMAZING! It was really harsh and hurt the throat a bit, but it was knock-you-on-your-ass strong. Half a gram of this and we were set all afternoon. The budtenders there are the most friendly and knowledgeable in the city. The prices are very fair and their selection is out of this world. They have great smoothies and great fruit flavored teas. We talked with the bartender Bobby, a very chill Dutch guy with long hair. He was chatting with everyone and doing his best to make sure everyone in the shop was having fun and enjoying themselves.
My friend and I tried their space cakes, which are actually cake and come with frosting and sprinkles… we ate them on the train to Schipol and barely made it onto our flight. They were by far, the best baked goods I’ve ever had.
Sorry I didn’t take more notes on all the different bud I tried, I just got a tad too stoned before I took my notes. However, I do have a nice memory of many different shops and the best places to smoke.
Baba – (RLD) Small, but nice shop that stays open late in the red light district. They have a ton of vaporizers to use and a sweet selection of cheap space cakes, brownies and muffins all ranging from 4-4.50e. They weren’t terribly strong, like smoking a joint of average buds.
Dolphin – (Leidsplein) Awesome décor and a fun place to smoke with the fish bowl hanging from the ceiling and a vaporizer bar on the top floor. The selection was alright, but nothing impressive. The prices were about average as well – 10-14e/gram and about 2e for drinks. They have a great selection of bongs and pipes to use for a 10e deposit.
Bulldog Palace – (Leidsplein) A giant monstrosity with a bar/club on the top floor and coffeeshop/souvenir shop on the bottom. The prices were high for just about everything and the weed was nothing special. HOWEVER, go to the jail cell in the basement. It’s an awesome place to smoke and worth spending a couple euro for a Looza Juice or Coffee just so you can hang out and smoke.
Rookies – (Leidsplein) A cozy shop with a volcano and nice buds. The prices were average for everything and they had a big smoking room. We stopped here a couple times because it’s open late and close to the different attractions in Leidsplein. It was never too busy, so our group of 8 had no problem getting a table or places at the bar.
Blues Brothers – (Niewendijk & Damrak) From the outside, this place looks like a total shithole, but it’s actually nice. The bottom level has a nice coffee bar, an area by the window to people watch and a cozy (and modern looking) sitting area in the back to lounge out. The upstairs had more seating, a jukebox and the budtender. We tried some Super Silver (I think that’s the name, again, stoned notes didn’t work out well) and it was good. The best part about Blues Brothers is that it’s open until 1am and is directly across the ally from my hostel The Flying Pig Downtown. It was also ALWAYS empty, I never saw more than 10 other people in there. This is a good place to bring your own bud and just buy their coffee. Their volcano was broken, but they have a nice selection of bongs and pipes to use.
Barney’s - (Harleemerstraat) A fun place to buy and go. They have a sweet slection and nice budtenders. The volcano is always ready to use and they actually let YOU use it… none of that waiting for them to fill the bag and bring it over crap. Go in the morning (opens at 7am) and ask for Bohb, the long haired budtender who will be happy to let you try the goods and smoke tobacco. Try the Quasar Haze, Amnesia Haze and Laughing Buddah. Beware of the nasty juice bar girl that comes in around lunch time, she over charges and is a total bitch. If there is more than one person working at Barney’s, just buy and go.
Barney’s Breakfast Bar – (2 doors down from Barney’s) They don’t sell weed, but they do have a full alcohol bar, awesome music and good breakfast with real Canadian syrup for their wicked banana pancakes. The place is overpriced (2.50e for a coffee and 8e for pancake breakfast), but you can smoke there without being bothered. It seems like they have a bad reputation for their service, but I never had a problem on either of my visits.
Greenhouse – (Harleemerstraat, near Barney’s) – Crazy modern shop with fish tanks in the floor and trendy décor. The Super Lemon Haze was killer and so was their hash. I didn’t stay and smoke, but I did grab a Looza Juice (I love them). Their prices were average as well, 2e for coffee, but it’s served by pretty Dutch girls.
Bulldog – (RLD) The original bulldog in the redlight district has the same crappy weed as the others, but the same awesome vibe as the others. The patio is almost always open to give you a perfect view of all the busy ladies and bustling sex shows in the RLD. Nobody works on the patio, so it’s the PERFECT place to pop by and smoke a few bowls while en-route to your next destination. Inside, try to get the cowhide booth by the window. It also provides great views of the RLD, while also giving you the comfort and warmth that the patio lacks. Bulldog’s drinks were a tad pricey (2.60e for hot choclolate, 2.10e for Looza), but it was easily the best hot chocolate I had. They also give you cookies.
Grey Area – (Prisengracht near the Anne Frank Huis) Anyone who has ever been to the Dam knows this place has awesome bud. It’s only open from 12h-17h, so get their when they open before they sell out everything. We didn’t wait long in line, but we also couldn’t get seats. The budtenders are ultra knowledgeable and very friendly. They are also happy to give you recommendations for other shops you should check out. This shop is a must-stop and the Chizel is a must-smoke. If you can get a seat, they have a nice selection of glass bongs to use.
De Kroon – (Damrak & Niewendijk) Overpriced and snotty. Avoid this place.
Homegrown Fantasy – (behind Dam) I love this relaxed little place. I wish it wasn’t closing at the end of the month. The weed was nice and they will make half gram bags. We tried the haze, which was not too strong. They have VERY tasty and potent space cakes for 5e in 3 flavors. I recommend walnut. The budtenders are all very nice and they will be more than happy to fill up a volcano bag for you. Drink a Looza for 2e and make sure you use their toilet after you smoke! It’s the best place to pee in Amsterdam.
Other Amsterdam notes:
The Van Gogh museum has a special exhibit with Starry Night with a free audio tour. Check this out, epecially after a few space cakes from Dampkring.
House of Bols – I’ve never heard of this place on my past 2 visits to the Dam… it’s a museum for Lucas Bols, the creator of Bols Jenever and Liqueur. It’s a really cool, kind of trippy place that will teach you all about booze. It’s 10e to enter, the museum only takes like 20min to get through, but there are some fun lounge rooms that fun to hang out in when you’re high. We ended up staying for like 2 hours just goofing around. The best part… you get a free drink at the end! But not just a typical free drink, you use a computer to enter your flavor preference and they create a drink on that. They don’t skimp either, it’s pure liqueur, no mixers. After you have a drink, you get free tastings of their 3 Jenevers AND 2 shots of desert liqueur (go for Butterscotch). We left there very drunk for 10euro. The bartenders do flair tricks with bottles and love to teach you how to make drinks and will give you tips on how to make drinks, mix flavors and use your favorite liquors to make new drinks.
Heineken Experience – It’s finally open again! We went with a group of 10 friends and got there about 2 hours before they closed. It’s a wonderful museum where you learn all about Heineken, actually see a guy brewing wort (The pre-brewed beer) and you get plenty of tastings. The first tasting room is a big huge place with 2 bars. The bartenders fill up a couple dozen beers, pass them out and then propose a toast. My trick, grab a beer, do a toast, walk to the next bar, do a toast, repeat. I had 4 beers. Then, you move on to the tasting bar where you get 2 free beers (go for the Extra Cold). The bar is a very fun place with cool music, fun things to look at and a high tech table where you get a digital beer coaster (I can’t explain, you must see for yourself). We lucked out when there was a fire alarm – we were evacuated after our first beer, so I managed to drop my glass into my backpack (hooray for free suvenirs) and then we got yet another free beer when we went back in… then another free beer… see why I want you to go? Also, after the place closed, a couple of the bartenders came out for dinner and drinks with us.
De Bijendorf (I can’t spell it) – It’s 50m from Dampkring… it’s a religious housing complex for women who’ve dedicated their lives to God. Yes, this seems like a must-avoid for any stoner, BUT it isn’t! You can go in for free, see the pretty flowers and enjoy the total silence. It’s a wonderful break from the city. Check it out.
Free Walking Tour – 7 days a week from the obelisk in Dam square there are free 3 hour walking tours of Amsterdam at 11am and 1pm. The guides work for tips, usually about 5e/person. It was a great way to get oriented in the city the first day. They also offer RLD and coffeeshop/sub-culture tours for 8e.
Buy the big Strippenkaart (Tram Pass) – I bought the 45 strip for 21e and it was totally worth it. When it got cold, rainy or if we were too stoned, we could just jump on the tram.
Boom Chicago - (Leidesplein) A comedy troupe from America that does stand-up and improv nightly. On Friday, the 23:45 show is only 13euro and if you talk to the guys at the door, they'll give you all a free beer and a coupon for a buy one get one free drink. It was a long show, like 3 hours including intermission, so it was an entire night of fun for less than 20euro. Totally worth it and very funny... also, their outdoor patio is smoker friendly!
Take a day trip – I booked a train to Cologne, Germany for 19euro on www.hispeed.nl. They have good deals on trains to the surrounding countries and you can book and print the tickets online in our own country. Don’t go to Cologne Germany, it sucked.
Stay at the Flying Pig Downtown Hostel. It’s cheap, it’s clean, it’s safe, it’s a 2 min walk from 4 or 5 different coffeeshops and a 4min walk to 2 different tram stops. It’s also smoker friendly!! They have a smoking room and an outdoor patio. Did I mention free breakfast and a big screen tv?
Cheap Munchies: McDonald's has 50cent ice cream cones! Get a chocolate covered waffle from a street vendor, go to Wok to Walk for killer stir fry, Maoz for wicked good falafel, there is a Dutch cafe across the street from Heineken - you can't miss it - (I can't remember the name because it was in Dutch) but it was very good.
Pictures to come soon!
