Just around the corner from Rembrandtsplein, this "gay- friendly" shop is a real hot spot. They are located in the heart of the center and it's easy to stop by on your way from one part of town to another. If you want to spend some time, there are two floors for hanging out and plenty to do. If you aren't interested in staring out the window at the people passing by, it's easy to find a pick-up chess game. There is no alcohol served, but you might ask about a "special tea" they make. There are all the usual coffee snacks, hot and cold drinks available. When it comes to smoke, go upstairs and ask if there's any of the custom grown Silver Haze or Northern Lights/Haze in stock. There is always a "good Skunk " available. Fred said, "We do our best to find the best." Stop in and judge for yourself.

This is a small shop with extra room to hang out upstairs. There is lots of blonde wood, giving an open airy feeling. From either level one can sit and look out onto a busy street which is a direct path from the Rokin to the Red Light district. The decor is modern and the music selection is wide-ranging. If you don't like what you hear, ask nice and they'll probably change the program. The friendly, professional staff can serve you sodas, chips, candy, coffee, tea or chocolate chip cookies. Buying a smoke at this shop is a high-tech experience not soon to be forgotten. The system ensures accurate pricing for any quantity and does inventory control. There are always discount specials on the menu (the most scientifically laid-out menu in town) and there is one day in eight when everything in the shop is discounted 20%. In late November of 1994, the days are Friday the 18th and Saturday the 26th. The shop is proud to recommend the Cum Laude I for your smoking pleasure. If you feel like trying some hashish, they say the Diamond Top Moroccan and the (not always available) Constantinople Turkish are the best.

The entrance to de Dampkring is just around the corner, off the street where its official address is (look, don't ask me--it's Amsterdam and I don't pretend to understand), down a little alley called Handboogstraat. This shop is what my Dad would call "a sleeper." At first glance, it looks like a place full of greasy guys with bad hair drinking too much Heineken. Wrong! Step through the door and you are transported to Central Asia. The walls are covered with Sufi-style paintings (take note: these paintings are not airbrushed, but done by hand with tiny brushes by an exceptionally talented and devoted artist named Martijn Potgeisser). There are photos of India and interesting artifacts from Afghanistan and Tunisia around and above the bar. The crowd is almost exclusively Dutch and contains writers, art students, musicians, professors and other interesting folks. People come here to smoke and joke--to see old friends and make new ones. There are the standard tostis, candy and hot and cold drinks, as well as a generous selection of herb teas. Beer and wine are available, but I was told that "We set the alcohol prices quite high so that people will go elsewhere to get drunk." There's an interesting solution to the problem. When it comes to grass for sale, de Dampkring specializes in good quality and consistent quality at a low price. Smoke is weighed right in front of you. You can purchase as little as 3-5 guilders worth if you want to try something you've not seen before. A special touch here is that they don't put anything but buds in your bag. Any shake that is generated by handling is set aside and recycled.

This shop is well located near the center and on the interesting Singel canal. The lighting is subdued, there are lots of windows and some interesting art on the walls. The art is the work of various regular patrons. This isn't a real gallery, but if you like something, it may well be available for purchase. In this shop there are no games and there is no food (though you can get a beer or a soda). People come here to buy weed and hashish. If they stay, they interact with each other. The same owners have a shop in Hoorn, called De Boot. If you want to get out of town and see a little of the country, they can give you directions to get there. Dutch Flowers concentrates on grass, having something in every price range and quality range. There are almost always 15 or more kinds of weed, both imported and domestic. There are many varieties of hashish, including some really high-priced stuff that looked pretty darn good. See what the current special is when you come in. The grass comes in glassine paper envelopes, not plastic bags. This shop was a big winner in the Dutch HIGH LIFE competition.

Pass under the smiling totem and enter this spacious, wood filled bar/coffee shop. It's so big, you might think you're back in America. This is a really interesting place to look at the decor--the walls display everything from accordians to boxing gloves, and there is a big bird cage built into one corner of the building. The music is loud and up-to-date. There are all the regular snacks, a wide selection of cold drinks, full bar and large variety of beers. There are Happy Hours from 6-8 PM, Monday through Friday. The management is particularly proud of the staff and how friendly and helpful they are. There is a full assortment of smoke available at Free City. The shop won the award for Best Cannabis in the 4th Annual Cannabis Cup in 1992. There is always a special grass or hash that the bartender can recommend as the strongest.

One of the most notable things about Green House is the decor. This is a really nice place to hang-out for hours on end. Last year's Cannabis Cup judges certainly felt comfortable here. Green House swept the Coffee Shop portion of the awards, winning for Best Ambiance, Most Original, Best Service, Best Decor and Best Coffee Shop Overall. There is an amazing, eclectic, arty, cozy decor and a truly international clientele which ranges from artists and writers to backpack travelers. Older smokers (those of us who are closer to 40 than 30) may feel that they fit in here better than in some other shops. Be sure to look around and until you get a look a the little, soft sculpture cherubs. With two pool tables upstairs (there are frequent pool tournaments where a shot of mescal is required before each game!); board games stashed in a corner; good, mostly healthful food made by Brenda; all types of alcoholic drinks as well as juice and sodas; your snack and entertainment needs are well met. The whole staff is friendly, attractive, informed and helpful. The bathrooms are just beyond the stairs, through the door on the right, the window for pot is all the way in the back. When it comes to grass, Chitral Special Silver Pearl, Kush x Northern Lights, and Bio S Special, are all unique to the Green House. These special strains are unavailable elsewhere and always available in the shop (that's what they told us). Arjan boasts that his shop has ten kinds of grass and ten kinds of hashish at all times. This may be the busiest coffee shop in Amsterdam. It is certainly one of the best run. When the BCD (The Coffee Shop Owner's Union) is contacted by the media to suggest a Coffee Shop where they can film or do an interview, it is most often the Green House that is recommended.

This is a don't miss shop. Grey Area is a tiny place, there are 16 seats in a postage stamp sized floor space. There is a commitment to slow, personal service. There is always time to talk to you about your pot growing questions, and the food takes a while because it is made to order. While it is delicious, it is even more interesting because this is the world's first hemp seed restaurant (what else is an enterprising young man to do with a ton of hemp seed?). We ate a vegetarian pizza with a hemp seed crust and hemp seed sprouts (along with assorted veggies and cheese) that was really, really good. We won't say it's like Tony makes in New Yawk, but it was very edible. This place runs a real kitchen with a professional chef who is experimenting with hemp seed (mostly in flour form) as an ingredient in all types of food. There are hemp seed pastas, muffins, coffee, baked goodies and falafel. In an interesting offer from the boys, Grey Area will trade pot from their stash for American breakfast cereal for their stash (as well as other serious zuzus and wham-whams from the States--Oreos, Fig Newtons, York Peppermint Patties...). There is a particular need for Capt'n Crunch (with or without Crunchberries is fine), but Trix, Lucky Charms, Fruit Loops, Cheerios and Fruity Pebbles are all fine as long as they are in good condition. No squished Ding Dongs will be accepted for trade. When it comes to smoke, Grey Area is a specialty shop. Ninety percent of their weed is custom grown for them by private breeder/growers who sell nowhere else. Ask if there is any of the famous "Bubble Gum" in stock. This is the only place to get the real thing--they developed the strain. A highlight during the Cannabis Cup is some special grass that will be available. A number of exclusive, private growers have selected the pot bar here to be the venue for their best work this season.

This spacious, upbeat, modern shop with a reserved vibe is located on a nice street that has some interesting shops. You can sit at the counter-like table that runs all along the window and watch the foot traffic on this crowded little street. You can almost read the titles of the books at the antique book stores and if you look long enough, you'll certainly covet something from the arty housewares store floor space. The music was sort of a jazzy-funk thing when I was there. In addition to the room you enter from the street, there are an upper and a lower level with couches that are like a corner booth at an American diner. The jukebox is just for looks. Nothing special to eat: candy and maybe some chips, sodas and hot drinks. You buy your smoke at the drinks counter.
It is weighed to order. The management recommends that you choose the Cannabis Cup special, Chitral-Skunk, as your grass selection.

Imagine a Dutch-style coffee shop on Haight Street in San Francisco circa 1967, and it would probably look like this. Big chunks of quartz crystals, plants, marble top cafe tables, whimsical, beautiful little things hanging on the walls--these people are hippies in the Deadhead tradition. There is no alcohol here (the owners feel it interferes with the high of the grass), but there are bio snacks and bio juices, along with lots of vegetarian as well as regular eats. Lucky Mothers was the winner of the 1994 Cannabis Cup for food. I particularly enjoyed my fresh- pressed carrot juice. The owners like to emphasize that they run a cafe that sells smoke, not a smoke bar that sells food and drink. Mother's Milk, their house cannabis, it should be noted, made a strong showing in the 1994 Cup competition. Once you make your selection (which comes in pre-weighed bags) you will be asked,"is that for here or to go?" Order it for here and go sit down. Sabina will come around from behind the bar with your cannabis on a serving plate, along with all sorts of smoking accessories. It's a very special touch. So take some time, enjoy the atmosphere of open communication and get to know your neighbors at Lucky Mothers.

The number 10 tram stops right outside this authentic neighborhood coffee shop. The decor is clean and sparse. There are Formica tables, old, metal, advertising signs on the walls, and one video game. There is no food, although there are cold and hot drinks. Right next door is a reasonably priced cafe called Tapaz. The diversity of the crowd is a real feature here. All kinds of people of all ages and colors come through the door here. The table next to mine was occupied for a while by two teenage girls and a man of 65. The clientele includes teachers, off-duty police officers and barge captains. Anyone with a mellow attitude is welcome here. The smoke window is in the back, to the right of the drink bar. It looks a bit like the cashier at the movies, but it contains one of the largest selections of weed and hashish available in town. Overkant regularly has a dozen or more types of Dutch weed, a half dozen kinds of imported weed, and 12 to 20 kinds of hashish. There is something to fit any budget, and they always have one or two really special connoisseur items on hand. I was informed that this was the first shop in Amsterdam to "cut from the block" (to weigh the purchase before your eyes and in any amount requested). It is important to mention the pioneering work of Rob Bierings, the owner of de Overkant. It was Rob who refused to "shut up" after the police crackdown on the coffee shops in 1992. It is through his work that the Bond van Cannabis Detailisten, or BCD (the union) of coffee shop owners, was created. I don't have room here to tell you all about it, but ask at the shop and they can give you the details.

This small, cozy, friendly shop is located on a busy and interesting shopping street, near the Central Station. They recently remodeled but kept the delightful, cubist paintings (they look like cartoon versions of Picasso's paintings) by Marek Skyler. There's lots of wood, some colorful tile-work behind the food and drink bar, and a nice, bright halogen light focused on the smoke bar so you can get a good look at the pot you're about to buy. Picasso serves yummy breakfast until 11 AM, after that they have all the regular snacks, sodas, juice, coffee and tea. The clientele is largely Dutch and older. There are many long-time customers who have become friends with the owners. If you want to get a sense of the sort of shop where the locals hang-out, Picasso might just do the trick. One of the two owners is there every day, eager to make friends and spend some time talking with you about everything from football (don't badmouth the home team) to how the best marijuana is grown. There are two floors with chairs and tables upstairs. If you need the toilet, just keep going to the third floor. The pot bar is on the second floor. Their Northern Lights won Best Cannabis Overall last year. Show your Official Judge Credentials and receive a free sample from the generous folks who run this tasty little shop.

This is not really a coffee shop. It's "Wernard's World," the smoking salon of one of Holland's oldest grow shops and the only place I've ever heard of that always has free marijuana smoking for any and all. To get to the Salon, you wander past rooms full of growing plants and bales of potting soil. This place feels like the basement "rec room" of a suburban American home. The decor is casual; the furniture feels like it used to be the good stuff, but mom got something new; the walls are paneled in blonde wood; and the lovely Isabelle, with her beautiful, French-accented English, is there to be "Mom" and take care of your snacking needs. The sandwiches always include a vegetarian alternative; there are sweets, fruit, organic fruit juices, coffee and tea. Since it's not a real shop, they can't charge of the food and drink. You know how it works: there is a "suggested" donation. Cough it up. The prices barely cover the costs and the smoke is free. The toilet is back down the hall toward the main entrance, on the right. The samples Joe will give you come from the Positronics stable of seed strains. Positronics claims that they have the best grass in Holland, though they don't believe in competition with other growers. This is the first Cannabis Cup the company has entered.

Located just around the corner from the touristy, crowded Damrak, Rick's is a busy, loud, happenin' spot. The owners try to evoke the feeling of the Rick's Cafe in Negril, Jamaica. There is a full bar (with tropical cocktails), and there are different Happy Hours throughout the day. You'll find electronic games, a pool table, pinball. There are plenty of snacks and something different--hard cider. The smoke bar is in the "train car" up the stairs in the back. This shop has a significant collection of hashish, especially Moroccan, but they are more exclusive about their weed. Maybe this is because the grower here grew the winning entry for Picasso last year. I was told that the weed here is produced from exceptionally vital, frequently renewed Mother Plants. The owner feels that good quality clones make good grass. The special for the 1994 Cannabis Cup with be "Chitral." Also recommended by Rick's grower is the Northern Lights/Haze cross.

623-5909. Open Sunday-Thursday, 11 AM-11 PM; Friday and Saturday 11 AM-midnight. Founded in 1984.

Slip around the corner from the busy Singel, onto the quiet Brouwersgracht and into this venerable coffee shop which placed high in all categories for atmosphere and service in last year's Cup. This is more than a coffee shop, this is an art experience. Everyone on the staff has some notable creative outlet. On the walls there are art exhibits that change monthly, along with frequent theme activities, films, and live music. For the Cannabis Cup, there will be a special exhibit of aboriginal art. The decor is clean and modern and there are electronic games as well as a football table. They play a wide variety of music but nothing commercial. There are snacks, as well as cold and hot drinks. The clientele is diverse and includes musicians, journalists, American businessmen, mothers, artists and students who come from in and out of Amsterdam to meet and socialize. Siberie sells a wide variety of grass and interesting hashish. They are proud of their selection, maintained throughout the year, and stable quality of weed. It is easy to look at samples of smoke under the bright halogen lights focused down on the bar. There is also an interesting and special service provided by the folks at Siberie. The staff is familiar with the subtle differences in the high of the different smokes they sell and they can recommend a different product depending on your individual preferences, planned activity, or other needs. It's like picking the right herb to season your meal. That's a nice way to look at things, isn't it?