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De Kuil (420 Cafe) Oudebrugsteeg 27, Amsterdam |
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| Street | Oudebrugsteeg |  |
| District | Centrum | |
| Town | Amsterdam | |
| Province | Noord Holland | |
| Postcode | 1012 JN | |
| Telephone | 0031 (0)20 6234848 | |
| Open | Sun-Thu 10:00-01:00, Fri, Sat 10:00-03:00 | |
| Map | Amsterdam Map ref: F3 and Centrum Map spot: 101 (C4) |
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| Founded | 1987 | |
| "Official" Site | www.420cafe.com and www.cannabis-cafe.com (dead link) |
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It's an old building with beams across the ceiling. There is a small seating area by the window and then a long bar along the left wall. Behind the bar is a big, smart wooden cabinet and opposite the bar are some tables with tall bar stools. At the far end of the bar is the dealer's counter where a range of quality weed and hash is available.
Beyond the bar is a lower section with a pool table. On the end of the counter are 2 Volcano vapourisers. There is also a microscope to examine your buds.
Music is pre-programmed from a selection of hundreds of tracks. Classic rock is the order of the day with a special place for Frank Zappa. His initials are on the window and there are 4:20 signs around the place reflecting de Kuil's popularity with American tourists.
Another distinctive feature is the friendly bring-your-own food policy. This is cool because Oudebrugsteeg, where de Kuil is located, has a good selection of take-away food and cake shops (some open very late).
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Doctor Jim from Canada. Visited Oct 22-29. Sent 25 Dec 2005.
Wilson from UK. Visited 24-26 April. Sent 27 Apr 2005.
This was my favourite shop of the trip. I am getting a bit older and appreciated the more mature atmosphere. No banging house music or gangs of loud mutants. Very much a good bar with smokables and singable rock-n-roll. Bought some Sage to try the taste which was great. Cool smoke and great head high. Dealer was really friendly and took time to show us the wears. They had some White Widow that looked superb, covered in frost, but we were already stoked. Wished I had tried it now.
Rici from USA. Sent 23 Mar 2005.
Great if you can get in. Really close on the main Centrum strip. Had some really nice Blueberry, and the music was sick. There is a pasty shop across the street that is unbelievable. So get baked and feed those munchies.
Fatboy Scouse from UK. Sent 2 Mar 2005.
Classic rock, friendly staff, very "brown cafe" feel, excellent (if a little pricey) smokeables, lots of Americans, a great place right in the centre of town where you can get a cold beer and smoke a joint. Perfick.
Matthew from England. Visited 14-18 Feb. Sent 22 Feb 2005.
Seems to be changing to the 420 café, best place to drink and smoke, great atmos.
TrippingOverGod from UK. Sent 6 Feb 2005.
The Frank Zappa Coffeeshop had to be our first visit, especially as we were staying a stones throw away - despite the slightly incongruous nature of it being Zappa themed despite his hatred of all drugs, a good venue with friendly staff, especially the long-bearded guy. Great Blueberry, one of the highlights of our trip.
Dave S from England. Visited 17-20 Dec 04. Sent 4 Jan 2005.
I sought this place out after reading many of the reviews and being a big Zappa fan as well didn't hurt. The first night I entered to the sounds of "Yes" playing over the sound system - a good start, which I commented on to the friendly and helpful dealer. I was sitting at the end of the bar, near to the window toking on a very nice 420 Haze pure spliff when an English couple sat down next to me, and within minutes started moaning about how some people (meaning me presumably) shouldn't be smoking in regular bars and clubs but should save it for the proper coffeeshops so as not to offend normal people?? I couldn't be bothered to argue the toss with them, so I finished my spliff and left. I think they may have been confused as most coffeeshops don't sell alcohol, but it wasn't worth losing my vibes over. The next day, the vibe couldn't have been more different - got down and serious with the volcano vaporiser and all my troubles faded away.
John & Jo from England. Sent 19 Dec 2004.
This was definitely our biggest disappointment of our trip. Felt more like a bar than a coffee shop, it was really busy with just guys mainly drinking beer! Don't get me wrong, nothing against it, just isn't what we went for.
J.C. from USA. Sent 19 Nov 2004.
Top honors. They get my vote for best coffeeshop. Nice sound system and great music. Not too loud, keeps the conversation flowing. Beautiful wood bar, Amstel, nice clean glass bongs, beautiful Australian girl at the bar. It was just the nicest place to be.
Lee and Deb from South Africa. Sent 17 Oct 2004.
Situated in the main part of the circus, I expected this place to be heaving but on the two occasions that we went here we managed to get a cool spot by the front window. I loved the way the dealer actually weighs the goods in front of you. We bought most of our weed here. Not a huge choice of beer in this place Amstel, Amstel or Amstel. The brightly coloured cakes and doughnuts across the way are very suggestive.
Kyle from UK. Visited 6-9th Aug.. Sent 19 Aug 2004.
A great coffeeshop to just chill with a nice fat joint and a nice pint of Amstel. I can't remember which bud I bought there but I remember it being very good. There was also a microscope near the pool table to examine your buds. The only bad thing about De Kuil was that it was too so hot in there that you have to go out and come back in to cool down but overall a very good coffeeshop.
Anon.. Sent 22 Feb 2004.
De Kuil was on my must do list on my latest mission to Amsterdam.
I have been making the visit to Amsterdam once a year for several years now.
I have always heard great things about De Kuil but for whatever reason I never visited.
It is very easy to find and only a 5 minute walk from the train station.
This place has the best atmosphere of any coffeeshop I have visited.
I sampled some form of Haze and also took the infamous vaporiser hit (highly recommended).
The bartender was chatty and helpful and the dealer was as well.
De Kuil will now become my first stop when I arrive in Amsterdam.
Dil from Scotland. Sent 30 Jan 2004.
Just great for an old dude like me who enjoys a beer, old tunes and pool with his spliff. Went for the "420" skuff at 60 euro for 5g. It's not bad at that price but better can be found elsewhere. Anyway go for a beer and tip the pretty barmaids well and you will be rewarded with a sunny smile.
Dirtyfloyd from USA. Visited Halloween '03. Sent 12 Dec 2003.
I cannot recommend this shop enough. One of the few coffeeshops that
combine cannabis, booze, and music to perfection. Make sure and try the
volcano (you'll get hooked) and chat with the friendly dealer from New Jersey, he's got some funny "hit by tram" stories and is all too happy
to share his "how and why I work in a coffeeshop" story. I bought some
creeper haze based on a previous review and found it to be quite nice.
Also enjoyed the 420 skuff and the beer, and leering at the all too hot
barmaid.
Dave from UK. Visited 10-11 Oct 03. Sent 13 Oct 2003.
Another well recommended C-shop, and another that lived up to billing. Can't remember too much about it, other than the very chilled atmos and the stunning girl behind the bar on Saturday. The reason I can't remember is that darn vapouriser. Dear God that thing is wicked. We bought some White Widow and pretty much did the lot of it on the Volcano. Smoothest way of getting caned I've ever known, and always passed to us with a sly grin and a warm word by Captain Birdseye the dealer-man. Bought some Phazer on Fri night, which all but finished me off. Fantastic place, all the staff were cool over the weekend, basically a fine shop to pass the time, get high, and groove to the 70's rock tunes that caress your ears as another balloon slides down.
Go there.
Rhys from UK. Visited 26, 27, 28 Sept 03. Sent 30 Sep 2003.
What a coffeeshop, it's got the lot, great bar staff, knowledgeable pleasant dealers, booze, great music, a Vaporiser and of course great smokes. My personal favourite of the whole trip came from this shop, 420 Haze, fantastic, just the right amount of head and body high combined with a lovely sense of well being. The NL5 Haze was pretty cool but the Creeper Haze was way too intense for me. The Vaporiser was a surprise, I was a bit scared of it at first if I'm honest but eventually with my resistance lowered by various hazes and no small amount of pier pressure I went for it, WOW, what a clean high, especially with Sativa's... I tried a friends Blueberry in it, way to heavy, reminded me why I don't smoke many Indica's. The people who work here are really cool, they even Vap'd some of my mates weird mix for him (combination of 10 or so different products) that was a head tingler. All in all for me the number one coffeeshop in Amsterdam.
Zunki from UK via South Africa. Visited Frequently. Sent 21 Sep 2003.
This is my new favorite. The whole package is great, good bud (particularly the Phazer and Blueberry) they also have a good selection of hash which I haven't tried (I only smoke grass). The beer is cold and the staff very helpful, friendly. The atmosphere in the shop its self is very relaxed and friendly. Top marks for this "Cheers" type coffee shop, If I was fortunate enough to live in Amsterdam this would be my local
Ant and Saz from UK. Visited 5 - 7 Aug 2003. Sent 8 Aug 2003.
Might look uncomfortable, but a nice stopping off point in a central location which has a nice menu, recommend the haze's.
Would always make a point of coming back here, stick to the grass & sit off in the window to watch the freaks go by....
Pete and Stu from UK. Sent 20 Jul 2003.
Yeah, we liked this place a lot. After Homegrown Fantasy this was our favourite, in fact once we'd sussed the city out properly we'd go to Homegrown in the day and this place at night. I'd say this is more of a nighttime place, and it serves alcohol, which is excellent. You can bring your own food, which again is great, and they have seats right up against the big front windows so you can stare out at people - very good way of passing the time whilst smoking and having a beer.
Like someone else said, it isn't massively friendly in here, but it's pretty laid-back. It's the coffee shop equivalent of an old-style British pub basically, and is decorated as such. You will not find any neon signs of cartoon characters smoking spliffs in here, haha! They also like their old-school rock, which made a refreshing change actually. We didn't encounter any of the loud Americans of the annoying, obnoxious type people complain about, in fact everyone was very chilled.
This is a great place to relax in the evening basically, and they have internet access here too: another bonus! We didn't sample the 'menu', but the beer was nice and cold, and reasonably priced considering the place's location. The one thing that really won me over here though, was one night when I was just resting my head on my hands at the bar, having consumed many j's and many beers... and just fell asleep. This, obviously, was totally embarrassing and it must piss off coffee shop staff constantly, but the girl at the bar just gently shook me to wake me up and asked if I was ok. To take pity on someone who's clearly being a bit of a loser in your establishment - i.e. me - was pretty decent of her, so for that, and everything else of course, this places gets top marks!
Jeremy from USA. Sent 15 Jul 2003.
Can you say Frank? This is ZAPPA heaven. Come here after a long day of trans or dance or whatever they're calling that crap now. Located right in front of Central Station this shop has everything you'll need. Once you step inside pure joy will spread over your face and your ears will have the pleasure of fully opening. Behind the bar if you peer hard enough you'll notice the whole Zappa catalog (among lots of other rock oriented albums) queued up and ready to go. Real wood adorns this place instead of plastics, formica and vinyl. There's a pool table at the back and a nice huge American flag hangs from the tallest wall. Get almost any type of spirited drink you could desire here.
I thought the strain "Knockout" was decent but definitely did not hold up to its name.
Kind Bud Kid from USA. Sent 18 Jun 2003.
Kinda dark uncomfortable place in my opinion.
The people seem OK, not overly friendly.
But the Phazer is insane.
Jamie from UK. Sent 29 Apr 2003.
Rating: 8/10 From the outside of the coffeeshop I really didn't
expect to like this place (I was especially put off by the notoriety it has
for being a hang out for loud American potheads) but with the added help of a
pool table at the back I was pleasantly surprised. When you enter the
coffeeshop you are first met by a big wooden bar with lots of stools lined
along it. There was a beautiful bar maid working there last time who had the
attention of a lot of male customers, one of whom tried to be a bit over
friendly and found himself the victim of a very hard slap across the face!
There is an extensive range of alcoholic drinks on offer and a good variety
of teas and coffee to quench that inevitable drought in your mouth. Further
along this bar there was a tall, plump bearded man who looked like a cross
between a hippy and a Sea Captain who turned out to be the dealer. He was
perfectly friendly and informative about the rather small menu on offer but
seemed in a rush to make the transaction and have that be that. I ended up
purchasing some Moroccan hash which was average but nothing more. The Jack
Herer on the other hand was something else! Quite simply the best Jack Herer
I've ever had in 'Dam or anywhere else. I'm sure there must be other places
in 'Dam selling as good as if not better but I haven't found it. Other than
that the place is heavily built around one theme: a lot of wood! The chairs
are hard and not particularly comfortable but I literally only used this for
skinning up and to temporarily recover once the Herer had been sparked up!
Next to the pool table area which is at the back (lots of space to play and a
good sized table for you pool fans who are interested) is a microscope set up
for you to inspect your dope so closely that the buds look like fields cove
red in snow. Had me fascinated at one point. The only downside to report on
this c'shop is the high prices on the menu, surprisingly beer is reasonably
priced, and the fact a hash I purchased was of really average quality for an
over average price. But check it out, it's very central and a nice, pleasant
hang out and ignore the stigma; the Americans in there that day were like
everyone else; chilled and respectful.
Zunki from UK via South Africa. Visited Frequently. Sent 15 Dec 2002.
Lovely little shop that plays great music and is a nice place to chill and play pool. Unfortunately not very comfortable seating (all high stools). They do have a vaporiser which I tried on my last visit with some of their Jack Herer. That was the best buzz for a long time.
Fred. Sent 7 Dec 2002.
Used to be a favourite - good vibe & bud. However, in July '02 I was ripped off with 5 gr. of "Caramello" - when burned, it bubbled, smelt really bad; no stone whatsoever, just a sore throat & headache. Will never darken their door again
Christopher from USA. Sent 10 Jan 2002.
The proprietor is a quite charming fellow, and the smokes are top flight.
Brian from USA. Sent 26 Oct 2000.
Basically lived there - what a great place. Really, really nice staff, friendly clientele, great smoke and smoke-assistance from the weed-tenders, and a couple of the prettiest girls I have ever seen working the bar, open 'till 3:00AM on weekends - who could ask for more? Anyway, just a great place to hang out. My new favorite.
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ACD rating 85% (Click here for info on ratings) | |
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Member of the BCD (Bond van Cannabis Detaillisten) Cannabis Retailers Assoc. | |
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Recommended by Joe Pauker in his book 'Get Lost!' The Cool Guide to Amsterdam | |
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