Bulldog

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The Original Bulldog

The Bulldog has been around since 1976, and the location at Oudezijds Voorburgwal 90 is the considered to be the first cannabis coffeeshop in Amsterdam (see photo above). The beautiful psychedelic paintings on the outside were painted over six years by an Australian artist, Harold Thorton. Now they have five coffeeshops in town, including one on the Leidseplein that was once a police station and still has some of the original jail cells where you can toke up, legally!

The Bulldog has become very commercialized as it’s grown with souvenier shops, bike rentals and a low budget hotel. No longer does it offer the homey feel of other coffeeshops, with one exception.

The newest one, now called “The Lounge”, on Spuistraat 7, is the class act of coffeeshops in Amsterdam, in a league of its own. Mahogany, brass, and leather dominate, lending an elegance and comfort never before seen in a coffeeshop. Add to this the mellow “lounge” music, a nice change from the pounding house music that most coffeeshops favor. The Lounge offers free internet access (with required drink purchase) on two machines and doesn’t start charging for it when it gets busy as other cafes do. A most inviting space to surf the net.

The New Bulldog Lounge

However there is one big drawback to this new location. There’s a “caretaker” (old black dude) at this location who watches over the place. Now normally this would be a good idea, since it’s such a classy joint, to have someone who keeps everything clean and polished. But this individual acts like he owns the place. I’ve watched him sit down to a whole takeout meal in the middle of the place, turn up the TV (to where you couldn’t hear the wonderful music anymore), and pretty much make you feel like you’re invading his space. In addition he likes to smoke cigars (well, they do sell cannabis cigars here), and I’ve seen him harrasing the guests about putting things on their precious chairs (“do you know how MUCH these chairs cost?”), and I’ve had to suffer his staring glare and inquisitorial “can I help you?”, like I shouldn’t even be there. I’ve complained to the bartenders, to no avail. Oh, well, they could have LOTS of people coming there, but unfortunately I can’t recommend this place until there’s a change of personnel. Too bad. I was told he only works at night, but I’ve seen him there at all hours… Steer clear unless you like being glared at.

Amsterdam,
Netherlands

Topic: Coffeeshop Guide
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