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. 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.