All the best coffeeshops of Amsterdam, rated by Those Who Know.
When it comes to all things Amsterdam, we here at Lilly likes are more than ready to dive in at the deep end. That covers everything from Smoke Boats to Pancake Boats, Ice Bars to coffee shops. Sometimes we even talk about museums.
Today, you have caught us mid-spiel regarding the Grey Area Coffeeshop. Widely regarded as one of the best 420 friendly coffeeshops in Amsterdam, this place has 25 years in experience tending to our coffee and mild narcotic-based needs. It is high time that we took a look over their wares and found out what makes the average Grey Area client keep coming back for more.
Join us, as we delve nose deep into the world of Amsterdam coffeeshops. You won’t regret it as long as you buy a ticket to the Dam on your way out…
Atmosphere and Vibe
Grey Area has a living-space inspired feel to it. Their décor isn’t overly loud, although there are a few cartoon characters that will invite you inside. Notably, and with our awe, they opened for delivery in the midst of the Coronavirus crisis. That’s right! The Grey Area were making sure that everyone in Amsterdam got their smoke, even though the shops were shut. We take our hats off to them for this and add an extra mark to their atmosphere and vibe check.
Just because their style is chilled out doesn’t mean they don’t carry huge impact. This is one of the more famous coffeeshops in Amsterdam. There guest list has the likes of Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson on it. There’s photographic evidence to back them up because let’s face it, if a star comes into your coffeeshop you grab the camera.
Grey Area is equal parts fun and friendly. We go there as often as we can, hoping that we will run into Mr Nelson. Otherwise, it mixes dank with welcoming and isn’t as busy as the more central coffeeshops. We gave them a 5 out of 5 for atmosphere and vibe. They didn’t really leave us much choice.
Munchies and Drinks
As so often happens with the big brand name coffeeshops of Amsterdam, the munchie and drink menu comes in a close second to the weed menus. This falls in line with the classic belief that all you need for a coffeeshop is a coffee machine and a few bags of weed to sell. In fact, when trying to trace their menu we came across the reviews on Trip Advisor. Of all the commonly mentioned tags, food and drink weren’t even mentioned.
What we can say is that you will get a fine selection of hot and cold drinks here. Enjoy anything from an espresso to a milkshake. You can also get a small selection of cakes and pastries but the main focus for this is their space cakes… which are of a slightly different nature.
We gave the Grey Area a 4 out of 5 for munchies and drinks. They have everything you’d expect it’s just nice to be surprised once in a while.
Products/Edibles (420)
One of the things this delightful coffeeshop is best known for is the weed they produce. They have won different cannabis cups more than four times and enter regularly. They have a partnership with Karma Genetics, who grow weed in Amsterdam specifically for this type of shop. Even their hashish has won awards, it’s just that good.
Grey Area is home to Silver Bubble, Grey Haze, Evergrey, Grey Scout Cookies… basically if it has a ‘grey’ in it and it is a weed strain then it was more than likely their doing. Of course, they also provide consumers with a huge list of hashish and even go so far as to keep a Volcano behind the bar that is free for customer use.
We give them a 5 out of 5 for product/edibles (420). There’s not a lot else they could do to impress us. You can reach the full menu, here.
Café Merchandise
This is probably the only area we feel that the team at Grey Area could improve. It’s one of those things where we know they have merchandise, and we know you can come away with lighters and their brand of cigarette paper… but they don’t have a direct link to an online shop. This means that they could have the best products on the planet – but they don’t have access to the crucial Gen Z/Millennial market, overseas.
What they have instead is a reputation that even the Hulk would struggle to smash. They are known throughout the world and have been voted as one of the solid, recurring, best coffeeshops in Amsterdam by the likes of the Culture Trip, Timeout and even the Flying Pig. It’s just unfortunate that you can’t track down a hoody or a t-shirt online.
We gave them a 3 out of 5 for merchandise and bought a plane ticket. It’s the only way we are getting a new grinder so we might as well get used to it.
Lilly Likes Verdict
After all of the Lilly Likes categories have been weighed and measured, how does the Grey Area stack up? We think they put in a valiant effort and, without a shadow of a doubt, that this is one of the top coffeeshops in Amsterdam. They have a cool logo, a fantastic reputation, and they frequently attract visits from celebrity royalty.
Where they don’t shine is in their promotional activity. Where places like the Bulldog and Amnesia are splattering their logo from here to the seventh circle of Hell, Grey Area are relying on word-of-mouth to spread their fame. It obviously works great for them. It just means we can’t buy a beermat with their branding on it unless we take a trip to the Dam. We don’t want to complain to loudly though, we are still hoping to get a trip out of this.
Overall, the Grey Area scored a 17 out of a possible 20. Not bad. Not fantastic – but not bad. When you are planning your next trip make sure you put them on your itinerary. And grab us a baseball cap while you are there. We’d love to order one ourselves but… ya’ know.
