Coffeeshops of Amsterdam: Katsu

All the Best Coffeeshops from in and around Amsterdam, as rated by the team here at Lilly Likes!

We love all things Amsterdam, here at Lilly Likes, but we especially love the chic stoner vibe that can only be found in the depth of the city’s most inspirational coffeeshops. To thoroughly explore the city we so know and love, we decided to go on a tour of our own… a coffee shop tour. Everyone needs to know where to start when they arrive in the city, after all.

Roll on to our next CSA article, where we rate some of the finest offerings in the city that come in coffee (and 420 friendly) format. Before you get too embroiled in the Katsu, however, you will find a whole bunch of other reviewed popular coffeeshops on our site. If you get bored of the coffeeshop theme we have going on, you can also read about other topics, too. How does an educational tour of the Ann Frank house sound, instead? Here for the perfect gift? Check out our insights into the best trips to take in our end of the world.

Let’s get stuck in to the Katsu coffeeshop meantime. We like to see what it has to offer according to the following categories…

Atmosphere and Vibe

 You will find this cosy-yet-colourful coffeeshop in the De Pijp region of the city, not far from the Heineken brewery. It welcomes all and judges none, with an eclectic feel to its styling and some of the friendliest faces behind the bar that you will find in the city. They boast a wide selection of cannabis strains, which they market as medicinal. It’s also very much a Dutch coffeeshop, although the staff do speak a little English.

Since it is Dutch in nature, we know it’s not a tourist trap like some other places. It is colourfully decorated because they like to sell street art… you see coffeeshop Katsu is also one part art gallery… and we can’t get enough.

We gave the Katsu coffee shop a 5 out of 5 for atmosphere and vibe. It’s a cool place, removed from the heart of the tourist district.

Munchies and Drinks

When it comes to munchies, this gallery-come-coffeeshop has a little selection in sweet things. This selection is mostly propped up by the edibles they sell but let’s be honest. Nobody comes to a coffeeshop in Amsterdam for the cakes… unless they’re space cakes. Although the Katsu doesn’t have that big of a range of food items, they do really well with hot and cold drinks to make up for it a little.

We like the sodas, milkshakes, hot chocolates, or fine Italian coffee blends that they have on offer. We would prefer if they also had sandwiches, because some of us crave savoury when we are high. Go figure.

We gave them a 4 out of 5 for munchies and drinks. Drinks are great, munchies aren’t quite so hot.

Products/Edibles (420)

One thing the Katsu Coffeeshop does almost too well is the range and mix of strains on offer. The high quality cannabis they sell here aims to be medical grade, so you are talking about the best of the best. They also go out of their way to provide plenty of choice for us, too.

Some of the weeds on offer at Katsu include:

• A full range of hashish, inclusive of mean green, kief maroc, and super pollen. They have Asian hash, Moroccan Hash, Dutch Hash, and one strain from California.
• 9 or more Sativa strains to get you up and about. 5 hazes are included in this: the Super Silver, the Purple, The Amnesia, The Super Lemon, The Black Widow, the Amnesia, and let’s not forget the Haze Shake, where they will infuse a milkshake for those that like edibles.
• They have 8 Kush strains under the Indica label. These are Sogy, Strawberry Banana, OG, Bio Critical, California, Mango, Purple and Pineapple.
• Let’s not forget the other Indica strains, such as Cheese, Big Buddha, and Mango skunk.
• They have Thai Stix as their only imported strain of weed.
• Their pre rolleds come in all shapes and sizes, with both a pure and a tobacco based joint for the hash, the Indica, and the sativa. They even have a Thai joint and you can buy three for ten euros… At least until the prices go up.
• Space Muffins and milkshake For The Win

What also impressed about the range of choices in this café was the prices. They have different weeds for almost ever price point, without the tourist-trap numbers. We can only advise that you check it out for yourself and award 5 stars. The full menu is here for your perusal

Café Merchandise

Sadly, the Katsu coffeeshop has very little in the way of traditional merchandise. However, just because you can’t pick up a baseball cap or a t-shirt, doesn’t mean they don’t have their own set of special memorabilia you can take home with you. Check out the artwork in-store or pick up a pack of Katsu coffeeshop papers.

Alas: none of these are available online and you will need to visit them to make the most of their produce. We highly recommend buying up a piece of Amsterdam street art while you are in there, though. It is world renowned as being some of the most psychedelic, fun artwork that you can buy – period.

We gave them a 4 out of 5 for café merchandise. Just because it isn’t normal doesn’t mean it’s not great, we just really want to see an online store, so we don’t have to travel to buy.

Lilly Likes Verdict

The Katsu Coffeeshop scores a whopping 18 out of 20 in the Lilly Likes Amsterdam stakes. We enjoy the vibe, love the atmosphere, can’t wait to buy some art – and simply adore those strain choices. All in all, this is the perfect coffeeshop to visit in Amsterdam if you don’t want to get ripped off by high prices, or if you want to have a cup of art with your coffee. We wish them all the best while simultaneously sketching them into the diary for the next time we are in the Dam. Katsu is definitely one more stop to add to the steadily growing list.