Amsterdam Culture — Coffee Shop vs Cafe

Whereas in most cities the terms are interchangeable, in Amsterdam, there’s definitely a distinction between a “coffee shop” & a “cafe.” The importance of this distinction depends entirely on your mood, sense of adventure, & probationary status. <img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:700/1*YUiq2RUAMH69gV1DpdEJ3A.jpeg" style="height:338px; width:700px" /> “Remember that one time in Amsterdam…” All Amsterdamers have stories of visitors naively announcing — “Where are these weed shops? Let’s toke some green!” Nobody sounds cool saying “toke some green,” & it’s in these situations when Amsterdamers are forced to flip the big kill-switch known as “Project De-escalation: Keep Uncle Steve Away From The Weed.” Step 1 involves a long bike ride followed by trips to brewery/tasting rooms like Borouwer’ij (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/brouwerijtij/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">@brouwerijtij</a>) or Butcher’s Tears (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/248209728/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">#butcherstears</a>). If you can sneak in a few rounds of bitterballen with the heavy beers, it’s likely your charge will forget their boastful weed promises. <a href="https://medium.com/@sightseenapp/amsterdam-culture-coffee-shop-vs-cafe-7f1bad3277a1">Learn More</a>