New Amsterdam Cafe

I came upon this place after exploring the cafes along Hastings street. It's entrance attracts eyes to the various glassware and marijuana related things encompassed within the glass showcases that lead into the store. Once you enter you're greeted with high ceilings and colourful hand-painted artwork that makes the place so unique. If there's something you need in your adventures of marijuana then this place has it. They stock vapes, glassware, grinders, containers to store weed in, clothing with their name on it, you name it. They even have postcards if that's your thing.

The reason I go so frequently is the vapour bar aspect of the cafe. They let you rent a vapourizer to use for an hour and it is a different, and in my opinion, much better way to smoke marijuana. I go for my chamomile tea and vape, it's a pretty good combination. I've met many interesting people and brought many friends to this place just to have a casual chat and smoke. It's a different atmosphere and it brings out a different vibe from each person that comes and stays to enjoy the place, usually it's a pleasant one.

The sandwiches are good, I've personally tried them all just to make sure that I knew which one I liked. I would recommend one of the special grilled cheese sandwiches (So aptly named, the Cheech or the Chong), they are very good (Make sure to ask for ketchup if that's you're style).

The various pastries are such a tease when you sit at the bar. They're all very good and they have a nice selection of gluten-free items that would please even the most picky eater.

The drinks are good, I come back for the tea and maybe sometimes for a smoothie if I feel like something especially nice. 

Don't ever get the pie, it is way too good and I have to pretend it's not there to stop myself from getting some each time I visit. But if you do ignore my advice, just remember that it comes with ice cream so enjoy each bite with a bit of it on your spoon, it's how it's meant to be eaten and for good reason.

The ventilation is nice, especially for a vapour bar that allows their customers to smoke up joints and bongs, the fans circulate the air around the cafe, allowing the stale smoky air to exit through the back or the front. 

At night it gets extremely busy. Patrons standing and leaning on the tables to enjoy their smoking and eating, their eyes absently looking around during lulls of silence in their conversations, patiently waiting for those who are finished to leave to eagerly  scoop up their seat. But don't let that stop you from coming, it is an experience that I recommend most everyone to try out at least once in their life. 

During the day it becomes more of a chill location, one where I have in many occasions chosen to do my writing at. If the thought of coming here when it's packed still overwhelms you, come during the day. It's all smiles and friendliness from the staff and the owner.

The music varies depending on the person(s) working at the time. Personally, I never had any problem with their music selection, it varies from Hip Hop to electronic and from jazz and rock. 

Like the music selection, the visitors of this cafe vary from different kinds of places. There are tourists who come to visit and enjoy the sights, students who come during breaks just to enjoy a snack, business men and women in suits and formal attire looking to smoke in between meetings, retirees who are eager to exchange a few words, and many others. So if you fall under the group of people who would never go here, I implore you to rethink and visit it one day, it is an experience that you can't really get anywhere else in North America.

This pie is amazing