There are two of them. Big Abraxas and Little Abraxas. Big Abraxas is the original, a two story affair tucked away inside an alleyway just off a busy main drag in the center of the city. The mall that extends through the center of Amsterdam is at the other end of the alleyway making the big shop easy to access. Go in thru the wide double doors and youll see the sales cubicle straight ahead. Some of the city’s best hash can be found on Abraxas’ simple menu. Go for the Special Abraxas hash reasonably priced at about 8.50 euro. Its an uplifting sativa blend, thick and rich and long lasting. For the average smoker a solid 5 gram package is more than enough to take you through a day of getting high and walking around this amazing city.

And don’t forget the coffee and drink bar, just to the right of the dealers cube. Abraxas has delicious smoothies. Make sure to ask for a “little extra” in your smoothie and the attractive women behind the bar will be happy to mix it up for you. As far as attitude goes, the people at Big Abraxas are courteous, but busy. They don’t schmooze as much as the guys at the Rokerij. They don’t have time.

Upstairs, especially on the weekends, Big Abraxas is a mix of young people and older folks who like to end their Saturday night out with a smoke and a late coffee. Its perfect for hanging and meeting people or simply to relax before you head back to your hotel.

If conversation is key to your coffeeshop experience, then Little Abraxas on Spuistratt is ideal. Big enough for about four people to gather comfortably, the people behind the counter are more than ready to engage in conversation and are adept at anything from discussions of the current cultural carousels of politics and international affairs to arguments over which operating systems are slicker, Phillips or Microsoft. Since Little Abraxas is more euro-centric, expect the level of disagreement to rise over which international way of life has more to offer the world, America’s or the European Union’s. But the menu offers the same great hash and weed that Big Abraxas has on its menu. While you relax at the Little shop, watch for a sweet older woman dressed like a late model hippy who wanders in to chat with the people at the counter. she’ll score some bud for a joint, gab for a while, then exit.

Abraxas is one of the original Amsterdam coffeeshops. Not as world famous as the Grey Area or The Greenhouse or Dampkring, but certainly at the top of the mountain where an avalanche of great weed and hash awaits your slide. And dont forget to grab an original Abraxas ashtray, baseball cap, and other coffeeshop memorabilia at the Abraxas retail shop, right next to Big Abraxas. And although the Creme De Moroc is excellent hash at 13.oo Euro, the Abraxas Special is more than a bargain at 5 Euro less. And at the current 1.40 American to 1.00 Euro exchange rate, that 5 spot can make a big difference in your smoking budget.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 25th, 2007 at 9:16 am and is filed under Amsterdam & Beyond. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.