Route 99 Coffeeshop

Down a narrow alleyway is one of the more friendly coffee-shops of Amsterdam. Route 99 consists of a durable glass door frontage with the main counter in the basement and the seating and smoking areas on the first floor. Taking the stairs downward there is a long room witha low ceiling and a bar on the left hand side. The bar persons all seem to be a little grumpy, not particularly happy to serve anyone and (don not ask for the hot chocolate) at times, slower than a sloth. The toilets are at the very back of this floor asking for a key but almost always open for use by customers. The first floor smoking area consists of a variety of chairs with some high stools, some booths and a heavy, well polished table in the centre, there is also a communal table at the back suitable for a big group. The walls are decorated with clever Muriel’s of aliens, dead famous folk and strange landscapes, lit up by small Christmas lights and pictures of other planets on the ceiling. In the corners are small TVs and the computers at the back for the Internet are old and have stopped functioning.

Overall we found Route 99 to be one of the lighter more relaxed places to spend an afternoon, there is no sense of paranoia or particular unfriendliness despite being an Alley-coffee shop but the goods at the bar are better bought elsewhere and the drinks are nothing special either - 7/10