Take a step into coffeeshop history at The First, the place where it all started for Henk de Vries and The Bulldog in 1975. Behind these brightly painted walls, you are greeted by the coziness of the Living Room of Amsterdam in the first ever coffeeshop. Come and relax at our bar with the iconic dog head or on our comfy cow-leather seats.
Be sure to take a look around, as there’s always something to see here, from pictures of celebrity visitors to small messages left behind by guests on banknotes through the years. And of course there are plenty of throwbacks to The First’s exciting history at the frontline in the battle of the toleration of weed.
You can still see some of the many hiding places for cannabis they used, as well as the famous orange that was dropped during a raid to alert the people in the cellar below. The hefty fines on the wall are a reminder just how far we’ve come.
The First is not only a must-see location during your visit to Amsterdam, but also the perfect place to escape the noise of the city.
The building at number 90 used to be a sex-shop before it was completely transformed by Henk. Now it’s a comfortable living room where everyone can feel at home.
Our staff has years of coffeeshop experience to help you out with quality products. And they are always there for a chat and a laugh, free of charge. So settle down, make yourself at home and enjoy the amazing atmosphere.
The First is the world’s first coffeeshop. In fact, The Bulldog founder Henk de Vries coined the name ‘coffeeshop’ and set the trend for these unique locations where all kinds of people could come to relax and have a good time.
In 1975 Henk de Vries decided to establish coffeeshop The First. He saw the people around him losing themselves to hard drugs and he wanted to offer them a safe environment where people could get away from the harsh streets and instead relax and have fun together. The Living Room of Amsterdam was born.
Coffeeshop The First is located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Red Light District. You can’t miss it on the Oudezijds Voorburgwal 90, with its brightly painted walls. It looks out on one of the beautiful Amsterdam canals and right next to it sits one of our brand stores, where you can buy your The Bulldog clothes, collectables and 420 gear.
What better way to strengthen The Bulldog™ experience than having a private label for smoker products? Exactly! Not long after shocking the world with something that has now become quite normal, the growth was ensured by producing smoker products
