Carmona

Carmona has been a fixture in De Pijp since the 1990s, on a side street off the Albert Cuypmarkt and a few minutes from Sarphatipark and Oosterpark. It describes itself as a living room in the middle of the neighborhood, and the description holds: this is a local shop that keeps a low profile, not a destination.

The layout is one level, two rooms. The front handles the counter; the smoking lounge behind it is roomy enough for groups, with a game table and televisions. Limited seating outside on the street. The interior was renovated some years ago, replacing the Middle Eastern decor older reviews describe with something plainer and more modern. Free Wi-Fi and quiet corners make it a working shop as much as a smoking one — the room fills with people on laptops during the day.

No tobacco inside. The menu is broad: old-school Dutch strains, hybrids, imported hash, pre-rolls and edibles, with moonrocks turning up as a house specialty. All lab-tested. Fresh mint tea is a fixture.