Sensemillia

Sensemillia has been trading since 1981, which makes the Osdorp branch one of the older shops in the city and, as the owners point out, the first coffeeshop you reach coming in from Schiphol.

The setting is the reason to come. The shop sits directly on the Sloterplas, Amsterdam's largest lake, with an outdoor smoking terrace overlooking the water — visitors who've worked through the center routinely call it the best physical setting of any coffeeshop in the city, and in summer it isn't close. It shares a building with a bar and restaurants; the coffeeshop entrance is the grey door on the left, which is worth knowing before you circle the block.

Inside it's large — one of the biggest rooms in Amsterdam — modern, well ventilated, with self-service drinks machines. The menu is wide, prices are local rather than central, five-gram deals bring them down further, and the pre-rolls get specific praise as a decent starting point for beginners. It's the only coffeeshop in this part of the city, so the room is overwhelmingly Dutch and local.