In de Waag, Amsterdam A Pint Of Ale Pub Review
An old gatehouse built in 1488, the Waag has served many purposes and has been at the centre of Amsterdam history. Now it’s a pub, and an interesting one at that!
Built in 1488, this ornate building was originally a gate into Amsterdam. In the centuries that followed, it was a weigh house, guild house, factory, fire station, history museum and a Jewish museum. Now it’s a bar and restaurant.
The most striking thing about Waag is the lighting. The huge room is lit by candles held on huge candelabras hanging on chains from the ceiling.
It was our last day in Amsterdam when we came to Waag for a drink. We were sad to be leaving this excellent city. We sat and gazed at the candles, the grand curtains beside the bar and the flat screen TV screens playing a DVD of a roaring fire (!). The candles were beginning to burn low, so each candelabra was lowered and each of the 50 or so candles was changed and re-lit before being hoisted back up into the space above our heads, wobbling alarmingly.
There’s not much else to say. The place was ‘nice’ but lacked a certain atmosphere. I think the space is to big for that. The beers were the standard lacklustre offerings that we’d been getting used to. It’s worth a visit though, it’s a special place to look at if not drink in.
