As The Cuckoo’s Nest is a regular café/bar which happens to have a darkroom, there’s no entrance fee. As we do need to make money to stay in business and keep the bar and darkroom clean and in working order, we expect our guests to buy one drink per person every time they enter the premises.

Opened in 1984 and overseen since 1985 by Cain ‘Cal’ Berlinger and partner Gail Laarhuis during the golden age of leather, the Cuckoo’s Nest now attracts a more casual manliness, though one expressed readily in the basement darkroom.  This neighborhood bar is located between NZ Voorburgwal and the Nieuwendijk, just near the Web and just minutes from the Warmoesstraat.

The well-equipped subterranean play space apparently ranks among the continent’s largest, with the bar’s website providing a map of its labyrinthine layout. The darkroom is rather dimly lit and can get quite busy, making it attract pickpockets all the time. Leave valuables therefore in one of the items you check with the coat check, but keep some money on you, just in case you want to buy a drink.