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Bananenbar Review

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Bananenbar

Address: Oudezijds Achterburgwal 137, Centrum, Amsterdam | Map It

Banana Bar

Category: Restaurants
Location: Old City Center

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Fodor's Review:

Since the 1970s, this super-sleazy bar has featured naked barmaids doing "now you see it, now you don't" tricks that involve fruit—this show is not for the faint of heart, nor is it something that merits landmark status. It is however, a red light institution. In the 1980s, the owner pulled a little tax dodge that was almost as sleazy as the floor show. He tried to avoid overdue taxes and a lapsed drinking license by registering as a religion—the Church of Satan. By 1988 the Banana Bar was claiming a flock of 40,000, which motivated the taxman to finally clamp down. Before legal action could be taken, the "church" disbanded and the bar returned to its secular, albeit sordid, roots.

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