Flinders

Groningen has two Flinders cafés. The first is in the Noorderplantsoen and opened up about a year ago. It’s in a beautiful location – right in the centre of the park – and it comes with a great terrace.

The second Flinders just opened and is located at the Schuitendiep in the city centre. You’re surrounded not by trees but by passing cars at this location, so for some peace and quiet, you should go somewhere else. But the food is very good (ample choice of excellent salads) and the decor is very modern. Flinders, Schuitendiep 54

Bij Britta

Brand new in town is Bij Britta in the Oude Kijk in ‘t Jatstraat. It’s a lovely place where you can drink all kinds of tea, get a coffee to go and even buy some vintage stuff. But the biggest reason to swing by between classes is the pie.

They’ve got different homemade varities every day: Missisippi mud pie, vegan chocolate pie with forest fruits, cheesecake, carrot cake or date pie – you name it, they’ve got it. The interior is modern but colourful at the same time with lots of old wood. Bij Britta, Oude Kijk in ‘t Jatstraat 27

Het Bakkerscafé

If you love bread, you should definitely go to the Bakkerscafé. They bake it fresh every day with a passion for pure and natural ingredients. They use forgotten grains like spelt, rye or oat, each bread with its own character.

You can try special flavours like spelt-apple, rye-fig or oat-pumpkin. The interior is modern, light and open. There’s even a special table where you can slice your own bread. Het Bakkerscafé, Zwanestraat 26

Courtney’s Kitchen

Americans love it and, as far as I’m concerned, the Dutch should ditch the stroopwafels and take up cupcakes as a new favourite treat. Stroopwafels are just plain old stroopwafels, but cupcakes are something special. Want to try some for yourself? Go to Courtney’s Kitchen where you can taste dozens of sorts cupcakes with different frostings and fillings.

Courtney is from Boston and wanted to give the Dutch a taste of the real thing. The desserts are handcrafted, using only premium ingredients like Callebaut chocolate and Madagascar bourbon vanilla. The shop smells delicious and looks lovely. Courtney’s Kitchen, Nieuwe Ebbingestraat 47

Goud Heerlijk

For great coffee, free wifi and honest food, go to Goudheerlijk. It’s a café slash shop where you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner, and everything is available for take-away. The interior is a combination of vintage and modern  with a touch of industrial. It feels like an international and urban environment, but the real beauty of it is that owner Tim Craig only serves pure and local food. He’s got a name for it: ‘glocal,’ where global meets local.

Study with a cup of coffee and take a homemade pasta sauce or soup home when you leave – you can even buy tableware. Goud Heerlijk, Nieuwe Ebbingestraat 22

Barrel Wijn

A new, one-of-a-kind place that we were missing in Groningen is wine bar Barrel Wijn. It’s a place where you feel at home at soon as you walk in the door. Beautiful Persian rugs, an exposed stone wall, elegant vintage chairs mixed with large wooden tables and cosy lights. Don’t go if you’re hungry, but do go if you’re in the mood for a good glass of wine.

Better yet, go for a tasting: there’s wine from over fifteen countries to try with no ‘headache’ wines in sight. There are several wines open at the bar and you can also order small bites of cheese and meat to accompany the drinks. It’s the best place to take a date! Barrel Wijn, Haddingestraat 27