Door Sofia Llàcer Caro
By Sofia Llàcer Caro
You’ve just arrived in Groningen and have no idea yet where to buy food on a student budget? UKrant has you covered! These are the best places to do your grocery shopping.
Open-air markets
Groningen has many open-air markets, including in some neighbourhoods. The most important is the one at the Vismarkt, though. It’s open on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It has a great atmosphere and high-quality products like fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, cheese and nuts. Prices are student-friendly and – pro tip – if you go at the end of the day, vendors often lower them even further, up to half of the original price.
International supermarkets
If you are an international student or a Dutch student looking forward to trying new things, there are plenty of supermarkets in the city geared towards Arab, Asian or even Polish food. For Arab food, try Nazar (Boterdiep 49), Al Nour (Selwerd shopping centre) and Le Souk (Folkingestraat 21). The latter sells home-made traditional North-African snacks at the counter. And another budget-friendly tip: if you go there on Monday, the fruits and vegetables are half price.
Amazing Oriental (Korreweg 51) sells pan-Asian products, anything from Indian naan breads to Korean kimchi. Looking for Eastern European groceries? Try Polski Smak (Nieuwe Ebbingestraat 84) or Vjatka (Nieuweweg 19).
Chain supermarkets
For all of your everyday needs, go to one of the big supermarket chains. The most budget-friendly ones are Lidl and Aldi. There is a Lidl in the Selwerd shopping centre on the route to Zernike, so if you have classes there, you can shop for groceries on your way home.
Albert Heijn and Jumbo stores can be found throughout the city. There’s an Albert Heijn on the Zernike campus, but it tends to be more expensive than regular ones. Get a bonus card in-store for weekly savings. Jumbo has good breakfast deals: you can buy four rolls or croissants for one euro.
There are fewer Plus stores, but many of them are located near student haunts: there’s one near the SSH Winschoterdiep building, for instance, on Meeuwerderweg. For a Coop, go to Paterswoldseweg.