Cafeography
Netherlands

Cafés in Groningen a bakkie on the Vismarkt

Terraces on the Grote Markt and the Vismarkt, koffiebars on the student streets and brown cafés in the shadow of the Martinitoren.

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Photo: Ferdi Tuinman, Pexels License

85Cafés listed
0Open by 6am
5Open past 10pm
7Specialty & roasters

Groningen is a university town before anything else. The University of Groningen dates from 1614, and students make up an estimated quarter of the city's population.1 Black & Bloom, on Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat near the university, has roasted and brewed specialty coffee since summer 2012, and in 2016 it was ranked first in the Koffie Top 100 of Misset Horeca, a Dutch hospitality trade magazine.2

On the squares, stadscafés (city cafés) serve coffee in the morning and beer at night. Pronk, on the Vismarkt, opens at 10:00 on Fridays and Saturdays and keeps going until 23:00, with jenever (Dutch gin) on the same menu as the espresso.34 Next door, the Grote Markt was burned out in the fighting of April 1945; its latest redesign opened on 1 June 2024, free of cars and bicycle parking, with trees and water features in the middle.56

Then there is the bruin café (brown café), the Dutch pub with a wooden interior, rugs on the tables and knick-knacks on the shelves.7 Café Salud, at Carolieweg 31 just south of the Grote Markt, is one of them.

Inside the Diepenring

Groningen by area

Seven in ten cafés sit inside the Diepenring, the ring of canals around the old town. In 1977 a traffic plan split the center into four sectors that cars could not cross, and car traffic inside fell by 44 percent.16 About 57 percent of residents now cycle to work or study within the city.1

Binnenstad-Noord

The university quarter: Oude Kijk in 't Jatstraat, Oude Ebbingestraat, Oude Boteringestraat and the Prinsentuin.

17 cafés

Vismarkt & Folkingestraat

The Vismarkt and its market, the Korenbeurs, the Folkingestraat and the waterside cafés of the Hoge der A.

18 cafés

Grote Markt & Oosterstraat

The Martinitoren and the rebuilt Grote Markt, Poelestraat after dark, and the shopping lanes south to the Zuiderdiep.

25 cafés
Or start with what you need

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Terrassen

Terraces

Tables on the Grote Markt, the Vismarkt, the A canal and park pavilions.

24 cafés
Vegan & vegetarisch

Vegan & vegetarian

Vegan pastries, tempeh plates and plant milks near the Vismarkt and Waagplein.

5 cafés
Bubbelthee

Bubble tea

Milk tea and tapioca pearls on the Vismarkt, Folkingestraat and Oosterstraat.

5 cafés

New in Groningen

Recently opened and recently added

Oud-Zuid & Helpman 5 cafés

Binnenstad-Noord 17 cafés

More about cafés in Binnenstad-Noord

Kattencafé OP Z'N KOP

  • Oude Ebbingestraat 57
  • Mon 11:00–19:00 · Tue–Wed 10:00–19:00 · Thu–Sat 10:00–20:30 · Sun 11:00–19:00
  • +31 50 211 1963
  • Wi-Fi
  • Bakery café
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A-Café

  • Broerstraat 5
  • Mon–Thu 08:30–17:00 · Fri 08:30–15:00
  • Takeaway
  • Wheelchair access
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Vismarkt & Folkingestraat 18 cafés

More about cafés in Vismarkt & Folkingestraat

Pronk

  • Vismarkt 56
  • Mon 11:00–22:00 · Tue–Thu 10:30–22:00 · Fri–Sat 10:00–23:00 · Sun 11:00–22:00
  • Partial wheelchair access
  • Open late
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Grote Markt & Oosterstraat 25 cafés

More about cafés in Grote Markt & Oosterstraat

Café Salud

  • Carolieweg 31
  • Mon Closed · Tue–Thu 15:00–23:00 · Fri 15:00–00:00 · Sat 14:00–00:00 · Sun 15:00–19:00
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Wadapartja

  • Gedempte Zuiderdiep 39-41
  • Mon 11:00–18:00 · Tue–Wed 09:00–18:00 · Thu–Fri 09:00–22:00 · Sat 10:00–22:00 · Sun 12:00–20:00
  • +31 6 39034837
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Zernike, Paddepoel & Selwerd 6 cafés

Noorderplantsoen & Hortusbuurt 4 cafés

Korrewegwijk & De Hoogte 6 cafés

Schildersbuurt & Oud-West 4 cafés

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Coffee chains in Groningen

Branches by area

Before you sit down

How coffee works in Groningen

Start with the word to avoid. In the Netherlands a coffeeshop is a licensed outlet where cannabis is sold and alcohol is not, so look for a koffiebar (coffee bar), a koffiehuis (coffee house) or simply a café.8 Coffee usually arrives with a single biscuit on the side; most Dutch people consider serving it without one "not done".910

Koffie verkeerd ("wrong coffee") is at least half warm milk, named for breaking the old rule that coffee takes no more than a splash.11 At Pronk it cost €3.90 in 2026, the same as a cappuccino.4 A bakkie is a cup of coffee, and "zullen we een bakkie doen?" means "shall we grab a coffee?". The Dutch coffee break comes around 10:00 and again at 15:00.9

Groninger koek, the local spiced cake, is eaten with coffee or tea.12 At Pronk a slice of appeltaart (apple pie) cost €5.90 in 2026, plus €0.60 for slagroom (whipped cream).4

Tipping is voluntary. For a single coffee, rounding up is enough; a hospitality adviser quoted by Kassa in May 2025 suggested turning €3.30 into €3.50, and 5–10% on larger bills. If you pay by card, tell the staff the total you want to pay, tip included.13 Groups should not count on split bills: Pronk takes a single payment from tables of four or more.4

What coffee costs in Groningen

DrinkTypical price
Koffie
Cup of coffee at a stadscafé		€3.50
Pronk, Vismarkt, winter 2026 menu
Espresso
Espresso		€3.20–3.60
Het Concerthuis and Pronk (2026), Revista (2025)
Cappuccino
Cappuccino		€3.90–4.00
Pronk and Het Concerthuis, 2026
Flat white
Flat white at a specialty bar		€4.20
Revista, Carolieweg, June 2025
Appeltaart
Apple pie (whipped cream €0.60 extra)		€5.90
Pronk, 2026

Menu prices. Pronk's are from its winter 2026 menu, Het Concerthuis's from the coffee menu it posted in April 2026, and Revista's from a review published in June 2025.41415

Sources

  1. Groningen, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Dutch Coffee Outside The Randstad At Black & Bloom In Groningen, Sprudge (October 23, 2018), accessed October 2026
  3. Pronk Stads- & Terrascafé, Pronk, accessed October 2026
  4. Menukaart winter 2026, Pronk Stads- & Terrascafé, accessed October 2026
  5. Grote Markt (Groningen), Wikipedia (Dutch), accessed October 2026
  6. Opening of the Grote Markt in Groningen, the Netherlands, Vogt Landscape Architects (2024), accessed October 2026
  7. Bruine kroegen, I amsterdam (updated August 14, 2025), accessed October 2026
  8. Toleration policy regarding soft drugs and coffee shops, Government of the Netherlands, accessed October 2026
  9. "Bakkie doen?" What a cup of coffee says about Dutch culture, IamExpat (August 25, 2025), accessed October 2026
  10. Koffie Verkeerd, The Dutch Table (November 2014), accessed October 2026
  11. Koffie verkeerd, Wikipedia (Dutch), accessed October 2026
  12. 11 Dutch foods you should try during your stay in the Netherlands, University of Groningen student blog (February 21, 2024), accessed October 2026
  13. Wie krijgt fooi en wat is een redelijk bedrag om te geven? Zo zijn de ongeschreven regels, Kassa, BNNVARA (May 14, 2025), accessed October 2026
  14. Koffie & thee (menu), Het Concerthuis (posted April 2026), accessed October 2026
  15. Revista: Specialty Coffee and Print Culture in Groningen, The Coffee Vine (June 2, 2025), accessed October 2026
  16. Groningen (traffic circulation plan), From Woonerf to Residential Area, Royal Institute of Engineers, via TRID (1982), accessed October 2026
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FAQ

Cafés in Groningen: common questions

What is the difference between a coffeeshop and a café in Groningen?

In Groningen, as everywhere in the Netherlands, a coffeeshop is a licensed outlet that sells cannabis and may not sell alcohol. It is not the place for an espresso. For coffee, look for a koffiebar, a koffiehuis or a café, or one of the stadscafés on the squares, which serve coffee in the morning and beer at night.

How much does a coffee cost in Groningen?

In 2026 a cup of coffee cost €3.50 at Pronk on the Vismarkt, where a cappuccino or a koffie verkeerd was €3.90 and a slice of appeltaart €5.90. Het Concerthuis charged €3.20 for an espresso and €4.00 for a cappuccino. At the specialty bar Revista on Carolieweg, a flat white cost €4.20 in June 2025.

Which area of Groningen has the most cafés?

Grote Markt & Oosterstraat and Vismarkt & Folkingestraat have the most cafés, followed by Binnenstad-Noord. All three are inside the Diepenring and meet at the Grote Markt; outside the canal ring, the residential districts have only a handful of cafés each.

Do you tip in Groningen cafés?

Tipping in Groningen cafés is voluntary. For a single coffee, rounding up is normal, for example from €3.30 to €3.50, and 5 to 10 percent is the usual guide on a larger bill. If you pay by card, tell the staff the total you want to pay, tip included. Some cafés, such as Pronk, take one payment from groups of four or more.

What is koffie verkeerd in Groningen cafés?

Koffie verkeerd, literally "wrong coffee", is the Dutch milky coffee: at least half warm milk, at most half coffee. The name comes from the old rule that coffee gets only a splash of milk. At Pronk on the Vismarkt in Groningen it cost €3.90 in 2026, the same as a cappuccino.

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