Cafeography
Vegan & vegetarisch · Groningen

Vegan & vegetarian cafés in Groningen

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

Photo: Nourishment DECODED, Pexels License

Vegetarisch (vegetarian), veganistisch (vegan) and plantaardig (plant-based) are the words to look for on a Groningen menu. Nationally, the shift is more about cutting back than giving up. In 2023 a quarter of all main meals eaten in the Netherlands were vegetarian, yet only 5% of people ate no meat at all, and 0.5% were vegan.1

Groningen leans young. The city has about 205,000 residents, some 60,000 of them students, and an average age of 36, the lowest of any Dutch city.2 The national figures point the same way: people aged 25 to 35 eat vegetarian more often than other age groups, with 32% doing so always or at least three times a week.1

Local tip: At Toet, ask for the vegan batter when you order pancakes, and book ahead if you want the vegan high tea.6

Where these cafés are: Vismarkt & Folkingestraat (2), Grote Markt & Oosterstraat (1), Binnenstad-Noord (1), Zernike, Paddepoel & Selwerd (1).

At a glance

5Cafés listed
4With opening hours
08:00Earliest opening
01:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Café De Sigaar, from 08:00 (Mon–Wed 08:00–22:00 · Thu–Fri 08:00–00:00 · Sat 09:00–00:00 · Sun 09:00–22:00).
  • Closes latest: News Cafe, until 01:00 (Mon–Wed 10:00–00:00 · Thu–Sat 10:00–01:00 · Sun 10:00–00:00).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (80%), open late (40%), indoor seating (40%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Groningen.

What the numbers say about Dutch plates

CBS, the national statistics office, splits the 5% who skip meat into vegetarians (2.3%, no meat or fish), pescatarians (2.1%, fish but no meat) and vegans (0.5%).1 It counts another 22% as flexitarians, who eat meat but go vegetarian at least three days a week.1

Education is a strong marker. Among people 25 and older with a university master's degree or doctorate, 45% eat vegetarian always or at least three times a week.1 Women are more likely than men to be vegetarian, pescatarian or flexitarian, at 31% against 23%, and climate and the environment were the reasons given most often in 2023 for eating less meat.1

Vegetarian by default at the University of Groningen

The University of Groningen made vegetarian catering the standard for its meetings, conferences and events after an October 2023 decision by its executive board, with other options available on request.3

Its food policy goes further. It aims for 60–95% of what its canteens and caterers offer to be vegetarian or plant-based, depending on the location, and 95% of the meat it does buy to carry three stars under the Beter Leven animal-welfare label.4 The coffee the university serves is organic and fair trade, and roasted in Groningen.4

Where to find vegan and vegetarian options

In Vismarkt & Folkingestraat, look for Toet and Café De Sigaar; other vegan-friendly cafés are spread over Grote Markt & Oosterstraat, Binnenstad-Noord and Zernike, Paddepoel & Selwerd. Toet, at Gedempte Zuiderdiep 85, is a bakery café open daily 10:00–17:00 with a separate vegan menu, vegan brownies and pies, plant milks and plant-based whipped cream.6 Most of its menu is gluten-free, the scones excepted.6

News Cafe, on the Waagplein at number 5, marks its vegan dishes clearly, with tempeh as the main protein; reviewers recommend the avocado burger and the tempeh saté.5 It serves from breakfast to dinner, opening at 10:00 and closing at midnight, or at 01:00 from Thursday to Saturday.5

Café De Sigaar at Hoge der A 2 opens at 08:00 from Monday to Friday and 09:00 at weekends, and closes at 22:00 or midnight.7 MASMAS, a bakery café, is in Binnenstad-Noord, and Al Baraka, in the Zernike, Paddepoel & Selwerd area, does takeaway and opens Tuesday to Sunday.

Sources

  1. Nederlanders kiezen bij een kwart van de hoofdmaaltijden voor vegetarisch, CBS (Statistics Netherlands), accessed October 2026
  2. The city of Groningen, Groningen.nl, accessed October 2026
  3. Catering policy, University of Groningen, accessed October 2026
  4. Food (sustainability policy), University of Groningen, accessed October 2026
  5. News Cafe, Spinach, accessed October 2026
  6. Toet, Spinach, accessed October 2026
  7. De Sigaar, Discover Groningen, accessed October 2026
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FAQ

Vegan & vegetarian in Groningen: questions

How common are vegetarian and vegan diets in the Netherlands and Groningen?

In 2023 a quarter of main meals in the Netherlands were vegetarian, but only 5% of people ate no meat at all: 2.3% vegetarians, 2.1% pescatarians and 0.5% vegans. Another 22% were flexitarians. Groningen has the lowest average age of any Dutch city, 36, and nationally people aged 25 to 35 eat vegetarian most often.

Where can you get vegan cake and pastries in Groningen?

Toet, a bakery café at Gedempte Zuiderdiep 85, opens daily 10:00–17:00 and has a separate vegan menu with vegan brownies and pies, plant milks and plant-based whipped cream. Most of its menu is gluten-free apart from the scones. Vegan pancakes need the vegan batter requested when you order, and a vegan high tea can be booked ahead.

Is vegetarian food the default at the University of Groningen?

For meetings, conferences and events, yes. The University of Groningen made vegetarian catering the standard after an October 2023 executive board decision, with other options on request. Its food policy also aims for 60–95% of what its canteens and caterers offer to be vegetarian or plant-based, depending on the location.

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