Five cozy café places in Groningen
As autumn passes, every week seems to be a weather mystery. Bit by bit, the cold overcomes us. Soon-to-be face chilling bicycle rides leave us freezing, detached and craving for someplace warm to curl up in. Groningen has a few spots that might be exactly what you need!
1. Lui Huiskamercafé
Upon entering this already inviting location, you’ll be immediately greeted by a cohort of soothing colors, a mossy wall, and hand-made looking sitting areas. As if every table was its own little living room – Lui café is designed for you to sink in and melt out of your cold autumn apparel. The plant decorations will let you feel like you’ve just entered a whole new biome, far away from the cold city streets.
The food here fits the same exact character. With coffee, iced teas, smoothies, and excellent cakes and sandwiches, Lui café sets the bar even higher by fitting in vegetarian and vegan options. If you’re entering Lui café, make sure that you have a lot of free time because you won’t want to leave once you’re there!
2. Food Matterz café
There is no way you’ve passed this designer looking yogurt and coffee place without giving it a second look over. Everything about this café screams “inspired”. With slogans and motivational quotes lining the walls both inside and outside the shop, Food Matterz welcomes and warms both your heart and body.
The dining tables look out of large and clear windows onto the canal rounding the city center, while the sitting area remains quiet and detached from the bar, leaving your conversations private and your time relaxed and cozy.
Food does really matter in Food Matterz. While they are a mainly yogurt place, the toppings and selections you can make leave you unable to take just one. Apart from that, there is also a huge selection of drinks, snacks, and breakfast goodies to start your day off with an extra hug for your taste buds.
3. Cat café – kattencafé
This one is a fan favorite. Perhaps the best form of relaxation during the cold months – the cat café is a mix of cozy hot drinks and our favorite furry feline friends. Upon entering you’ll find 10 cats that are there just for you: a loving relationship that you can cultivate on each visit. The cats are undoubtedly the real stars of the show. Each has its own little personality which you can read about on their website. Or, you can just go see them for yourself!
If you don’t feel like cooking or just want to spend an evening with the cats, be sure to book a table in advance. Once the cats are ready for you, order one of their high teas or coffees and savor the assortment of cakes and sandwiches. If you’re really feeling stressed, the cat café also provides yoga classes. They themselves said it best – “Yoga in the gym or yoga studio can sometimes be a bit serious.. Cats & Yoga is easily accessible, and the presence of the cats provides extra relaxation.”
4. Grand café Time Out
For a more native-centric place, Time Out is a lively traditional Dutch café in the very center of Groningen. Whether you’d like to have a coffee or a beer, they offer an assortment of national brands and cuisines. No cafe is complete with its own added form of entertainment, and Time Out has a collection of board games you can choose from that will make your stay pass without the stress of maintaining constant conversations.
On all accounts – a great place to get used to that cold, northern diet where meals are served hot and filling enough so that your body continues to warm up even long after. There really is something for everyone, and the atmosphere itself is warm and not intense on the eyes. Whether you’re up for something more traditional, want to warm up with a delicious meal or snack, or just wish for a cozy place to do some people watching, this is a wonderful option.
5. Your own home
Trust me – we’re all soaring the streets for a good piece of cake and the occasional ready-cooked meal on those cold autumn days. It’s great relaxing somewhere where you have no other responsibilities – just staying cozy and keeping warm. But sometimes to keep yourself relaxed, it’s best to just feel that extra sense of security in your own room, with a hot drink and a thick wallet. Home may be the best café there is. One where you can bring all your friends free of charge, bake your own cakes and experience your own brand of comfort!
It doesn’t always have to be well prepared. If the weather really brings you down, sometimes being alone is the only way you can recharge and remember what really helps you forget your troubles. Stay in, wrap yourself in a blanket and enjoy a good tv-series or two. The world is full of places to go to. It can all get a little overbearing at times, and following trends is a cycle that’s sometimes hard to get out of. There’s no place like home, after all.
Written by Jānis Lazda – PR & Graphics committee