Cafeography
Terrassen · Groningen

Terraces cafés in Groningen

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

Photo: Haberdoedas Photography, Pexels License

A terras (terrace) is the block of tables a Dutch café sets out on a pavement, a square or a quay, and in Groningen the season for one is short. At Groningen Airport Eelde, the weather station south of the city, the mean daily high is 14.2 °C in April, 17.6 °C in May and 22.7 °C in July, on 1991–2020 normals.1

May is the sunniest month there, with about 218 hours of sunshine, against roughly 56 in December and 1,683 over a whole year.1 Rain is spread across the calendar: about 805 mm falls on some 136 days, and July is the wettest month on average.1 Wind counts as much as cloud. KNMI figures give Groningen an average wind speed of 15.1 km/h and about nine days of strong gusts a year.2

Local tip: Choose by the clock on a sunny day: Het Pomphuis on Kleine der A has sun from about 11:00, and Café De Sigaar on Hoge der A keeps it until about 19:30.5

Where these cafés are: Grote Markt & Oosterstraat (9), Vismarkt & Folkingestraat (7), Oud-Zuid & Helpman (3), Zernike, Paddepoel & Selwerd (3), Korrewegwijk & De Hoogte (1), Binnenstad-Noord (1).

At a glance

24Cafés listed
14With opening hours
07:30Earliest opening
01:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Revista, from 07:30 (Wed–Fri 07:30–17:00 · Sat 09:00–17:00 · Sun 12:00–17:00).
  • 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: indoor seating (38%), vegetarian options (17%), partial wheelchair access (17%).
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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Grote Markt & Oosterstraat

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

Bakkerij Toos

  • Reitdiephaven 251
  • Mon–Fri 08:00–17:30 · Sat 08:00–16:00
  • +31 50 556 6333
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Grote Markt, Waagplein and Poeleplein

Grote Markt & Oosterstraat has the most terraces, just ahead of Vismarkt & Folkingestraat, and the two areas together hold about two in three. The Grote Markt's north and east sides burned almost entirely in the fighting of 13–16 April 1945.4 After a redesign adopted in December 2021, the square reopened on 1 June 2024 with a mixed zone of terraces, kiosks, trees and a water feature.4

Hooghoudt has its tables at Grote Markt 42, on the south side, which Visit Groningen describes as the sunny one.6 News Cafe is on the Waagplein at number 5, a few steps from the Goudkantoor, a building from 1635.6 North of the square, Het Concerthuis at Poelestraat 30 faces the Poeleplein, which turns into one large terrace in summer as neighboring cafés set out tables.6

Stadtlander, at Poelestraat 35, is on the same stretch, and Favolosa has outdoor seating at Herestraat 7. For an early start, Revista at Carolieweg 11 opens at 07:30 from Wednesday to Friday.

The rules for a Grote Markt terrace

The city's general terrace rules have applied since 1 January 2021, and the Grote Markt got its own supplement in December 2022 to fit the new square.3 It separates gevelterrassen (façade terraces) against the buildings from eilandterrassen (island terraces) on the square side of a walking zone that keeps the edges open to everyone.3 Lounge benches are banned, standing tables are allowed only on façade terraces, and glass screens may be no higher than 1.50 m.3

On the south side, long stone benches face two ways: the side toward the open square is public, the other belongs to the terraces, and parasols are kept off that line except at one terrace on the south-east corner.3 Furniture has to come off the street when a café closes for the day.3 Heaters and pellet stoves are still allowed, though the rules record the council's plan to ban terrace heaters across the municipality as part of its aim to make Groningen CO2-neutral.3

Vismarkt, the A and Gedempte Zuiderdiep

The Vismarkt, a long rectangular square closed at its west end by the Korenbeurs, has carried its name since the early 15th century.8 Huis De Beurs stands on its corner with the Folkingestraat.8 Under the 2026 market rules, stalls fill the Vismarkt and the Akerkhof on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from 09:00 to 17:00.7

Two terraces sit on the A canal. Het Pomphuis, a former pumping station at Kleine der A 7, gets sun from about 11:00 until sunset, and Café De Sigaar at Hoge der A 2 looks over the canal and its warehouses, with sun from about 12:00 to 19:30.5

On the Gedempte Zuiderdiep, the side facing the city center is in the sun all day.5 Cafe de Luna at number 69, Toet at 85 (daily 10:00–17:00) and Wadapartja at 39–41 all have outdoor seating, and Wadapartja stays open until 22:00 from Thursday to Saturday.

Pavilions and neighborhood terraces

Paviljoen Sterrebos stands in a green area south of the center at Helperzoom 3b and gets sun almost all day.5 It opens Monday to Friday, 10:00–17:00. Also in Oud-Zuid and Helpman, Dagcafé Oude RKZ is at Emmastraat 15, and Deelcafé Het Buurtstation at Westinghousestraat 13 opens Tuesday to Saturday, 09:30–18:00.

In the north of the city, Bakkerij Toos at Reitdiephaven 251 opens at 08:00 on weekdays, Fernweh on Wouter van Doeverenplein serves daily from 09:00 to 17:00, and Al Baraka stays open until 21:00 on Friday and Saturday. Equator keeps weekday hours only, 09:00–14:00.

Sources

  1. Groningen: Climate (Groningen Airport Eelde, 1991–2020 normals), Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Average Wind Speeds in the Netherlands (KNMI data, 1991–2020), Current Results, accessed October 2026
  3. Terrasregels Grote Markt (December 2022), Gemeente Groningen, accessed October 2026
  4. Grote Markt (Groningen), Wikipedia (Dutch), accessed October 2026
  5. These are the sunniest terraces in Groningen, Discover Groningen, accessed October 2026
  6. Terraces in Groningen, Visit Groningen, accessed October 2026
  7. Marktreglement Groningen 2026, Gemeente Groningen (lokaleregelgeving.overheid.nl), accessed October 2026
  8. Vismarkt (Groningen), Wikipedia (Dutch), accessed October 2026
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FAQ

Terraces in Groningen: questions

When is the best terrace weather in Groningen?

Late spring and summer. At Groningen Airport Eelde the mean daily high is 17.6 °C in May and 22.7 °C in July (1991–2020 normals), and May is the sunniest month, with about 218 hours of sunshine. July is also the wettest month on average, and Groningen has about nine days of strong gusts a year, with an average wind speed of 15.1 km/h.

What are the terrace rules on the Grote Markt in Groningen?

Since December 2022 the Grote Markt has its own supplement to the city's 2021 terrace rules. Façade terraces stand against the buildings and island terraces sit on the square side of a public walking zone. Lounge benches are banned, glass screens may be at most 1.50 m high, furniture comes in at daily closing, and heaters are still allowed, though the council plans to ban them.

Which canal-side terraces in Groningen get afternoon sun?

Het Pomphuis, a former pumping station at Kleine der A 7, has sun from about 11:00 until sunset. Café De Sigaar at Hoge der A 2 looks over the canal and its warehouses and gets sun from about 12:00 to 19:30. On the Gedempte Zuiderdiep, the side facing the city center is in the sun all day.

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