Just outside the Diepenring, in a strange part of the city center, is restaurant Dokjard. "We are just in that annoying rotten bend near the park," says Jard van Dalen, owner of Dokjard. 'The choice for this location was a very conscious one, she says. 'Because you are outside the center, you only get the guests who come here in a very targeted manner. And that is the audience we want in the business.'

More than a cafe
“Dokjard is a lot,” says Jard. 'It's a restaurant where we also happen to brew beer.' For the owner, the business has become exactly as she always envisioned it. 'What I missed in Groningen was a place where you can eat very well, but where you can also walk in in your clothes if you feel like it. And where you can also go for a 5-course meal if you happen to feel like it, but above the cafe level.'

No frills
Dokjard distinguishes itself from an average cafe by doing things slightly differently. 'You don't get all the bowls of extras here, but what is on your plate is a complete dish. It must be something that you cannot easily make at home, but for which you do not immediately pay top price. We're not into fritters on a plate with a thousand preparations either.'
Jard continues: 'We have of course grown in the meantime and we continue to develop ourselves, but there is also a plate of spare ribs on the menu here. And those spare ribs have been on the menu for a long time, people still come back for them. You can also eat à la carte or a multi-course menu with matching wines or beers.'
vegetarian
Two dishes on the menu are changed every week. 'That way there is always something new and we can experiment a bit ourselves. What strikes me is that quite a lot of vegetarian food is eaten. We deliberately do not indicate that a dish is vegetarian, and you will notice that.'




Own beer
What is special about Dokjard is that they brew their own beer there. “It came about out of pure interest,” Jard adds. 'I wanted to be distinctive in that respect. Not being a brewery where you can have a small snack, but really doing beer pairing with the food. We don't make our beer in a very traditional way, but we really try things out. A bit of trial and error. All our brewed beer is on tap in the store. Then you should think of blond beer, IPA, bock beer, and we really experiment with flavors. We think that's really crazy. In the coming years we want to focus on perfecting beer brewing.'

Dokjard is open Monday to Saturday for drinks and dinner. For more information, go to Dokjard.nl