A highly regarded Groningen tasting-menu restaurant offering creative surprise menus and unusually strong value, though weekend shifts can make the meal feel rushed and reservations are important.
The Better Times delivers strong food quality anchored by inventive surprise menus and exceptional service knowledge that guides diners through each course with genuine expertise. Attentive hospitality and reliable execution across repeat visits form the foundation of its appeal, though occasional weekend pacing friction and a refined but understated setting keep it just short of the very top tier.
The Better Times is a warm, central Groningen dining room where the evening is built around surprise courses, thoughtful explanations, and a generally gracious team. Reviewers describe it as cozy yet refined, with an open kitchen, polished presentation, and the kind of hospitality that makes a meal feel like an occasion. The main atmospheric caveats are occasional crowding, noise, cool air conditioning, and the lack of a terrace. The cooking leans creative and contemporary rather than traditional, with changing tasting menus, unusual flavor combinations, amuse-bouches, and beverage pairings that invite curiosity. Five-course dinners, cheese with port, wine pairings, and non-alcoholic juices are repeatedly praised for delivering a lot of experience at a moderate price. Weekend early sittings are the important wrinkle: several diners felt hurried by the two-shift system, while a minority found the flavors too forceful or the pairing pours too modest. Families should know this is a chef-led tasting-menu restaurant rather than a children's dining room. The current menu does include familiar items such as a burger, fries, risotto, and a salad bowl, but the surprise format and creative preparations may not suit picky eaters, and reviews do not establish a children's menu. It is better suited to adults or older, adventurous children; ask ahead about allergies and substitutions.
Area vibe: Vibrant, student-influenced city centre with cafés, bars and cultural venues.
Safety: Generally safe with good evening footfall but occasional late-night rowdiness near bars.
What's nearby: Close to Groningen Central, Grote Markt, University buildings, shops and nightlife streets.
The strongest choices range from a five-course surprise menu to à la carte entrecote, dorade, risotto, and a cheese course with port.
Go expecting creative surprise courses and refined service, but plan ahead for weekend pacing, limited conservative options, and a dining room without a terrace.
Expect an intimate, open-kitchen setting with occasion-worthy hospitality, though the room can turn noisy and weekend dinners may feel hurried.