A charming, unusually affordable cat café with well-loved homemade cakes and cuddly cats, but service reliability and hygiene have produced serious complaints.
Kattencafé PoesPas offers a distinctive cat café experience, with cakes earning the most consistent praise and cats described as well cared for. Inconsistent execution holds it back: sharply divided service includes repeated reports of long waits or being overlooked, while savory items are more mixed. These gaps keep it out of grade A territory.
Kattencafé PoesPas is less a conventional lunch destination than a cozy animal encounter with coffee, cake, and a small selection of inexpensive café plates. The cats are the stars: visitors describe them as sweet, cuddly, well cared for, and able to retreat to a quieter room. The atmosphere can feel like a gentle refuge, although one recent lunch visitor experienced an awkward welcome and prolonged neglect. The food is simple and accessible rather than chef-driven. Homemade cakes, especially the carrot cake, are the safest bet; sandwiches, burgers, fries, tea, and a salmon-or-chicken Liwwadder pastei round out the menu. Everyday pricing is genuinely modest, but execution is less even: cold brew, a croquette, and a dry sandwich each drew criticism. Service is the bigger variable, with some warm visits and several reports of long waits, unclear reservations, or having to find staff. Families may enjoy the cats and the café does have crayons, vegetarian items, and familiar choices such as cake, fries, a burger, and sandwiches. However, reviews also question the child-friendliness of the seating and layout, and there is no dedicated children’s menu shown. It is best for calm children who can respect animals’ space, not for a quick, tightly scheduled family meal.
Area vibe: Compact historic city centre known for canals, museums and student life.
Safety: Generally safe with good evening footfall though quieter residential streets can be calm after hours.
What's nearby: Close to Leeuwarden central area, near shops, cafes, tram/bus links, cultural sites and university facilities.
Start with the €3.50 homemade carrot cake, then choose between a €10.50 burger and several versions of the Liwwadder pastei.
Plan for an unhurried visit, since waits and reservations can be unpredictable even though the cats have a dedicated retreat room.
The prices are budget-friendly, but whether it feels worthwhile depends more on the cat experience than on consistently polished food or service.