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Noorderplantsoen · Groningen · Netherlands

Mahalo

A fully plant-based cafe serving organic, homemade breakfasts and lunches overlooking Groningen's Noorderplantsoen park.

The essentials, at a glance

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Impact score
2 - Engaged
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Documented practices
Local sourcing
Sustainable meat/fish plant-based kitchen
Plant-forward menu
Health-intentional kitchen

Style
Café
Casual
Cosy
Trendy
Cuisine
International
Good to know
Terrace

The delicious details

Mahalo sits at the edge of Groningen's Noorderplantsoen, where owners Belle and Leon have shaped a cafe rooted in the conviction that every meal should serve both body and environment. The space originally opened as Anat, the city's first fully vegan restaurant, and was relaunched in 2019 under a Hawaiian name meaning 'thank you.'

The kitchen produces everything in-house from organic ingredients, sourcing vegetables through regional distributor Bionoord and coffee from Boot Koffie's EKO-certified beans. The menu crosses cultures comfortably: Middle Eastern mezze, Korean kimchi toast, Indian dahl soup, and Italian-inspired tosti all share the card.

A compact, colourful interior opens onto a terrace overlooking the park, where returnable picnic baskets can be taken onto the grass.

Menu
What's on the table, and what's left off

Mahalo's entirely plant-based menu is built on whole, organic ingredients prepared from scratch. Morning dishes include smoothie bowls, granola with organic soy yoghurt, and gluten-free oat pancakes. The lunch card runs from pumpkin lentil dahl to Korean kimchi toast and seasonal wraps. Five plant milks and homemade drinks—ginger beer, golden milk with fresh turmeric—complement every order.

Cuisine
International
Dietary options
Vegetarian options
Fully plant-based
Gluten-free options
Dairy-free options
Alcohol-free
Health-intentional kitchen✓
Specific health practices named in at least one sub-area
Researched

The kitchen produces everything in-house: smoothie bowls from whole fruits and vegetables, granola, golden milk made from fresh turmeric and spices, homemade ginger beer, and sprouted alfalfa garnishes. The warm banana bread is made without refined sugars. Health is stated as a co-equal principle alongside environmental responsibility.

Allergies handling

Gluten-free options are clearly labelled throughout the menu. As a fully plant-based kitchen, milk, eggs, fish, and shellfish are structurally absent from all offerings. For concerns about other allergens or intolerances, please inform the restaurant at the time of ordering.

Impact score
How this restaurant rates
2 - Engaged

Mahalo positions itself around three declared values: organic, local, and ethical. Organic sourcing is substantiated through named suppliers: Boot Koffie (EKO-certified coffee) and Bionoord (regional organic vegetable distributor). Bread comes from Groningen's Broodje van eigen deeg; kombucha from Wilderland. As a fully plant-based kitchen, the restaurant eliminates animal agriculture from its supply chain entirely, removing the environmental burden of meat and dairy production. Two menu items rotate seasonally—a wrap and a salad.

The impact dimensions
Local & direct sourcing✓
Seasonal cooking
Sustainable animal products✓
n/a
Plant-forward menu✓

Four named suppliers verified: Boot Koffie (EKO-certified coffee), Bionoord (regional organic distributor), Broodje van eigen deeg (local bakery), and Wilderland (kombucha).

Four named, traceable suppliers identified: Boot Koffie for coffee, Bionoord for organic vegetables sourcing from Northern Netherlands producers, Broodje van eigen deeg for bread (local Groningen bakery), and Wilderland for kombucha (named on menu). These cover coffee, vegetables, bread, and fermented drinks. Bionoord operates as a wholesale intermediary for regional organic farms rather than a direct farm relationship.

Strongest sourceoogstgroningen.nl ↗

A seasonal wrap and seasonal salad are menu items; the core menu appears largely static.

Two explicitly seasonal items—a wrap and a salad—are labelled 'wisselend per seizoen' (changing per season) on the menu. However, the core menu of approximately 15 lunch items (smoothie bowls, oat pancakes, dahl, kimchi toast, mezze) appears to remain consistent. Review comments note the menu 'hasn't changed in years,' indicating limited structural rotation.

Strongest sourcemahalo.nu ↗

Mahalo is a fully plant-based restaurant; this dimension does not apply.

Mahalo serves no meat, poultry, fish, or seafood. The restaurant is 100% plant-based, confirmed across its own positioning, HappyCow (51 reviews, 4.5 stars), and multiple local food guides. This dimension is not applicable to fully plant-based kitchens.

Strongest sourcehappycow.net ↗

Entirely plant-based; vegetables, legumes, grains, and fruits are the structural foundation of every dish.

Mahalo is a fully plant-based restaurant where every menu item is vegan. Vegetables and plant ingredients are central to the kitchen's identity: smoothie bowls built around banana, spinach, and berries; pumpkin lentil dahl; seasonal salads and wraps; avocado-based toasts; mezze with house-made hummus. The restaurant is independently confirmed as fully plant-based by HappyCow (51 reviews, 4.5-star rating), Oogst Groningen, Visit Groningen, and dedicated vegan food guides.

Strongest sourcehappycow.net ↗
Sourcing signals
✓
Certified organic ingredients

Boot Koffie and Bionoord supply EKO/Skal-certified organic coffee and produce, partially substantiating the restaurant's organic positioning.

Visit & practical info
Address, price, and more
Address
Verlengde Grachtstraat 1, 9717 GD Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Open in Google Maps ↗
Price
€
Format
Breakfast and lunch café, walk-in welcome
Hours
MondayClosed
Tuesday16:00–22:00
Wednesday16:00–22:00
Thursday16:00–22:00
Friday16:00–23:00
Saturday15:00–23:00
Sunday14:00–22:00
Style
Café
Casual
Cosy
Trendy
Good to know
Terrace
Web
mahalo.nu
Reviewed by My Treats
Last reviewed 13 Apr 2026
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How we score
The My Treats impact scale

Every restaurant is assessed against SEERO, our six-dimension sustainability framework — covering sourcing, seasonality, waste, animal products, social impact, and plant-forward cooking. Each finding is weighted by how strongly it is corroborated. The combined result is translated into a planet rating from 1 to 5.

The five levels

SEERO is an acronym for Starting, Engaged, Endorsed, Recognised, Outstanding:

Starting First verified signals of sustainable practice.
Engaged Credible practice across two dimensions.
This place
Endorsed Meaningful practice across three or more dimensions.
Recognised Strong practice across four or more dimensions, with independent corroboration.
Outstanding Top-tier practice, confirmed by recognised third-party audit.

How a level is reached. Each level needs two things together: a minimum number of dimensions covered, and a minimum overall strength of evidence across them. A dimension only counts once its evidence is specific and substantiated — a passing mention doesn't qualify. Meeting only one of the two keeps a restaurant a level lower.

Ratings of four or five planets require human validation and, at the top tier, an external audit. Scores are based on publicly available evidence and restaurant submissions at the time of assessment.

Full methodology→
Impact dimension
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How this dimension works
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How evidence is weighted
Self-declared Stated by the restaurant on its website, menu or in a submission. Plausible, but not yet independently corroborated.
Researched Found through independent research; one credible third-party source backs the claim.
Vouched Corroborated across more than one independent source. Some gaps may remain.
Audited Fully corroborated across independent sources or by a recognised third-party certification.
What the sourcing checkmarks mean
✓ Full check — independently verified: corroborated across more than one source, or audited / third-party certified (vouched or audited).
✓ Light check — self-declared or from a single source. Not yet independently verified.
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