April 29, 2024 · Culinary Journalist
Just outside the Diepenring, in a rather odd part of the city center, sits restaurant Dokjard. "We are located right in that annoying, rotten bend by the park," says Jard van Dalen, owner of Dokjard. "The choice of this location was a very deliberate one," she says. "Because you are outside the center, you only get guests who come here specifically. And that is the clientele we want in the restaurant."‘
‘Dokjard is many things,’ says Jard. ‘It is a restaurant where we also happen to brew beer.’ For the owner, the place has turned out exactly as she had always envisioned it. ‘What I felt was still missing in Groningen was a place where you can eat really well, but where you can also walk in casually if you feel like it. And where you can also go for a five-course meal if you happen to be in the mood for it, but above the level of a casual eatery.’
Dokjard It distinguishes itself from an average eatery by doing things just a little differently. ‘Here, you don’t get a bunch of little bowls with extras, but what ends up on your plate is a complete dish. It has to be something you wouldn’t easily make at home yourself, but for which you also don’t have to pay top dollar. We’re not into fussy little dishes on the plate with a thousand preparations.’
Jard continues: ‘Of course, we have grown in the meantime and continue to develop ourselves, but there is also simply a plate of spareribs on the menu here. And those spareribs have been on the menu for a very long time; people just keep coming back for them. Furthermore, you can eat à la carte or a multi-course menu with matching wines or beers.’
Every week, two dishes are changed on the menu. ‘That way, there is always something new on it, and we can experiment a bit ourselves. What strikes me is that quite a lot of people eat vegetarian. We deliberately don't indicate anywhere that a dish is vegetarian, and you can definitely tell.’
What makes Dokjard special is that they brew their own beer. ‘It originated from pure interest,’ Jard adds. ‘I wanted to be distinctive in that respect. Not just a brewery where you can grab a quick bite, but really focus on beer pairing with food. We don't make our beer in a very classic way; we really try things out. A bit of trial and error. All our brewed beer is on tap in the restaurant. Think of blond beer, IPA, bock beer, and we really do experiment with flavors. We think that's awesome. In the coming years, we do want to focus on perfecting the beer brewing process.’
Dokjard is open Monday through Saturday for drinks and dinner. For more information, see Dokjard.nl
