Cicci’s - Trattoria & Wine Bar

Canal-Side Wine Culture in Groningen's Dining Quarter

Groningen's Hoge der A is one of the few canal streets in the Dutch north that has developed a genuine dining identity rather than a generic tourist strip. The brick warehouses along its bank now house a range of wine bars, independent restaurants, and neighbourhood trattorie — and the format that performs leading on this stretch is one that combines a serious wine list with food that earns its own standing. Cicci's Trattoria & Wine Bar, at number 3 on the Hoge der A, fits squarely into that dual-format model: a trattoria table programme paired with a curated wine offer that earned White Star recognition from Star Wine List in February 2024.

That White Star credential is the key marker here. Star Wine List is one of the few specialist wine publisher networks that evaluates wine programs specifically — separate from kitchen quality , and a White Star designation signals that the list has been assessed and found to meet a threshold of curation, range, and presentation that most restaurant wine programs do not reach. In a city of Groningen's size, that kind of independent wine recognition places Cicci's in a narrow peer group. For context, most comparable mid-sized Dutch cities have only a handful of venues at any level of Star Wine List recognition. See the full picture of where Cicci's sits in the city's broader scene in our full Groningen restaurants guide.

The Wine Program: Depth Over Volume

The trattoria-and-wine-bar format has become a working model across European cities precisely because it resolves a structural tension: wine bars often lack the food anchor to justify a longer visit, while trattorie frequently treat their wine lists as an afterthought. When the two sides are balanced, the result is a venue where the wine program and the kitchen each justify the visit independently.

A White Star designation from Star Wine List suggests Cicci's wine program leans toward the curatorial end of that spectrum. White Star recognition typically reflects a list with genuine depth in at least one region, coherent selection logic, and appropriate service of the wine on offer. In an Italian trattoria format, that usually means a strong Italian backbone , regional producers from across the peninsula, organized with enough specificity to reward the curious drinker rather than just satisfying the familiar request for a Pinot Grigio or Chianti. Whether the list extends to natural or low-intervention producers, to older vintages, or to a strong by-the-glass programme is the kind of granular detail that makes the difference between a good wine list and one worth making a journey for.

For comparison, wine-forward venues in the Netherlands that have received similar independent recognition , including Door 74 in Amsterdam and Botanero in Rotterdam , each built their reputations on a specific editorial clarity to their drinks programmes, not simply on volume. The leading wine programs in Dutch independent venues tend to prioritize range of origin over sheer bottle count. Across the country, you find similar approaches at Bowie in The Hague and Brasserie Lalou in Delft , each representing the same broader movement toward wine programs that have a point of view.

Setting and Format

The trattoria format, when it works, is one of the more honest dining models in European hospitality. It does not position itself as a destination tasting menu or a casual pizza drop-in, but occupies a middle register: proper cooking, a real wine list, and a room that is designed for extended sitting rather than table turnover. On a canal-side address in Groningen, that format connects to a particular rhythm of evening , arriving before dark, staying through it, working through a bottle with the kind of unhurried attention that the setting invites.

The Hoge der A canal setting gives Cicci's a physical context that supports rather than contradicts the trattoria format. Canal-side dining in Groningen has a different character from the more tourist-saturated canal districts in Amsterdam or Utrecht , it functions primarily for the city's own residents, which tends to produce a more consistent and demanding regular clientele. That kind of local dependency sharpens both the food and the wine offer over time, because the same people come back and notice the difference.

For those exploring the broader bar and wine scene around the canal district, Café Lily offers another reference point on Groningen's independent drinking scene. And if Cicci's represents the wine-forward trattoria model, the full range of what the city offers across bars, wineries, and cultural experiences is mapped in our full Groningen bars guide, our full Groningen wineries guide, and our full Groningen experiences guide.

Planning Your Visit

Groningen is accessible by direct rail from Amsterdam Centraal in approximately two hours, making it a realistic day or overnight destination for visitors based in the Randstad. The Hoge der A is a short walk from Groningen Centraal station, which removes the need for local transport once you arrive. For accommodation, our full Groningen hotels guide covers the options within reach of the canal quarter. Venues operating a wine-bar component alongside a restaurant kitchen in this city tend to be more manageable on weeknights than Friday and Saturday evenings, when local demand compresses availability. Booking directly via the venue's current contact information is advisable for weekend visits. For those travelling the broader Dutch wine-bar circuit, the journey from Boode Foodbar in Bathmen or from further afield , even internationally, as with the very different register of Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu , underlines how specific and local the wine-bar culture in Groningen's canal district genuinely is.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do regulars order at Cicci's Trattoria & Wine Bar?

The trattoria and wine bar format at Cicci's , recognized by Star Wine List's White Star designation , suggests that regulars use the wine list as an anchor for the visit rather than treating it as secondary to the food. In Italian-leaning trattorie with strong wine credentials, the pattern tends to be a shared antipasto or primi course built around whatever the kitchen is running that day, with wine selection leading the meal structure rather than following it.

What is the defining thing about Cicci's Trattoria & Wine Bar?

The White Star recognition from Star Wine List, awarded in February 2024, is the clearest independent signal that distinguishes Cicci's within Groningen's restaurant scene. In a city of this size, that kind of specialist wine publication endorsement places the venue in a narrow tier , the combination of a proper trattoria kitchen and an independently assessed wine program is not common at this scale in the Dutch north.

How far ahead should I plan for Cicci's Trattoria & Wine Bar?

Specific booking lead times are not publicly available, but venues of this format and recognition level in smaller Dutch cities typically see compressed weekend availability. If you are visiting Groningen specifically for the wine program at Cicci's, booking a week or more in advance for Friday or Saturday evenings is a reasonable precaution. Weeknight visits generally carry less risk of unavailability.

Is Cicci's Trattoria & Wine Bar worth visiting specifically for wine, rather than as a dinner destination?

The White Star designation from Star Wine List , a credential awarded specifically for the quality of a venue's wine program, independent of kitchen assessment , suggests the list has been evaluated and recognized on its own terms. In European wine bars that operate this dual format successfully, the wine program and the kitchen tend to reinforce each other rather than one carrying the other. Cicci's Hoge der A address, canal-side in Groningen's most established dining corridor, supports the kind of longer, wine-led visit that these formats are designed for.