L’histoire · Grote Looiersstraat 7 · Maastricht
About Restobar LURE: a little piece of Paris in Maastricht
Restobar LURE lies in the Jekerkwartier, tucked between centuries-old monuments on the edge of the Stadspark and just behind the historic city walls, 200 metres from the Vrijthof. Locals fondly call the terrace ‘a little piece of Paris in Maastricht’. Since 1 January 2023 it has been run by Angie Frijns-Voncken and Ivo Nijskens.
1957Levensvreugde statue
200 mFrom the Vrijthof
No. 7Grote Looiersstraat
L’histoire
Restobar LURE is the place in Maastricht where history and hospitality come together
Hidden among centuries-old monuments, on the edge of the Stadspark and just behind the historic city walls of Maastricht, lies Restobar LURE, in the Jekerkwartier. In this unique spot, just 200 metres from ’t Vrijthof, you will find one of the most beautiful terraces in the city. This is where many Maastricht locals escape the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Tourists who have once found their way to this terrace often come back. It is no wonder, then, that the people of Maastricht affectionately call this place ‘a little piece of Paris in Maastricht’.
01 · The history
From tanners to restobar
The square and the building at Grote Looiersstraat 7 in a few moments.
Until 1897
The Jeker through the street
A middle branch of the Jeker flowed through the Groete Lurestraot, where the tanners (lures) worked. After floods it was filled in in 1897, making way for the avenue with trees and benches.
22 June 1957
The statue ‘Levensvreugde’ (Joy of Life)
Willem Hofhuizen’s statue was unveiled on the column on the square: a mother with her four children at play.
Back then
Café Crazy Pie
A notorious pub with regulars such as ‘De Sjéle’ and ‘De Gangster’, and the occasional secret striptease reminiscent of the Moulin Rouge.
Mid-2007
Stadscafé Lure
Yves Mullenders turned it into a meeting place, with Liège meatballs, Zoervleis mèt Friet and the ‘Bruudsje Pierre’.
2019 – 2022
The renovation
The listed building was completely renovated; the kitchen and toilets moved upstairs. LURE reopened in April 2022.
1 January 2023
Restobar LURE
Angie Frijns-Voncken and Ivo Nijskens took over. Tim Reiters redesigned the terrace and interior, and a new house style followed.
September 2026
Petit Paris is back
The 1960s French street festival returned to the Jekerkwartier, with a stage on the square opposite LURE.
L’histoire
Stories from the building
Café Crazy Pie
As in every old town centre, the Jekerkwartier – and especially the building at Grote Looiersstraat 7 – has a history that still makes many older Maastricht locals blush to this day. This was once home to Café Crazy Pie, where notorious characters such as ‘De Sjéle’, ‘De Gangster’, ‘De Plèkker’ and ‘De Keukerol’ were regulars. Their names speak for themselves… Amid the haze of cigarettes and cigars and the smell of beer and ‘Jonge Klaore’, a secret striptease act was regularly performed here, reminiscent of the famous Moulin Rouge in Paris. If the walls of this building could talk, the tales of what went on in Café Crazy Pie would keep us entertained for years.
Stadscafé Lure
In mid-2007, born-and-bred Maastricht local Yves Mullenders took over the business and renamed it Stadscafé Lure. By then the Jekerkwartier had been swept up in the grandeur of the Villapark and the growth of the University, most of whose faculties and the university library surround the Grote Looiersstraat. Yves saw that it was time to transform the café into a meeting place for local residents and students, where you could start, continue or end the day with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and Luikse ballen, Zoervleis mèt Friet or the famous ‘Bruudsje Pierre’. Stadscafé Lure soon grew into one of the best-known and most unique venues in Maastricht, with a small but cosy interior seating about 16 guests – but it was above all the beautifully located terrace that was at the heart of Lure’s success.
Restobar LURE
In mid-2019 Lure was sold and in October 2021 the building was completely renovated. The kitchen and toilets were moved to the 1st floor to create more space, so that more guests can be welcomed inside. The listed building underwent a complete metamorphosis and it was decided to change the name and concept drastically. After reopening in April 2022, however, it soon became clear that an icon like LURE is irreplaceable, because guests kept calling the place LURE. On 1 January 2023 the business was sold, and from day one the current owners had just one goal in mind: “To give LURE back to the city of Maastricht and its people!!!” With the help of none other than Tim Reiters, winner of the 2022 Entree Award for ‘Best New Restaurant Design’, first the terrace and then the interior were given a rigorous makeover. Careful thought also went into shaping LURE 2.0 within today’s hospitality landscape, and a completely new house style, logo, identity and concept were developed. And so Restobar LURE was born. The orange colour of the new logo is a tribute to the logo Yves Mullenders designed when he brought his brainchild into the world in 2007.
02 · The name
LURE, three ways
The name Lure derives from the Maastricht dialect version of Grote Looiersstraat: Groete Lurestraot. The little river De Jeker once ran through this street, where the tanners (lures) plied their trade. After a number of floods, this middle branch of De Jeker was filled in in 1897, and the present ‘allée’ with trees and benches separating the two sides of the street was laid out. Don’t be surprised to see young and old enjoying a friendly game of pétanque here. Lure is also a commune in the French department of Haute-Saône in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, and in English ‘to lure’ means nothing less than ‘to entice’. So let yourself be lured to this historic spot in Maastricht, with its French hospitality and Burgundian atmosphere!
Maastricht dialect
Groete Lurestraot
The Maastricht name for the Grote Looiersstraat, after the tanners who worked here on the Jeker.
French
Lure, Haute-Saône
A town in France, and so a nod to French hospitality.
English
To lure
English for ‘to entice’. So let yourself be lured to this historic spot.
03 · The people
Who is behind LURE?
The proud new owners, Angie Frijns-Voncken and Ivo Nijskens, can’t wait to put this newest member of the LURE family on the map. Here guests can enjoy the finest coffee from the Parisian roastery Cafés Richard and Mediterranean dishes with, of course, a big wink to French cuisine. But also a selection of the finest aperitifs and spritzers from all over the world, and the best wines from another of Maastricht’s prides: Thiessen Wijnkoopers, founded by Guillaume Thyssen in 1717. Feel free to play a game of pétanque next to our terrace, and expect artists to drop by at unexpected moments to pay tribute to the great repertoire of French chansons! In the summer of 2024, during ‘t Preuvenemint, we will be organising a “French weekend” with lots of music, singing and dancing! With it, we hope to start a wonderful new tradition that lets everyone experience the feeling of ‘Joie de Vivre’.
Owners
Angie and Ivo
Angie Frijns-Voncken and Ivo Nijskens have owned Restobar LURE since 1 January 2023.
Design
Tim Reiters
Winner of the 2022 Entree Award for ‘Best New Restaurant Design’; he redesigned the terrace and interior.
Coffee
Cafés Richard
The coffee comes from this Paris roastery.
Wine
Thiessen Wine Buyers
Put together the wine list; founded by Guillaume Thyssen in 1717.