diff --git a/benches/read_parquet.rs b/benches/read_parquet.rs
index 85f36f9d3aa..94c089931a2 100644
--- a/benches/read_parquet.rs
+++ b/benches/read_parquet.rs
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ fn read_chunk(buffer: &[u8], size: usize, column: usize) -> Result<()> {
 
     let schema = schema.filter(|index, _| index == column);
 
-    let reader = read::FileReader::new(reader, metadata, schema, None, None, None);
+    let reader = read::FileReader::new(reader, metadata.row_groups, schema, None, None);
 
     for maybe_chunk in reader {
         let columns = maybe_chunk?;
diff --git a/examples/parquet_read.rs b/examples/parquet_read.rs
index 490b74638d9..e0e5a220e8a 100644
--- a/examples/parquet_read.rs
+++ b/examples/parquet_read.rs
@@ -25,11 +25,20 @@ fn main() -> Result<(), Error> {
 
     println!("{:#?}", statistics);
 
-    // and create an iterator of
-    let reader = read::FileReader::new(reader, metadata, schema, Some(1024 * 8 * 8), None, None);
+    // say we found that we only need to read the first two row groups, "0" and "1"
+    let row_groups = metadata
+        .row_groups
+        .into_iter()
+        .enumerate()
+        .filter(|(index, _)| *index == 0 || *index == 1)
+        .map(|(_, row_group)| row_group)
+        .collect();
+
+    // we can then read the row groups into chunks
+    let chunks = read::FileReader::new(reader, row_groups, schema, Some(1024 * 8 * 8), None);
 
     let start = SystemTime::now();
-    for maybe_chunk in reader {
+    for maybe_chunk in chunks {
         let chunk = maybe_chunk?;
         assert!(!chunk.is_empty());
     }
diff --git a/src/io/parquet/read/file.rs b/src/io/parquet/read/file.rs
index 6bf34fd5f23..ff8944d38cf 100644
--- a/src/io/parquet/read/file.rs
+++ b/src/io/parquet/read/file.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 use std::io::{Read, Seek};
-use std::sync::Arc;
 
 use crate::array::Array;
 use crate::chunk::Chunk;
@@ -7,9 +6,7 @@ use crate::datatypes::Schema;
 use crate::error::Result;
 use crate::io::parquet::read::read_columns_many;
 
-use super::{FileMetaData, RowGroupDeserializer, RowGroupMetaData};
-
-type GroupFilter = Arc<dyn Fn(usize, &RowGroupMetaData) -> bool + Send + Sync>;
+use super::{RowGroupDeserializer, RowGroupMetaData};
 
 /// An iterator of [`Chunk`]s coming from row groups of a parquet file.
 ///
@@ -28,20 +25,12 @@ impl<R: Read + Seek> FileReader<R> {
     /// Returns a new [`FileReader`].
     pub fn new(
         reader: R,
-        metadata: FileMetaData,
+        row_groups: Vec<RowGroupMetaData>,
         schema: Schema,
         chunk_size: Option<usize>,
         limit: Option<usize>,
-        groups_filter: Option<GroupFilter>,
     ) -> Self {
-        let row_groups = RowGroupReader::new(
-            reader,
-            schema,
-            groups_filter,
-            metadata.row_groups,
-            chunk_size,
-            limit,
-        );
+        let row_groups = RowGroupReader::new(reader, schema, row_groups, chunk_size, limit);
 
         Self {
             row_groups,
@@ -50,11 +39,6 @@ impl<R: Read + Seek> FileReader<R> {
         }
     }
 
-    /// Sets the groups filter
-    pub fn set_groups_filter(&mut self, groups_filter: GroupFilter) {
-        self.row_groups.set_groups_filter(groups_filter);
-    }
-
     fn next_row_group(&mut self) -> Result<Option<RowGroupDeserializer>> {
         let result = self.row_groups.next().transpose()?;
 
@@ -121,7 +105,6 @@ impl<R: Read + Seek> Iterator for FileReader<R> {
 pub struct RowGroupReader<R: Read + Seek> {
     reader: R,
     schema: Schema,
-    groups_filter: Option<GroupFilter>,
     row_groups: std::iter::Enumerate<std::vec::IntoIter<RowGroupMetaData>>,
     chunk_size: Option<usize>,
     remaining_rows: usize,
@@ -132,7 +115,6 @@ impl<R: Read + Seek> RowGroupReader<R> {
     pub fn new(
         reader: R,
         schema: Schema,
-        groups_filter: Option<GroupFilter>,
         row_groups: Vec<RowGroupMetaData>,
         chunk_size: Option<usize>,
         limit: Option<usize>,
@@ -140,18 +122,12 @@ impl<R: Read + Seek> RowGroupReader<R> {
         Self {
             reader,
             schema,
-            groups_filter,
             row_groups: row_groups.into_iter().enumerate(),
             chunk_size,
             remaining_rows: limit.unwrap_or(usize::MAX),
         }
     }
 
-    /// Sets the groups filter
-    pub fn set_groups_filter(&mut self, groups_filter: GroupFilter) {
-        self.groups_filter = Some(groups_filter);
-    }
-
     #[inline]
     fn _next(&mut self) -> Result<Option<RowGroupDeserializer>> {
         if self.schema.fields.is_empty() {
@@ -162,14 +138,7 @@ impl<R: Read + Seek> RowGroupReader<R> {
             return Ok(None);
         }
 
-        let row_group = if let Some(groups_filter) = self.groups_filter.as_ref() {
-            self.row_groups
-                .by_ref()
-                .find(|(index, row_group)| (groups_filter)(*index, row_group))
-        } else {
-            self.row_groups.next()
-        };
-        let row_group = if let Some((_, row_group)) = row_group {
+        let row_group = if let Some((_, row_group)) = self.row_groups.next() {
             row_group
         } else {
             return Ok(None);
diff --git a/tests/it/io/parquet/mod.rs b/tests/it/io/parquet/mod.rs
index 42e00aa4aa0..55baceaa9af 100644
--- a/tests/it/io/parquet/mod.rs
+++ b/tests/it/io/parquet/mod.rs
@@ -39,9 +39,7 @@ pub fn read_column<R: Read + Seek>(mut reader: R, column: &str) -> Result<ArrayS
 
     let statistics = deserialize(field, &metadata.row_groups)?;
 
-    let metadata = p_read::read_metadata(&mut reader)?;
-    let schema = p_read::infer_schema(&metadata)?;
-    let mut reader = p_read::FileReader::new(reader, metadata, schema, None, None, None);
+    let mut reader = p_read::FileReader::new(reader, metadata.row_groups, schema, None, None);
 
     Ok((
         reader.next().unwrap()?.into_arrays().pop().unwrap(),
@@ -1157,11 +1155,10 @@ fn integration_read(data: &[u8], limit: Option<usize>) -> Result<IntegrationRead
 
     let reader = p_read::FileReader::new(
         Cursor::new(data),
-        metadata,
+        metadata.row_groups,
         schema.clone(),
         None,
         limit,
-        None,
     );
 
     let batches = reader.collect::<Result<Vec<_>>>()?;
@@ -1541,15 +1538,16 @@ fn filter_chunk() -> Result<()> {
     let new_schema = p_read::infer_schema(&metadata)?;
     assert_eq!(new_schema, schema);
 
-    let reader = p_read::FileReader::new(
-        reader,
-        metadata,
-        schema,
-        None,
-        None,
-        // select chunk 1
-        Some(std::sync::Arc::new(|i, _| i == 0)),
-    );
+    // select chunk 1
+    let row_groups = metadata
+        .row_groups
+        .into_iter()
+        .enumerate()
+        .filter(|(index, _)| *index == 0)
+        .map(|(_, row_group)| row_group)
+        .collect();
+
+    let reader = p_read::FileReader::new(reader, row_groups, schema, None, None);
 
     let new_chunks = reader.collect::<Result<Vec<_>>>()?;
 
diff --git a/tests/it/io/parquet/read.rs b/tests/it/io/parquet/read.rs
index 0349eb4b03f..efb3943da94 100644
--- a/tests/it/io/parquet/read.rs
+++ b/tests/it/io/parquet/read.rs
@@ -500,7 +500,7 @@ fn all_types() -> Result<()> {
 
     let metadata = read_metadata(&mut reader)?;
     let schema = infer_schema(&metadata)?;
-    let reader = FileReader::new(reader, metadata, schema, None, None, None);
+    let reader = FileReader::new(reader, metadata.row_groups, schema, None, None);
 
     let batches = reader.collect::<Result<Vec<_>>>()?;
     assert_eq!(batches.len(), 1);
@@ -542,7 +542,7 @@ fn all_types_chunked() -> Result<()> {
     let metadata = read_metadata(&mut reader)?;
     let schema = infer_schema(&metadata)?;
     // chunk it in 5 (so, (5,3))
-    let reader = FileReader::new(reader, metadata, schema, Some(5), None, None);
+    let reader = FileReader::new(reader, metadata.row_groups, schema, Some(5), None);
 
     let batches = reader.collect::<Result<Vec<_>>>()?;
     assert_eq!(batches.len(), 2);
@@ -605,7 +605,7 @@ fn invalid_utf8() -> Result<()> {
 
     let metadata = read_metadata(&mut reader)?;
     let schema = infer_schema(&metadata)?;
-    let reader = FileReader::new(reader, metadata, schema, Some(5), None, None);
+    let reader = FileReader::new(reader, metadata.row_groups, schema, Some(5), None);
 
     let error = reader.collect::<Result<Vec<_>>>().unwrap_err();
     assert!(