Ever taken a moment out of your day to enjoy a much-needed coffee and sweet treat? Perhaps in a cozy corner with your own thoughts or socially with friends… well the clever Swedes value these moments so highly they have given it a name – Fika. More than this, Fika is so engrained in their way of life that some employment contracts include clauses allowing employees to ‘Fika breaks’ throughout the day (Australia take notes please!).
We had had a taste of Fika during previous travels through Malmo in 2022, and were keen to jump on the band wagon once again. We therefore set out to try as many coffees (and of course baked goods) during our 3 days in Stockholm as possible.
So how does Stockholm’s coffee culture compare to the rest of Europe?
Right up there with the very best! We have visited some incredible ‘coffee culture cities’ in Europe (e.g. Copenhagen, Oslo, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Budapest and more) and Stockholm fits right into this group! We can safely say we didn’t have one bad coffee in Stockholm. With coffee shops and boutique bakeries on every second corner (especially in the hip area of Sodermalm where we based ourselves) we successfully fuelled our coffee addiction with a minimum of 3 coffees a day.
While we barely even scratched the surface of Stockholm’s coffee and Fika scene we’ve put together a non-exhaustive list of some of our favourites that we sampled during out very short visit. All of the coffees at these places were top tier and we couldn’t necessarily pick a winner.
A few of our favourite coffee’s and Fika locations in Stockholm..
Stora Bageriet – Located on the fringes of Stockholm’s upmarket Osermalm area soak up the summer vibe in the picturesque courtyard with a cold brew and cardamom bun!
Johan and Nystrom –We visited twice as we so much enjoyed sitting out in the street and immersing ourselves in the hum of Sodermalm. We even met some other lovely travellers who shared their experiences and recommendations of where to visit in Stockholm.
Café Pascal – Another must try in Sodermalm just around the corner from the heart of Nytorget where you’ll find cute boutique stores, parks and families out enjoying the sunshine on a Sunday afternoon.
Drop coffee – The first café we tried during our stay which really set the standard for the trip. This place was heaving when we arrived but it was definitely worth the wait for a table.
Volca Coffee Roasers – This place is serious about their coffee. On ordering we received a little card with info about where exactly our coffee had come from and the flavour profile. While a little further out from the action, it was the perfect stop during our day exploring Gamla Stan and the rest of the old town.
Beck Kaffebar – We really enjoyed sitting on bench looking out onto the street and watching people walk past. A lot of Stockholm cafes seem to be set up this way, but thankfully unlike other tourist cities (eg. Paris/Rome) there’s not added tourist tax for the best seat in the house.
Cykelcafe Le Mond – Another great coffee in the Sodermalm area. We didn’t necessarily seek it out, but rather it was one of the few places open around the corner from us at the time we needed to caffeinate.This really just highlighted to us unlike many other cities we’ve visited, it would be harder to find a bad coffee than a good one in Stockholm.
Lykke Nytorget – We walked past this place on our first day and opted to return on our last evening for some drinks and nibbles. This place doubles as a café and bar, so while we didn’t actually taste any coffee here we have no doubt based on its location and general vibe the coffee would be good.
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