The Swedish fika is essentially a coffee break, often shared with friends or colleagues. The tradition of drinking coffee together, either in a social setting or in a business meeting started sometime in the 18th century, when coffee was introduced in Sweden.
The concept of fika however is a lot younger and was first used in the early 20th century. During the 1910s the word fika was coined by using the word fika as a slang for the Swedish word for coffee. The word fika came to mean having a coffee and came to evolve to not just having coffee, but also some accompanying pastries, and the coffee can even be replaced with a cup of tea or a fruit drink.
It’s no surprise that Stockholm is home to countless cafés where you can enjoy a coffee or tea alongside a bun or pastry, whether you’re catching up with friends, people-watching, or simply unwinding. While there are far too many cafés to list them all, here are some of our favorite options from each city district.
Norrmalm
Vete-katten is a classic Swedish pastry café (konditori) that has been serving high-quality baked goods and coffee for nearly a century. The name reportedly comes from the founder Ester Nordhammar’s uncertain response about what to call the establishment: “Det vete katten” (which roughly translates to “God knows”).
In addition to pastries, they serve a selection of sandwiches and salads, and is an ideal spot for a Swedish fika or a light lunch. With multiple locations across the city, Vete-katten is a popular choice and can get quite busy during peak hours.
Address: Kungsgatan 55 (Google Maps)
Chokladfabriken (the Chocolate Factory) is an artisan chocolate shop and café known for its handmade chocolates. They specialize in chocolate pralines and pastries but also offer sandwiches to pair with your tea or coffee. Their flagship store is located at street Renstiernas gata 12 in the Södermalm district, though they also have additional locations in Norrmalm and Vasastan.
You can enjoy their chocolate pralines on-site at the café or pick up a box to take home – an excellent choice for a souvenir or a gift.
Address: Regeringsgatan 58 (Google Maps)
Sempre Espresso Bar
Sempre Espresso Bar is an Italian espresso bar located in the central part of Stockholm. The atmosphere is casual and cozy, with an authentic Italian vibe. They also serve Italian pastries in addition to Italian-style coffee (espresso, cappuccino, macchiato), and offer breakfast and lunch options. The bar’s motto perfectly captures its spirit: “At Sempre, strangers are just friends you’ve yet to drink coffee with.”
Address: Jakobsbergsgatan 5 (Google Maps)
Gamla Stan
Panem
Panem is a frequented bakery, café, and bistro, serving freshly baked bread, rolls, and buns made daily. Their menu includes breakfast options such as sandwiches and American-style dishes, a lunch selection featuring pizza al taglio, salads, bowls, and sandwiches, as well as bistro offerings like burgers, smørrebrød, and soups. They also boast a wide selection of pastries and desserts.
Housed in a building with 18th-century origins, the café provides a warm and inviting atmosphere, perfect for a casual dining experience.
Address: Stora Nygatan 26 (Google Maps)
Fika & Wine is a charming café and restaurant located near the Royal Palace in Gamla Stan. The interior is designed to evoke the charm of a mid-20th-century Swedish home, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. The menu features traditional Swedish fika, with coffee and pastries, as well as lunch and dinner options. They also offer a wide selection of wines, beers, and traditional Swedish spirits, known as “nubbe.” Both the food and drinks focus heavily on Swedish flavors, showcasing a variety of local specialties.
Address: Österlånggatan 5 (Google Maps)
Caffellini is a popular espresso bar known for its excellent coffee, especially its espresso. The menu includes light meals such as sandwiches and croissants. The atmosphere is casual and cozy and the place is standing-room-only. If you enjoy coffee this is highly worth a visit, as Caffellini is considered one of the best places for coffee in Stockholm.
Address: Västerlånggatan 60 (Google Maps)
Djurgården
Rosendals Trädgårdscafé is an organic café located on Djurgården, featuring a large garden where you can enjoy your coffee or meal during the summer. Many of the ingredients come directly from their own organic garden. The café has a spacious grassy area surrounded by apple trees, offering a serene spot to dine. The café is open year-round, and the menu is seasonally adjusted and includes both sweet treats and dishes suitable for breakfast or lunch.
Address: Rosendalsterrassen 12 (Google Maps)
Flickorna Helin is a café, bakery, and restaurant located at an elevated spot in the Djurgården district. They offer homemade pastries, buns, cakes, sandwiches, juices, smoothies, and daily lunch specials inspired by global cuisines and seasonal ingredients. With one of Stockholm’s finest outdoor seating areas during the summer, the café is renowned for its fresh lunches, generous fika options, and picturesque setting. They also have an in-house bakery, and an eco-friendly focus. The cozy atmosphere and beautiful location makes it a popular spot to visit when at Djurgården.
Address: Rosendalsvägen 14 (Google Maps)
Café Petissan is a charming and historic café located within Skansen, Stockholm’s open-air museum. Known for its “grandmother-style” homemade baked goods, the café specializes in traditional Swedish pastries and cakes. Here you can enjoy simple meals and delicious sandwiches made with freshly baked bread, paired with coffee served in classic cups and saucers. The cozy, nostalgic atmosphere adds to its appeal, with many claiming their cinnamon buns are “the city’s best.” The menu also features traditional Swedish treats like syltgrotta, drömtårta, and rulltårtsbakelse, as well as homemade chocolate pralines, pies, cookies, and cakes.
Address: Djurgårdsslätten 49 (Google Maps)
Södermalm
Fern & Fika is a popular vegan café specializing in gluten-free, refined sugar-free, and 100% plant-based options. Their menu includes breakfast, lunch, and fika items, featuring cakes and desserts made without refined sugar or additives. With its laid-back and friendly atmosphere, the café has become a go-to spot for health-conscious diners and those seeking sustainable, plant-based treats in Stockholm.
Address: Långholmsgatan 11 (Google Maps)
Pom & Flora is a popular café chain known for its all-day breakfast and brunch menu, which includes vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. It’s also recognized for its high-quality coffee and rich hot chocolate. The atmosphere is cozy and hipster-friendly, making it a favorite spot that often gets crowded, especially during weekend breakfasts.
Address: Bondegatan 64 (Google Maps)
Svedjan Bageri is a charming café and bakery located near Zinkensdamm metro station in the Södermalm district. It specializes in buns, bread, and pastries made with organic flour from Warbro Mill (Warbro Kvarn), using a stone mill to grind whole grain flour sourced from local Swedish farms. The café also features dairy products from a family farm. In addition to baked goods, they serve coffee and sandwiches. With a casual and cozy atmosphere, Svedjan Bageri is often crowded, particularly on weekends. Outdoor seating is available during the summer months.
Address: Brännkyrkagatan 93 (Google Maps)
Östermalm
Tössebageriet is a historic bakery and café offering a wide range of traditional Swedish pastries, baked goods, bread, cakes, tarts, and seasonal specialties. It’s particularly famous for its semla (a traditional Swedish pastry) and the innovative Semla deconstructed into a wrap sandwich. The menu also includes breakfast, lunch, fika options, and a selection of coffee and tea. With its cozy, intimate space and classic Swedish konditori atmosphere, the café is often busy, especially during peak hours.
Address: Karlavägen 77 (Google Maps)
Stora Bageriet is a historic bakery and café with two locations. Its original location, in the Östermalm district, shares a building with the Museum of Performing Arts (Scenkonstmuseet) and occupies Stockholm’s oldest industrial building. And they also have a second location in the Vasastan district.
Originally a military bakery providing fresh bread rations to soldiers, it later became known as “Stora Bageriet” (The Great Bakery), a nod to the former Krono Bakery (Kronobageriet), which operated for over 300 years until 1958.
The bakery offers freshly baked bread, pastries, and other baked goods, alongside breakfast and lunch options. With its casual dining atmosphere, it’s a popular spot, particularly on weekends. Both indoor and outdoor seating are available, and the outdoor area is especially sought after during the summer months.
Address: Sibyllegatan 2 (Google Maps)
Mr. Cake is a popular bakery and café with two main locations in Stockholm: one in the Östermalm district and another in Norrmalm. Founded in 2006 by Roy Fares and Mattias Ljungberg, the café combines Swedish fika traditions with an “American sensibility.” Roy Fares, a renowned pastry chef, won the Swedish Championship for Young Bakers in 2005, was named Pastry Chef of the Year in 2010, and is also a TV personality and cookbook author.
The bakery is famous for its signature Red Velvet Cheesecake, along with other signature pastries. American-style pancakes, and breakfast options like sandwiches and salads, are also available. As one of Stockholm’s top dessert destinations, Mr. Cake often gets crowded, but you can skip the wait by ordering to go.
Address: Rådmansgatan 12 (Google Maps)
Vasastan
Lillebrors bageri
Lillebrors Bageri is a renowned bakery. Founded by Stefan Berg, the tiny 50 sq meter bakery has become a local sensation known for its exceptional pastries. Signature Offerings: 27-layer buttery croissants, cardamom buns, seasonal specialties like semlor, toscabulle (cardamom bun topped with caramel-coated nuts), saffron buns. This is a small bakery with consistently long queues.Focuses on fresh, high-quality baked goods. Rotates seasonal offerings. Known for intense, clean flavors.
Lillebrors bageri (Little Brother’s bakery), founded by Stefan Berg, is a small yet renowned bakery that has become a local favorite for its exceptional pastries. Despite its compact 50-square-meter (538-square-feet) space, it consistently draws long queues of eager customers.
The bakery is celebrated for its signature offerings, including 27-layer buttery croissants, fragrant cardamom buns, and seasonal treats such as semlor, toscabullar (cardamom buns topped with caramel-coated nuts), and saffron buns. Known for its focus on fresh, high-quality ingredients, Lillebrors bageri rotates its seasonal specialties to highlight intense, clean flavors.
Address: Rörstrandsgatan 10 (Google Maps)
Mellqvist Café & Bar is a well-established and popular café, known for its excellent coffee. The menu features a variety of breakfast options, including a buffet, as well as lunch items such as sandwiches, salads, and soups. They also offer pastries and baked goods, along with a selection of alcoholic beverages.
The café has a cozy, warm, and inviting atmosphere and is often crowded, especially on weekends. Outdoor seating, including a terrace is a sought-after option in the summer. Unlike many venues that transition into a bar atmosphere in the evening, Mellqvist continues acting primarily as a café, making it a unique spot for enjoying a relaxed evening coffee or drink.
Address: Rörstrandsgatan 4 (Google Maps)
Café Pascal is a trendy coffee shop and bakery with multiple locations in Stockholm, including Vasastan, Södermalm, and Östermalm. Their offerings include high-quality coffee, featuring artisanal options like Geisha from Panama, generous sandwiches, traditional Swedish cinnamon buns, pastries, and baked goods. They also serve breakfast items, such as yogurt bowls with homemade granola, and a selection of lunch options.
The atmosphere is cozy, though it can get crowded during peak hours. Café Pascal was awarded the prestigious Gulddraken for Best Café in Stockholm in 2019.
Address: Norrtullsgatan 4 (Google Maps)
Ritorno is a classic Stockholm bakery and café with a rich history dating back to 1959. Known for its traditional Swedish pastries and baked goods, the café also offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, including sandwiches, salads, and classic dishes like Swedish meatballs. Their menu is complemented by coffee and alcoholic beverages, all served in a warm and welcoming space with 1950s-style decor.
Ritorno is a popular spot for long fika breaks and is especially renowned for its excellent semla (a Swedish traditional pastry) during the season (around February). In 2019, it was awarded the prestigious Gulddraken for Best Café in Stockholm, a testament to its focus on traditional recipes and high-quality ingredients.
Ritorno has multiple locations in Stockholm. The main café is on Odengatan 80 in the Vasastan district. They also operate a bakery/shop on Torsgatan 20 (in the northwest of Norrmalm, near the Vasastan border) and a café/shop on Dalagatan 41, also in Vasastan.
Address: Odengatan 80 (Google Maps)
Kungsholmen
Bageriet Bulleboden is a beloved bakery and café known for its freshly baked bread and pastries. Famous for their cinnamon buns (kanelbullar) and cardamom buns (kardemummabullar), the bakery also offers breakfast sandwiches and lunch options, including soups and open-faced sandwiches. As a family-owned business with a long history, Bulleboden prides itself on using high-quality, organic ingredients.
The cozy, inviting space has limited seating, and as it’s popular among locals it will often get crowded during peak hours.
Address: Parmmätargatan 7 (Google Maps)
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Wilmer Kaffebar is a popular café and bakery with two locations in Stockholm: one in the Kungsholmen district and another in Vasastan. The café offers homemade pastries and baked goods, including cinnamon buns, cookies, and cakes, along with breakfast and lunch options such as sandwiches, salads, soups, and vegetarian dishes. They also serve high-quality coffee and a variety of other beverages.
The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, often described as feeling like someone’s living room, with modern decor that combines flea market finds and contemporary furniture. While the café is small and often crowded, it a favorite among locals and was awarded the prestigious Gulddraken for Best Café in Stockholm in 2019.
Address: Bergsgatan 30 (Google Maps)
Petite France is a trendy bakery, café, and bistro specializing in French classics such as croissants, brioches, and pastries. It is particularly renowned for its unique take on the traditional Swedish semla. The café also offers breakfast, lunch, and brunch options. With a cozy atmosphere and outdoor seating available, it’s a charming spot that tends to get crowded, especially during peak hours.
Address: John Ericssonsgatan 6 (Google Maps)