Stockholm Cafe Guide

Traveling during the last couple of years has become, mildly put, difficult.

The pandemic ruling over our every move and the rules of movement changing with a blink of an eye. So, whether you are actually looking to go on a weekend trip to Stockholm and need some inspiration on places to go for a good cup of coffee, or perhaps you would just like a good read that allows you to imagine that you’re on a city break in the Swedish capital, here’s our take on Stockholm’s coffee scene.

How much coffee does the average Swede consume?

Swedes are known for consuming their fare share of coffee. Supposedly they are the third highest coffee consumers in the world (per capita), only beaten by their neighbours the Finns and the Dutch.

The average Swede drinks about 9 kilos of coffee per year, which equals to about 3.2 cups per day, about twice as much as your average Brit. Swedes are simply fuelled by coffee or maybe they just need to stay warm with a “hot cup of joe”.

That, however, doesn’t promise an exciting and innovative coffee culture. Most Swedes are consuming their coffee in their home or workplace and drink what we might call rather unexciting, dark roast, mass produced coffee. But things are changing - and Stockholm is, in many ways, leading the way.

What is Fika and how is it associated with coffee?

With the swedes love for “Fika”, which doesn’t have an exact translation into English but basically meaning getting together and drinking coffee accompanied by a sweet treat, you pretty much can’t go more than a few meters down a street in Stockholm without finding yourself a café. The cafés do range from everything between poor, fairly good to excellent.

Johan & Nyström Cafe

One of the leaders in the speciality coffee sector in Sweden is Johan & Nyström, founded in 2004, who pretty much sat out to change the coffee industry in Sweden.

They were tired of seeing only poor quality coffee being served at cafes around the country. Now they not only have a highly popular web-shop, but they’ve set up several cafes in Stockholm and Gothenburg and even one in Helsinki, Finland and beyond that they also supply their beans to lots of small cafes across the country.

When visiting one of their shops you can enjoy your classic cappuccino or lattes but they also offer a range of coffees served as pour overs. The coffee is delicious and, of course, they also offer you the possibility to buy a bag or two to bring with you home. A Johan & Nyström Café is a must-go if you’re looking for a quality cup of coffee.

Mr Cake Cafe

Celebrity pastry chef Roy Farez has become internationally famous for his amazing cakes and cookies and you might have spotted him on a baking show on the food channel. He’s now opened two cafes in Stockholm and Gothenburg called Mr Cake, which are serving up delectable cakes and surprisingly good coffee.

Drop Coffee Roasters, Caffelini and Komet Cafe

Another few hotspots that are definitely worth popping by whilst visiting Stockholm are Drop Coffee Roasters, Caffellini and Komet Café, which all brew up top notch coffee.

Unfortunately, just like everywhere else sometimes the cool branding and hype doesn’t mean quality (coffee) and the number of chain coffee places filling up the streets is incredible, yet what they serve up is just the opposite… a poorly served cappuccino tasting like over-roasted beans and badly frothed milk just doesn’t feel acceptable when you’re shelling out a pretty penny for a coffee, hence it’s worth doing your research before venturing out for a coffee on the busy streets of Stockholm.

The Little Bean Co

Finally, in terms of decaf, which I feel need to be mentioned, it feels like Sweden and Stockholm included, is far behind and you will struggle to get a nice cup of coffee sin the caffeine. Most places don’t even offer the alternative. Hopefully it’s just a matter of time and Sweden will eventually also join the decaf revolution. But you can buy Decadent Decaf in Sweden at The Little Bean Co. Check it out!

Now where should we go next for a weekend of java?