Page 174 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Stockholm

172  TR A VELLERS ’ NEEDS

Cafés and Pubs Bagatelle Café, located in
a bright and airy setting
Swedes love their coffee. At work people take a coffee and right at the entrance to
cake break, or fika, at around 3pm, and if they are out and the Kungshallen. They also
about, they may pop into a café. The cake shops (marked offer freshly squeezed juices
“Konditori”) have a long tradition. They serve typical Swedish and delicious smoothies.
pastries, with everything from sweet small buns to tempting
gateaux. The best cake shops have their own bakeries and sell Pubs
a variety of pastries and sandwiches. Cafés were once cheaper The old Swedish beer cafés
and more popular than the elegant cake shops, but the have either closed down,
differences have been evened out, and there are now many transformed into a local res-
Continental-style cafés serving espresso, cappuccino and taurant (Tranan at Odenplan
caffe latte. Many cafés open for breakfast early in the morning, is a typical example – see p170)
or are now pubs with an
and they usually serve lunch as well. The old Swedish “beer international flavour. Irish,
cafés” have been replaced by the city’s many pubs, which Scottish or English pubs are
also serve simple dishes at reasonable prices. all popular, but there are also
influences from Belgium, the
Czech Republic, Germany,
Cafés and Cake Shops outstanding, and chocaholics Australia and the USA.
Café culture is flourishing in won’t be able to resist the home- Stockholmers generally have a
Stockholm, and the style ranges made pralines. After a hectic great interest in beer, so the pubs
from American or Italian to day’s shopping, head for the usually have a wide selection of
traditional Swedish and classic trendy Hotel Diplomat T/Bar, brews, and the staff are know-
cake shops. The café is a good which serves English-style ledgeable. Try some of the beers
choice if you feel peckish afternoon tea. Another oasis in from three small, acclaimed, qua-
between meals, need to rest your the shopping district is Gateau, lity breweries: Tärnö, Stockholm’s
legs or simply want a meeting one floor up in Sturegallerian. own brewery; Slottskällan in
place. Apart from coffee, The pastries are delicious, and Uppsala; and Pilgrimstad from
sandwiches and cakes, nearly all the gentle piano music is parti- northern Sweden.
cafés serve simple lunches – cularly enjoyable and relaxing. One of the busiest and most
quiches and salad, for example – Rather more unusual is traditional pubs is the Tudor
soft drinks and ice cream. Typical Legumes, which serves Arms, opened in the 1960s.
cafés serve Swedish-style strong nutritious yet tasty Middle English is the normal language
coffee, along with sand wiches, Eastern vegetarian delicacies here, and many of the regular
buns and cakes. Don’t miss the with biodynamic bread. Another customers are British. Scots and
delicious prinsesstårta cream one is Bakverket. Renowned for Americans head for the
cake, by far the most popular its fresh baked bread, it is also Bagpiper’s Inn, where
one. Cafés usually close at said to to provide Stockholm’s bagpipes are provided on the
around 6pm. best breakfast. upper floor, and Scottish beers
Many cafés have tables outside Mellgvist Caffé is a very are available. One floor down is
in the summer. If you feel like popular place for hanging the Bald Eagle, where drink ers
sitting under a fruit tree, where out close to Sankt Eriksplan. can enjoy rock music, and there
you can enjoy the birdsong, The moreish turkey and is usually a queue for the billiards
Rosendals Träd gårdskafé on horseradish cream panini table. For some of the best
Djurgården is the place. The is particularly addictive. craft beer in Stockholm, visitors
salad buffet, consisting of Wayne’s Coffee is Söder- can also head to the pub at
organic ally grown vegetables malm’s most popular meeting Omnipollo, an award-winning
and home-baked bread, is a feast place, with giant sandwiches brewery that has been listed
for the eye and the palate. It is and cakes, comfortable arm- among the top 100 brewers
open only during the summer chairs and an elegant clientele. in the world.
and in December. Lasse i Parken Espresso House serves bagels, Anyone feeling homesick
is another rustic idyll in the city sandwiches, fresh baked goods for Ireland only needs to go
with home-baked bread and and many different types of through the door of Limerick to
delicious cheesecakes. coffee. At Café Tabac you can enjoy some Guinness or Kilkenny.
Sturekatten is a classic cake mingle with the locals as you Irish music is performed there at
shop decorated in the style of enjoy a café au lait and home- weekends. O’Leary’s has many
an early 20th-century upper- baked brownies. Absolutely expat regulars and also serves
class home with many small the finest espresso is served at excellent food. The Dubliner
rooms and unrivalled pastries. Tintarella di Luna, an authentic is yet another Irish pub, with a
Vete-Katten is one of Italian café, which also has large selection of malt whiskeys.
Stockholm’s most authentic the city’s best panini. Coffee Live music contributes to the
cake shops. Its pastries are connoisseurs should not miss atmosphere. On Södermalm,

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