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Sweden’s Incredible Hipster Foodie Scene

Hipster or not, here’s why you should visit Sweden for a unique, food experience.

Hipsters. It doesn’t seem to matter where I travel, I always seem to come across some. From tiny bars hidden down cobble streets in Barcelona and Caribbean hipsters drinking beer out of cans in St Kitts, to the trendsetter students in the Kallio neighbourhood of Helsinki, they appear to conform to a style, while having a few unique quirks according to the country. After reading Meet The Original Hipsters, it got me thinking about a few recent encounters with Scandi-hipsters.

Made In Kallio Helsinki
Made In Kallio, Helsinki

You know who I mean right? They’re the ones with the checked shirts, thick-rimmed glasses, heavy boots, signature beard (optional for girls!) and an air of ‘not trying’ (when actually they are).

 Typical hipster: beard – tick, checked shirt – tick, thick rimmed glasses – tick

Last month I enjoyed a week in Stockholm – one of my favourite cities. It’s a city that buzzes with creativity, modernity and feels like the epitome of cool. Its cute old town full of colourful buildings and narrow cobbled streets juxtaposes perfectly with uber cool Södermalm, Stockholm’s answer to Shoreditch. This neighbourhood is home to trendy boutiques, unique design stores, speakeasy style bars, pubs serving craft beer and Instagram-worthy brunch spots. It’s also home to a Scandi-style of hipster.

View of Stockholm Sweden
View of Stockholm, Sweden

It turns out Swedish hipsters are huge foodies! Perhaps it’s the same in other countries, but this breed wants its food from small farms, microbreweries and is keen to support old-fashioned production methods. I spent an evening at EkstedtNiklas Ekstedt’s Michelin-starred restaurant. His concept? Forget electricity and go back to basics by cooking everything with fire. Smokey flavours, locally sourced ingredients and sophisticated presentation proved to be a winning combination. Perhaps he’s a Scandi-hipster?

Oysters Flambadou at Ekstedt Restaurant, Stockholm
Oysters Flambadou at Ekstedt Restaurant, Stockholm
Flambe pumpkin cake dessert at Ekstedt Restaurant, Stockholm
Flambe pumpkin cake dessert at Ekstedt Restaurant, Stockholm

While other cities in Sweden have followed suit, each developing their own hipster areas… where did it all begin? Who are the original hipsters… and even more – the Scandi-foodie hipsters?

Let’s head to Skedvi knäckebrödsbager, a crispbread bakery in Stora Skedvi. With a trademark hipster beard and Birkenstock sandals, Joel Lindblad has been baking since 1979.

Joel Lindblad at Skedvi Bakery, Sweden
Joel Lindblad at Skedvi Bakery, Sweden

In the same way I’ve spotted an ever-growing trend for craft beers, organic wines, and restaurants that focus on single ingredients, crispbread lovers in Sweden have grown bored of commercial options, and decided to either set up their own bakeries, or support smaller producers.

Before it became Skedvi, the bakery was owned by the huge bread company Leksands. Joel worked at the bakery, but lost his job when it closed. Shortly after, Anders Åkerberg and Malin Floridan bought it, rehired the bakers and started up again. These days, Skedvi crispbread is unique, being the only one on the market to be baked in wood-fired ovens.

Skedvi Bakery, Sweden
Skedvi Bakery, Sweden
Skedvi Bakery, Sweden
Skedvi Bakery, Sweden

Taking just over 1 minute to bake, Joel and three other bakers are constantly moving around the conifer-burning fire like they’re performing some sort of crispbread dance/ritual. Oh and it turns out his trusty Birkenstocks are just right for the job! “When I was younger I bought cheaper sandals but they broke straight away. These ones I can wear in the shower and they still hold together!”

While it was great to spot Skedvi’s iconic yellow and blue packaging in stores, if you’re heading to Sweden, there are some other great foodie hipster haunts to explore…

Cool Foodie Hangouts In Sweden

Ekstedt – As mentioned above, Niklas Ekstedt’s Michelin-starred restaurant is all about fire. No electricity in the kitchen, but plenty of delicious smokey flavours and high quality dishes. Read my Ekstedt review now.

Peering into the wood burning oven at Ekstedt Restaurant, Stockholm
Peering into the wood burning oven at Ekstedt Restaurant, Stockholm

Spirit of Hven – Head to the island of Hven between Denmark and Sweden to check out Hven distillery – southern Sweden’s top whiskey centre.

Sivans Ost – Until 2011, Sivan (who gives her name to the store) matured her cheeses in her garage in the west of Sweden. Since then she’s set up a cheese store and has a special area for the maturing process!

Sivans Osthandel, Sweden
Sivans Osthandel, Sweden
Sivans Osthandel, Sweden
Sivans Osthandel, Sweden

Kosters Trädgårdar – Between enjoying the incredible views from Valfjäll (on an island) you can help pick ingredients for your lunch or dinner from the lush gardens.

Alingsås – Fika is one of my favourite Swedish traditions. It’s their word for a break from your day for coffee and cake. Alingsås in West Sweden is known as the capital of ‘fika’, with coffee shops in the town since the18th century. To really uncover the history, head off on a fika tour which will show you 30 or so cafes.

Guided Fika Tour in Alingsås (Photo: Jonas Ingman @ Bruksbild)
Guided Fika Tour in Alingsås (Photo: Jonas Ingman @ Bruksbild)

Live Like A Local – There’s no better way to live like a local than to be adopted by a family! A Slice of Swedish Hospitality offers visitors a unique chance to discover the everyday life of the Skåne area by having dinner with a local family.

This post was inspired by this awesome post by Visit Sweden: Meet The Original Hipsters. 

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With a passion for food, fun and adventure, Chloe is the content creator behind one of the UK's top travel blogs Wanderlust Chloe. From volcano boarding in Nicaragua, to sailing around Sicily and eating her way around Japan, her travels have taken her to some of the coolest spots on the planet. Named Travel Influencer of the Year in 2022, Chloe regularly works with a number of tourism boards, producing inspirational travel content across multiple platforms. Find out more about Chloe here.

10 thoughts on “Sweden’s Incredible Hipster Foodie Scene”

  1. Ah, this is such an awesome post! I think Sweden and Scandinavia’s always been at the forefront of design, which obviously spilled over into fashion, and now it’s great to see that its spilled over into food too.

    I think a lot of people always overlook Sweden as a foodie destination, but there’s so many good quality places to choose from! Even somewhere like Fotografiska, the photography museum, has an amazing restaurant! I’ll definitely check out some of these other places you’ve recommended though!

    Reply
  2. hola chloe, whilst not a hipster as 50 + i loved your article, i am planning 3 week visit to scandinavia and your info is what i needed. Please keep the info flowing, it is invaluable. ps if you are ever in melbourne Australia, happy to assist with some great foodie experiences

    Reply
    • Hey Heather! That’s so lovely of you. Thanks for letting me know. I’ve got plenty of tips for Stockholm and Helsinki as have been recently 🙂 Have a great adventure and I’ll keep you in mind for Melbourne. Cx

      Reply

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