What to eat & drink 🥦 in Sweden. Food to try in restaurants, cafés, bakeries, and grocery stores

Ärtsoppa

Swedish yellow pea soup — thick and hearty. Made with dried yellow peas, sometimes pork (optional), and a bit of mustard on the side. It’s simple, old-school comfort food, often followed by thin pancakes for dessert.

Räkmacka

A shrimp sandwich piled high with cold-water prawns, boiled eggs, lettuce, mayo, and lemon—usually served open-faced on rye or white bread. It’s fresh, juicy, and kind of a big deal at cafés and airport lounges.

Kebabpizza

A wild Swedish mashup — classic pizza topped with döner-style kebab meat, garlic sauce, sometimes lettuce, onions, and even fries.

Probably not viking's food but for sure a big thing in modern Sweden.

Köttbullar,
Swedish meatballs

Small, tender balls of ground beef or pork (sometimes both), seasoned with onion, salt, and pepper. They’re pan-fried and served with creamy brown gravy, mashed potatoes, and a spoonful of tart lingonberry jam.

And yes, as a rule, meatballs in Swedish restaurant will be different from regular IKEA meatballs.

Photo by Emanuel Ekström

Raggmunk, 
potato pancakes

Crispy potato pancakes — kind of like hash browns but thinner and pan-fried like a crepe. They’re made with grated raw potatoes mixed into a light batter, then fried until golden. Usually served with fried pork and lingonberry jam.

Plankstek

Sweden’s take on steak and potatoes—with flair. It’s a grilled steak served on a wooden plank, surrounded by piped mashed potatoes, and topped with bearnaise sauce. Sometimes there’s bacon-wrapped asparagus or tomatoes too.

Smörgåstårta, sandwich cake

It’s layered with creamy fillings like shrimp, salmon, eggs, or ham, then frosted with mayo or cream cheese and topped with veggies, herbs, or seafood.

Popular at student parties, graduations, family gatherings, and office events.

Food in cafés and bakeries

Kanelbulle,
cinnamon buns

Station is right in the heart of Stockholm, surrounded by cool parks and near the Royal Palace.

Photo by Jessica Guzik

Semla,
bun with almond and cream

A fluffy Swedish cardamom bun filled with almond paste and whipped cream. It looks like a cute little cream puff with a powdered sugar top. Traditionally served from January and until Easter.

Photo by Poul Hoang

Food & drinks in grocery stores

Smörgåskaviar,
spread for bread

A creamy Swedish spread made from smoked cod roe. It comes in a toothpaste-like tube and tastes salty, a bit fishy, and slightly smoky. You’ll often see it at hotel breakfasts — squeezed onto crispbread or eggs.

Sill, pickled herring

It comes in jars with flavors like mustard, onion, or dill. Salty, tangy, a little sweet. Usually eaten with boiled potatoes, sour cream, and crispbread.

Djungelvrål, salty liquorice

Salty licorice coated in even more salty licorice powder. First bite? Intense. Total love-it-or-hate-it snack.

Julmust or midsommermust,
Swedish cola

Swedish Christmas soda — dark, fizzy, and kind of like a mix between root beer and cola with a malty twist. It’s sweet and only shows up around the holidays. Swedes drink tons of it — more than Coke in December.

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