Favourite Fika spots in Gothenburg for your coffee fix

One thing you’ll learn pretty quickly when you arrive in Gothenburg is that the Swedes are big coffee drinkers. They even have a word for the coffee break – it’s called Fika. Fika can mean a cup of coffee or a social event where you meet friends or colleagues for a coffee and a chat.

When you’re in Gothenburg you’ll want to take a break from the sightseeing. Find a cosy bolthole in winter or an interesting courtyard in summer to watch the world go by. Here are some of our favourite Fika spots from our trip to Gothenburg;

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Cafe Kringlan

In the picturesque old working neighbourhood of Haga, we found a weekend Christmas market going on all along Haga Nygata, the main street. This is where you’ll find Cafe Kringlan, marked by the golden bagel hanging outside.

First we listened to an impromptu student choir on a street corner and followed a marching band up the street. Then we squeezed into Cafe Kringlan for a restorative milky coffee.

The place was packed and I liked the look of the pretty room at the back. But after queuing at the counter laden with the traditional cinnamon buns and other tempting pastries we carried our glass mugs of coffee the only free seat by the door.

Outside cakes and buns were also being sold including the golden saffron buns that are a speciality at Christmas time. Find Cafe Kringlan at Haga Nygatan 13.

Cafe Husaren

Nearby is Cafe Husaren, also in Haga, just a few minutes from Cafe Kringlan. It is reputed to the the place where they invented the Cinnamon buns that are a traditional Gothenburg treat. These buns are served in many of the cafes around the city.

The buns are so enormous that they’ll probably keep you going from breakfast until dinner if you have one with your late morning coffee. You can see the cinnamon buns prettily piled up in the window of Cafe Husaren as you pass by on Haga Nygata. Find Cafe Husaren at Haga Nygata 28.

Le Petit Cafe

Much further down Haga Nyata is Le Petit Cafe where we ended up one early evening when everything else was closing in Haga. I like the vintage feel of this friendly cafe with a traditional Swedish feel.

It featured painted wooden furniture, pretty turquoise chinoiserie wallpaper and lots of antique finds scattered around. There are benches with cushions but we sat at the stools in the window. With our coffee and slice of chocolate cake we watched the dusk fall in Gothenburg. Le Petit Cafe is at Haga Nygata 2.

Cafe Kronhuset

Distinctive Cafe Kronhuset is set in a different area of the city to the cafes mentioned in Haga. It’s in the Nordstaden neighbourhood, close to the port and the Maritiman Maritime museum.

The Kronhuset or Crown house is an old artillery store, built in the 1650s in Dutch style with red brick walls and distinctive copper roof and window shutters. It is reputed to be one of the oldest buildings in Gothenburg.

In the courtyard next to the Kronhuset are a number of small craft workshops. Cafe Kronhuset is here also, which is very cosy in winter and has tables in the courtyard to sit in summer.

We sat inside near the back where a fire was burning next to the old anvil. The cafe is a great place for a light lunch of open sandwich or salad as well as coffee and cakes. You can hear us talking about the Fika in Cafe Kronhuset in my Gothenburg podcast. Find Cafe Kronhuset at Postgatan 6-8, 411 13 Göteborg

Da Matteo

Locally known Da Matteo seems to be the local’s Fika choice for great coffee and there are three different branches in Gothenburg that we found. In Victoriapassagen is a small coffee shop where you can sit on a bar stool and watch the world walk along the passage.

Or, the two branches in Magasingaten, one of which is the bakery where they make the bread at the back and grind the coffee. I hear the pizzas are great here at lunchtime. If you’re in Magasingaten on a weekday lunchtime do also look out for the Strömmingsluckan herring cart. They sell traditional Swedish Fried Herring with mashed potato and lingonberry sauce.

More things to enjoy in Gothenburg

Eight Swedish Foods to try in Gothenburg – video
Staying in Luxury with Mother Svea at Hotel Elite Plaza in Gothenburg

Visitor Information for Gothenburg or Göteborg

• The local tourism site Göteborg.com is full of information on the best things to see and do
• For information on West Sweden visit the West Sweden Tourism site
• If you plan to do a lot of sightseeing it’s worth getting the Gothenburg City Card which will allow you entrance to all the major attractions as well as public transport. Look out for the deals that some hotels offer that include a Gothenburg Card with the hotel booking.
• We stayed at the classic 5 star hotel, Elite Plaza Hotel which is in the Inom Vallgraven district and walking distance from most of the sights of Gothenburg.
• We took flights to Gothenburg from London Heathrow with Scandinavian Airlines who have 2 flights a day to Gothenburg’s Landvetter airport, a 30 minute taxi or bus ride from the city.
• If you’d like to use a guidebook during your visit to Gothenburg I’d recommend the conveniently sized Thomas Cook Gothenburg Pocket Guide which we used.

Thanks to West Sweden Tourism Board who *hosted our weekend break in Gothenburg

* More info on my policies page

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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