Blooms

Blooms
St Paulsgatan 24
mon/fri 8am-6pm
sat/sun 10am-5pm
08 6409036

Winter is upon us here in Stockholm. It's cold, rainy, dark. People go quite and everybody wears black.
No more coffee at the park, no more bicycle rides. So what to do? Now that it's cold there's nothing cozier than going for breakfast to good cafes around the neighborhood. One of my favorite ones is 'Blooms', a bakery located in 'maria torget', a neighborhood full of independent shops and galleries. Everything is freshly baked on premises (a rarity in Sweden) and they make the best coffee ever.

Now it's time to wear black in the dark, and to drink dark black coffee. It'll keep you warm and cozy. It's winter after all.

La Neta

La Neta
Barnuhsgatan 2
08411 5880

I usually write about coffee. Where to go for good coffee, this or that cappuccino, blah blah.
But not today. Today i'm going mexican. Sweden might be an unlikely place to enjoy mexican food, but hey, I'm always open for some good tacos, even in cold Sweden.
I almost gave up on mexican food here, that is until I heard of La Neta.
The other day I was working around the downtown area. It was cold, I was starving. Luckily, I remembered this small place owned and ran by mexicans.
They offer a simple and affordable menu: tacos and quesadillas.
The food was everything mexican food should be: delicious, fresh and spicy.. The staff was friendly and I got to finally use my spanish in Stockholm. 'La Neta' means 'for real' or 'the truth' in mexican (I know, I know), which is a perfect name for this restaurant. Their food is truthfully good. For real.

Cocovaja

Cocovaja
St. Eriksgatan 109

Living, working and developing a business in Sweden is certainly not easy. But there are a few things that definitely help. Friends, family support (even from a distance) and some sort of familiar habits or routines. For me, that's going for coffee.
There's nothing I love more than a smooth cup of coffee. And that's something I've enjoyed in every city i've lived. A friend of mine who's a fellow expat and a talented designer and blogger, recommended Cocovaja. I actually read about this place in a book a couple of years ago, and have been curious about it ever since. But never made it there cos it's on the other side of town. But, after her recommendation I decided to take the subway and head over there.
This is probably the smallest cafe I've been to, so after securing one of the two tables on offer I ordered a cappuccino. It was the best coffee I've had in Stockholm so far. And that's a big statement, since coffee is good in general around here.
The owner is super friendly and is always at hand to give any coffee advice. He's a coffee geek and prepares mighty cappuccinos. And that's good.
Like I said, it's not easy living and working in Stockholm, but places like Cocovaja, make me feel a bit more at home. Even if I need to take the subway.

Barista cafe @ Victoria

Barista Fair Trade Coffee
Götgatan 67
08-6418840

To me, breakfast is a reward to myself for waking up early. The air is fresh, the streets are quite. I barely understand what's going on. But as soon as I have breakfast, I'm happily awake . Suddenly it all makes sense.
Moving from NY to Stockholm is not easy, especially if you are a breakfast geek. From creamy scramble eggs to veggie burritos and muffins and bagels, NY is breakfast heaven.
Sweden might well be a fabian utopia, but as far as breakfasts go.. it could be better..
Still, sometimes before going for work, I stop over at 'barista', a cafe located at Victoria, Stockholm's best independent film movie theater.
Every morning they serve granola and yoghurt, cheese sandwiches and smooth fair trade coffee. The place is also open till later, so you can grab some coffee and go watch a good film.
And what can be better than coffee and a good movie? Breakfast in New York, of course.

Louie Louie

Louie Louie
Bondegatan 13

I read somewhere that Stockholm had a record number of visitors this season. That's definitely good news for the local economy, and that makes me very happy.
What doesn't make me very happy is that summer is coming to an end. No more flip flops and shorts. No more sitting under the sun for hours doing nothing. It's time to go back indoors. Time for umbrellas and scarves. Time to hibernate. And what better to place to do so than a nice coffee shop, with great music and an always interesting crowd? What better place than Louie Louie? Located on SOFO's best street, this cafe has become a classic in the area. From affordable breakfasts to popular afternoon coffee there's always something good to eat.
Oh, and there's a nice outdoors sitting area, just in case it's sunny.
It's not winter yet, after all..

rulle

I heard about this fast food thing called rulle. I've never had it, cos it contains a sausage and as a veggie, sausages are just no fun. But it also has lettuce and mashed potatoes, which I love.. Amazingly all wrapped up on a flat bread.
Not that long ago I tried the veggie version of it.
A good friend of mine, came from NYC for a couple of days. He works for the rock band 'TV on the Radio' and they played at Debaser (probably the best venue in Stockholm).
I didn't have time to eat a proper dinner, so I headed directly to Debaser hoping to grab something to eat on the way. And i did!
I went to this place that's right across the street where the show took place, and ate a veggie rulle.
Now, I'm not a big fast food lover, and usually I like taking my time when eating. But sometimes you just need something quick, cheap and filling. And filling it was.
This rulle thing didn't change my life, and i'm not a convert, but if you find yourself around Debaser about to see your favorite band, don't be shy. Head over to Maxi Grillen and order a rulle. It's cheap, quick and filling.
Sometimes that's all you need.

Kiosk Axel

Kiosk Axel
Åsögatan and Nytorgsgatan

During the colder days nothing beats staying at home with a warm cup of tea, a fresh cinnamon roll and good company. Talking about this and that, just hanging out and hoping for some cozy moments.
On the other hand, during the warmer days, nothing beats a good coffee outdoors.
One of the best things about summer in Stockholm are these cafes that pop up around town during the warm season. My favorite one? Kiosk Axel.
The always friendly staff serve smooth organic coffee, amazing sandwiches and a lunch salad. Supposedly they offer breakfast, but they are never open that early. So don't count on that. In fact, their opening hours are a little loose. They only open if the weather is good, and at the time they feel like, usually at around 10am. But that's ok. It's summer, after all.

Primo Ciao Ciao

Bondegatan 44
mon/fri 1030am-930pm
sat/sun noon-930pm
086400110

Sweden is the home of some of the most unlikely marriages. Like an interesting and much debated mix between socialism and capitalism, or kebab pizza. Need I explain more? Something tells me that kebab and pizza just don't go together, and still, it probably is the most popular fast food item around the country. Pretty much, anywhere you go in the country, especially in small towns, there's always a kebab pizza place. I'm not entirely sure how this came about, but I do know that the swedes love it.
Unfortunately I'm not into it, not only cos I'm a veggie, but even if I was a meat eater (and I'm not even sure what kind of meat, if any, kebab is) I wouldn't eat it.
I think pizza should be simple, prepared with the freshest ingredients and cooked in a wood burning oven, if possible. Now I don't mean to sound picky or anything, but pizza is sacred, unlike socialism or capitalism.
My favorite pizza place in Stockholm is Primo Ciao Ciao. Right down the street from my place, this tiny pizzeria is everything a good pizzeria should be. They offer affordable, fresh and deliciously thin and crispy pizza, prepared in a wood burning oven.
Also there's a good variety of italian goods and desserts, from lady fingers and tiramisu to fluffy panettones (bringing childhood christmas memories) and everything in between.
No kebab pizza here. That's fine by me.

Oslo

I read the story about a homeless man that died a millionaire. It seems he had collected so many cans and bottles that slowly made him quite a fortune.
The thing is he never got to enjoy it. He put it in a bank, penny by penny, year after year, for a long time.
He died of old age, still homeless but with lots of money in his bank account. This happened in Stockholm not that long ago.
I was just visiting Oslo, and that story came to mind. Norway is one of the richest countries in the world, what with all that oil and gas in the North Sea. But apparently norwegians don't get to enjoy any of the riches that come from it. In fact Norway has one of the highest tax rates in the world, which certainly don't help much with the prices.
They are saving the money for the future. Unlike Dubai, for example, the norwegian government chose to leave most of that money untouched, just in case.
So, Oslo does look a little rough, and maybe the roads are a little run down.
Now having said that, I've found (or a good friend showed me, rather) a couple of amazing places that make a visit to this city way worth it.
There was this newish organic cafe called Food Story, that serves amazing breakfast. Delicious granola with organic yogurt, fluffy crossaints and home made jam saved the morning.
Just down the street from Food Story, there's Godt Brød, an all organic bakery. Perfect for a quick lunch, or afternoon coffee/tea. They have a great selection of freshly made sandwiches and pastries.
Also in the same neighborhood I went to probably one of the cutest cafes ever, Vespa Cafe.
Owned by a swede expat, Vespa, has more of an italian inspiration, it's pretty tiny, so finding a chair is a bit of a luxury. But still, nothing better than having a quick capuccino before continuing one's life journey.
Then.. my favorite part of the whole trip. After hanging out for a good couple of days I was recommended a tiny cafe, in a forgotten corner of Grünerløkka.
Tim Wendelboe is not your average coffee shop. It's a micro roastery, a coffee training center, and an importer of different variates of coffee beans.
They have a Clover machine, a la Marzocco espresso machine and all kinds of presses. I had bolivian coffee pressed in the Clover machine. It was amazing, creamy and fruity, non of the acidic flavor that usually comes with black coffee. Anyway, the place was perfect, the music, the service, the smell. I truly admire people that have a passion, and share it with others. Tim really made the experience of going for coffee an unforgettable one.
So after a few days in Oslo I almost feel like a homeless man, I'm honestly at the brink of bankruptcy (this city is one of the most expensive in the world, after all). But unlike that homeless man i was talking about earlier, I actually got to enjoy a bit. Now, i must go collect some cans and bottles.

goodstore

goodstore
Skånegatan 92
mon/fri 10am-8pm
sat 11am-6pm
sun 12pm-7pm
086414036

It's finally sunny and summery here in Stockholm. Which means that most people are happy and tanned. I'm mostly out all day, riding my bicycle, having picnics, and sitting at the park with my coffee and cinnamon roll. So I haven't been to many cafes lately. One place I have been for sure, is the goodstore. A small family grocery's store with the best selection of vegetarian and organic foods in town. The owners (mom and daughter) are always around to help out.
It's an organic store, a vegetarian store it's a good store.