The best cafés in Södermalm

Visiting this Södermalm café, on a popular street next to Nytorget, feels like going home to your granny's house. They serve home-baked cakes and pastries and coffee if you're in the mood for a classic fika, as well as more substantial lunches such as grilled sourdough sandwiches and salads.  

Award-winning Café Pascal came to SoFo and Skånegatan at the end of 2017. Just as at their Norrtullsgatan and Sturegatan cafés, they serve breakfast, salads, a daily hot dish, coffee and homemade smoothies. The decor is possibly even more Scandinavian, with natural tones, plenty of wood and industrial influences.  

Great coffee takes centre stage at Lykke Kaffegårdar, but they also serve delicious small dishes, cocktails, wine and craft beer. They're open from morning until evening for anyone who wants to enjoy a fika or have something to eat. Their coffee comes from their own coffee plantations and is produced in a sustainable way. 

Svedjan started out as a bakery in a converted barn in Skellefteå, where you could look out over the cows and meadows while enjoying your cinnamon bun. You won't see any cows and meadows in the café and bakery's new surroundings in Zinkensdamm, but a whole lot of bread and pastries that have received an enormous amount of love from their guests.

Countless regulars come to enjoy a coffee in the midst of Södermalm's hustle and bustle on Mariatorget at coffee roastery Johan & Nyström's coffee bar. As well as coffee, they also serve pastries and sandwiches from early morning. In the summer, the outdoor seating area on Swedenborgsgatan is a popular meeting spot.

The very best kind of classic Swedish konditori. This family bakery serves top quality cakes, pastries and bread and you'll find most of the traditional konditori favourites on the menu. Grab a coffee, order a cream cake or buy coffee to take home with you. 

This healthfood café is run by a team of women whose ambition is make food that's good for both body and soul, in a creative way. Everything is vegetarian and they're passionate about the environment and animals (which means lots of guests take their four-legged friends in with them). The menu includes smoothie bowls, salads, juices, wraps and rawfood - all made from scratch. 

En halv trappa ner specialises in fresh salads with top quality ingredients which you can choose from the menu or create yourself. They work with several trusted partners; their coffee comes from Johan & Nyström, bread, cakes and pastries are delivered from the Dessert & Choklad bakery, herbs and spices come from Eter & Essencefabrik and Folkölsbutiken provide the (low-alcohol) beer. During the summer months they lay out a little outdoor dining area.  

This café on Bergssunds strand is always full of people, who come for breakfast, lunch and coffee all day. The sunny outdoor spot is particularly popular during the summer months. The menu includes masses of salads, grilled sandwiches and delicious cakes and pastries - but you'll have to do without Wifi. 

This popular coffee bar in the heart of Bysistorget is a top spot for great coffee, sandwiches and nice vibes. It's particular popular during the summer months, when they open up their sunny dining area in the square. 

When you enter Café Blå Lotus you're met by an interior very much inspired by India. The café has been on Skånegatan in Sofo for many years, and remains eternally popular. The selection consists of coffee and tea, sweet cakes and pastries, salads, sandwiches, a hot daily dish, and beer and wine if you fancy. 

Gunnarson's Specialkonditori has existed on Götgatan for as long as we can remember, ever since 1946. The patisserie is on two floors, one where you can buy buns, cakes, pastries and bread, and one where you can sit and have coffee. The café also includes outdoor seating where you can sit and look out over Götgatan in the summer.

No cheats or shortcuts are allowed in the bakery and kitchen at Paulinas; everything is made from scratch with carefully selected and often locally sourced ingredients. Whether it's breakfast, lunch, a snack, or after-work drinks, whenever you visit, you'll find a variety of savoury and sweet options to choose from, as well as freshly baked bread that you can enjoy on-site or to take home. Dogs are also welcome here.

Pop into this little shop and treat yourself to some freshly made cream toffee, a cup of coffee, and maybe a homemade soft ice cream during the warmer months of the year. At Pärlans Konfektyr, you can pick and choose from their selection of handmade caramels in both classic and creative styles, and even buy a luxury gift box for someone you care about.

Cycle culture is booming in Stockholm and there are a number of cycle cafés around town, including organic Cykelcafé Le Mond on Södermannagatan. Cycling aficionados and ordinary café visitors alike come here for healthy breakfasts, fresh lunches, a cup of coffee or post-work drinks. 

You can always count on good coffee here, whether you want filter coffee, espresso or a latte. As well as coffee there are always various food options such as grilled sandwiches, buns and sweet treats. Il Café is almost always packed and a popular spot for people who want to stay a while and work or study. 

Ölkemi Coffee is under the same roof as the beer bar and brewery Ölkemi. The concept is brought to you by Brit Stephen Leighton, who is passionate about specialty coffee and providing guests with a genuine experience. Enjoy your coffee alongside fresh sandwiches and freshly fried donuts.

Situated on the shoreline of Långholmen island, Henriksvik is a historic café, surrounded by a leafy garden. Take a seat outside and tuck into homebaked goodies and simple lunches. Their cakes and pastries are made using organic ingredients as far as possible and are flavoured with fruit and berries from their own kitchen gardens. 

If you're a real coffee aficionado you might already know about Drop Coffee, if not, you shouldn't miss it. You can order sandwiches, buns and a wide selection of award-winning coffees here. Media types jostle with in-the-know tourists and local regulars here, and many choose to make it their office for the day. 

Vete-Katten has managed the art of staying up to date while simultaneously preserving their long heritage. There are several cafés, counters and branches under the Vete-Katten umbrella, and in 2023 it was time for Södermalm to get its own “wheat cat”. Eat a light café lunch, or enjoy a great cup of coffee and a bun baked in the traditional way.

Kaferang manages to combine being a café and bistro; you can come here either to kickstart or round off the day. Whether you want chia pudding or American pancakes for breakfast, a fresh salad or sandwiches for lunch or a glass of wine with a charcuterie platter in the evening, you'll find a warm welcome at Kaferang. 

Just as the name - which means "beloved traditions - suggests, they love tradition here. Particularly Swedish ones, and particularly the kind you'll encounter when you happen to come across a waffle café on a Sunday walk and go in to enjoy a freshly-made waffle with sweet or savoury toppings. 

St:Paul has made a name for itself for its delicious buns and bread, particularly the semlor Lenten buns that fans make a pilgrimage across the city for. But even when it's not semla season, they're a popular choice for coffee, with a selection that changes with the seasons and great coffee.

Fern & Fika (previously STHLM RAW) in Hornstull is a health food café with food for health- and environmentally-conscious diners. Food is vegan, with lots of raw food and organic elements. The selection includes nutritious smoothies, modern lunch dishes, healthy breakfast, sandwiches, wraps and sweet treats free from gluten, lactose and sugar. The café is bright and airy and a great place to get some work done. 

The first of the two Pom & Flora cafés opened in Sofo, before expanding to Vasastan. This Pom & Flora is on the corner of Bondegatan and Borgmästargatan, with a small outdoor dining area on the pavement during the summer months. All-day-breakfast is the order of the day here, with homemade smoothie bowls, avocado on toast, porridge and croissants. 

Overnight oats, croissants, freshly-pressed juice, bowls, raw food and quality coffee. Omayma's menu is fresh and Insta-friendly, with an emphasis on vegetarian and vegan food. Come by for breakfast, lunch and coffee all week, though you may need to wait for a seat at weekends as Omayma gets pretty popular with other guests in the mood for trendy health food. 

Bagels are thought to have originated in Poland before spreading all over the world, thank to Jewish emigrants. The bagel is a multi-faceted type of bread which is often baked with different flavours and can be filled with an endless array of fillings. And that's the whole idea at The Bagel on Västgötagatan. You can also buy coffee, delicious cakes and pastries and salads here.