The guide to the best cafés in Stockholm

With their decadent French pastries, freshly-baked bread, excellent breakfast deals and homemade lunches, Fosch Artisan Pâtisserie draws in the crowds from morning until dinner time. In 2018 they won a prestigious award for Stockholm's best café.

Gilda’s Rum is a popular and cosy café with a distinct boho-chic vibe à la your kitschy grandmother. Settle into an armchair with a cuppa and pastry in hand. The candlelit interior offers a cheerful respite; during the summer the sun-drenched terrace facilitates prolonged coffee-sessions.

Judging by the classic interiors, this is a very traditional Swedish café. The atmosphere is laid-back and homely, perfect for anyone wanting to stay a while and work, eat lunch with friends or have a coffee in peace and quiet. Yet the menu is modern and on-trend, with Insta-friendly avocado on toast, smoothie bowls, omelettes and Asian salads. An excellent combination of two worlds.

Take a trip out to Herrängens Gård by Fruängen where you can go for a walk in leafy surroundings around Lake Långsjön before stopping for a cosy coffee or lunch at this historic house. They serve hearty lunch dishes and delicious cakes and pastries for the sweet-toothed.

Exposed brick walls, bistro chairs and top-notch ingredients. Pascal has quickly become a favourite café of in-the-know Stockholmers and both branches are stylish and ambitious - whether you're after breakfast, lunch or just a fantastic fika.

Robin Delselius Bakery, in warm, welcoming premises on Renstiernas gata, bakes everything by hand using carefully selected ingredients. Choose between bread, pastries and hearty sandwiches, soups and salads at the café, which is run by Robin Delselius. Delselius' grandfather founded the family bakery on Värmdö back in 1986, so you can definitely say that baking is in the blood here.

When you're in the mood to try something a bit different, head to Dirty Coco, where they serve up decadent desserts such as pancakes, waffles, chocolate fondue and chocolate-dipped strawberries. Eat in unique, completely pink premises, covered with thousands of flowers.

Top-notch ingredients and craftsmanship are the name of the game at Thelins, and have been for more than a hundred years. At this branch of Thelins on Kungsgatan they've retained a classic konditori feel, with natural materials, café chairs, cosy lighting and a long counter filled with sandwiches, cakes and pastries for all occasions and tastes. Drop by and pick up your goodies to take home with you, or why not stay and enjoy lunch and a glass of wine with a friend in the café.

This organic artisan bakery and popular café is housed in a former customshouse on Skeppsbrokajen. Have a coffee and cinnamon bun or sourdough sandwich and enjoy the view over the water, either indoors or outside when weather allows.

Stora Bageriet is run by veterans in the café industry, the same team who run Gast. Stora Bageriet serves specialty coffee, sourdough bread, sandwiches, natural wines and beer from local producers in the beautiful premises of Scenkonstmuseet, the Swedish Museum of Performing Arts

Kaferang is an ideal place to both start and end the day. Breakfast, lunch, brunch and coffee are on the menu, along with coffee, juice and alcoholic options. A modern combination of bistro and café, in other words.

Popular Vattenverket has two cafés. One connected to the bakery, which is housed in a former waterworks next to Lake Kottla (Kottlasjön). The other, just as warm and welcoming with the same excellent offering, can be found at Näset in Lidingö. Vattenverket baked the best saffron bun of 2022, according to Thatsup's taste test, so you can rest assured that the quality here is top notch.

You'll find Lykke Kaffegårder a stone's throw from Nytorget in Södermalm, serving everything from coffee to small dishes and cocktails. They're open all day, so drop by for an espresso, something to eat, or post-work drink. They're passionate about coffee and the coffee they serve comes from farms in which they're part-owners.

Annika and Lovisa, the mother and daughter team who run this popular café, have brought a small corner of France to Stockholm. The French are experts in exactly what this duo love: food, coffee, croissants, talking to people and hanging out in cafés.

A classic konditori where it feels as though time has stood still since the 1930s. Take a seat for lunch or breakfast, or coffee and dinner. During the summer months you can eat al fresco, with views over Vasa Park.

Grillska Huset is owned by Statsmissionen's charity. With emphasis on organic and local produce the menu combines international influences with Swedish tradition. Their award-winning pastries are well worth the trip.

A real Stockholm classic in the heart of town with a charming atmosphere and updated café and konditori selection. Sit and enjoy a long fika break in one of their many rooms, or take a seat in the inner courtyard in good weather. Vete-Katten has been on Kungsgatan since 1928 and their large range includes homemade chocolates.

French-inspired RC Café & Pâtisserie can be found at several addresses in Stockholm, and in the Regeringsgatan branch you can sit down and enjoy a coffee in a luxurious environment. The team here care about craftsmanship, top-notch service and quality ingredients that are kind to the planet. The counters are filled every day with freshly baked buns, bread and other goodies, and they also make their own chocolate pralines. If you're really hungry, there are healthy salads and sandwiches to tuck into.

Amidst Bergius Botanical Garden an old conservatory has been converted into lovely café and farmers market complete with an outdoor terrace for sunny afternoons. Gamla Orangeriet offers fresh pastries, food and coffee from a local coffee roaster. The café is a popular destination, be it summer or winter.

This concept at this Nytorget café fits right in in the hip surroundings of Södermalm. This means healthy, fresh and colourful dishes for breakfast, brunch, lunch and coffee, often vegan and gluten-free.

Il Caffè is a favourite of freelancers, so it's often full of laptop-wielding hipsters working on their next pitch. If you want to get in with the in-crowd, head to one of the cafés which can be found in Kungsholmen, Södermalm and the city centre - and in LA, but hey, it's Stockholm's best cafés we're talking about here.

Buns and bread galore are served at this popular spot close to Östra Station. The two-storey industrial-style café serves both sweet and savoury treats and you can eat in or grab your goodies to go.

Enjoy brunch and coffee and cakes all day at Lemon Garden in Solna, which serves up a sunny brunch concept inspired by Tulum in Mexico. Tropical vibes abound, with colourful fruit on the plate and leafy, laid-back surroundings.  

Enjoy homemade food and homebaked cakes and pastries in a charming former apothecarist's residence in Upplands Väsby. Step into the yellow wooden villa and take a seat, read a book or play a boardgame. During the summer months you can sit in the leafy garden, if the weather allows. They serve simple lunches every day such as soups and salads and you'll always find gluten and lactose-free, as well as vegan, options on the menu.

Time has stood still at Gunnarsons in Skanstull. Buy buns and bread with you from the own bakery downstairs, or go upstairs and enjoy food and coffee upstairs.

Tösse gained notoriety for their semmel wrap, i.e. a semla Lenten bun in the form of a wrap, but they make equally delicious cakes and pastries during the other months of the year. Several of the staff have been part of the national chef team and the national pastry team, and even won pastry chef of the year - including Mattias Ljungberg, who runs the café and is one of Sweden's and the world's best-known pastry chefs.

An espresso on the run, a filling long breakfast, coffee, lunch or a little pizza and wine? At Non Solo Bar in the middle of Rörstrandsgatan you can get coffee, sweet treats and food from early morning until early evening. 

Early morning or late afternoon, whatever time you drop by the family who run Abrahamsbergs Café want you to feel happy and right at home here . Like you're hanging out in a second living room, in other words. The menu includes breakfast and lunch, and naturally there's a wide selection of cakes and breakfasts. At weekends they serve a classic brunch. 

Decidedly Parisian Saturnus offers petite dejuner, lunch and baked goods throughout the day. Despite classic offerings such as croissant and pain au chocolat the Swedish influences are apparent, illustrated by the gigantic cinnamon and cardamom buns proudly displayed upon the counter.

After a promenade around the scenic gardens of Rosendal and Djurgården an afternoon pick-me-up is a prerequisite. The greenhouse-cum-café offers a completely organic menu with biodynamic food and pastries.

Colourful Vurma doesn't hold back - they make their food and coffee with an abundance of natural ingredients and love. During the summer months, the outdoor terrace with a view of the water draws in the crowds, while the cosy interior is the place to be during cool autumn and winter evenings.

Feast on fresh, colourful bowls, sandwiches and cakes and pastries in equally fresh surroundings. The leafy café with its fruity menu is reminiscent of healthfood joints in warmer parts of the world, such as Los Angeles and Bali.

KMK, the Royal Motor Boat Club, is perhaps best known as a central waterside restaurant with a welcoming, cosy atmosphere. And KMK is all that, but it's also a curated wine bar with fun snacks, smaller dishes and pizza. And of course sweet cakes and pastries. All with a view of the canal, boating and Djurgården on the other side of the water.

This homely, cosy café in Birkastan is a combination of café and wine bar, making it an ideal spot to go to eat, have a coffee or a glass of wine after work. The atmosphere is peaceful and relaxed, so drop by for a coffee and a chat with a friend or a quiet work session. The idea is that afternoon coffee should easily segue into a post-work glass of wine, champagne, cava, beer or a non-alcoholic alternative. 

Drink coffee like a true Italian at this classic espresso bar in Bibliotekstan. Sempre is something of a hidden gem, tucked away on a city-centre side street but once you find it, Italian coffee and pastries such as cantuccini and cornetto await.

Café Fix is ​​said to be the city's oldest café, with a history that dates back to 1910. Their menu may have changed since then, but the rustic feel remains thanks to exposed brick walls and well-preserved interiors details. The menu includes hearty hot dishes, sandwiches and coffee, along with vegetarian and vegan options.

City bakery Brot bakes everything on site using the so-called cold fermentation method, which means mixing dough the day before and letting them develop their flavours in the fridge for 12–16 hours. It makes for loaves with a crisp exterior and delicious interior. But they're not only experts in bread, they also bake cakes and pastries and make ice cream that can be enjoyed on the spot.

The combination at Karla Café may seem unusual. You can eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, drink a glass of wine - and even eat sushi here. It's proved a popular concept, with something for all tastes at at all times of day. 

In what used to be the PUB department store building on Hötorget, you'll now find the Haymarket by Scandic hotel with its restaurant, bar and café, Gretas on the ground floor. Enjoy a healthy fika in updated 1920s surroundings inspired by the heyday of Greta Garbo. A light, airy meeting place that also has an outdoor dining area open in the summer months.