Where to find the best "semlor" Lenten buns in Stockholm

At Pesso, they bake everything from scratch, without any unnecessary additives and with a large dollop of love. The bakery's classic semla is generous, with crunchy almonds and a carefully balanced mix of cream, almond paste, and bun. In Thatsup's major annual semla taste test 2024, Pesso was crowned the very best in Stockholm. 

Top-notch ingredients are the order of the day at Haga Tårtcompani & Bageri. Their semlor are filled with creamy almond paste made with roughly-chopped Valencia almonds, and they serve a plant-based version with fluffy oat cream flavoured with vanilla if you prefer. If you want to feed a crowd, or you're just really hungry, you can pre-order their semla cake. In Thatsup's major semla taste test in 2023, Haga Tårtcompani was voted best in Stockholm. 

This family-owned stone-oven bakery won the title Semla of the Year in Thatsup's major digital competition in 2021. Vallentuna Stenugnsbageri serves classic semlor with roughly-chopped Valencia almonds, as well as semlor filled with vanilla cream. If you want to be sure of bagging a semla on Shrove Tuesday pre-ordering is recommended.

Bullar & Bröd won Best Semla in Stockholm in 2020 for the second year in a row, in a major competition organised by Thatsup and Smakdomarna Stockholm. Their moist bun, almond paste full of crunchy almond bits and excellent whipped cream sent Bullar & Bröd straight to first place.

A truly classic konditori well known for their popular semlor. They bake them here every year, and you don't need to worry about missing the season as they're sold from the beginning of the new year until Easter. Perfect for a long coffee break in one of the charmingly old-fashioned rooms. You can even order different variations, for example with vanilla cream instead of almond paste, and vegan semlor. 

This uberclassic café between Odengatan and Sankt Eriksplan always ranks highly on Thatsup's annual semla taste test. Tuck into a traditional semla or a liquorice-flavoured semla, or why not try their Karlsbader semla, which promises extra fluff. A perfect semla stop for anyone who fancies doing a little ice skating in Vasaparken before or after their semla.

This popular artisanal bakery a stone's throw from Odenplan sells semlor made with cardamom and plenty of almond paste made from roughly chopped almonds and cream. Drop by and buy a semla to take away or enjoy one in the bakery.

This organic artisan bakery on Skeppsbrokajen sells a classic semla, as well as a croissant semla, which you can enjoy with beautiful views over the water. You can also buy from their bread busses; check their website for their current location.

Winner of the Best Semla of the Year award in 2018, in a test organised by a group of expert tasters. You're guaranteed a truly fresh semla at Brioche, as they never serve buns more than four hours old. You can try your semla served "hetvägg" style - with warm milk - here too.

The semlor at Lillebrors Bageri in Birkastan are as well-known as they are popular, so you'll often find a queue out of the door. Their classic semla has roughly-chopped almonds and a hint of vanilla, but they constantly coming out with new variations.

Tössebageriet, which was the talk of the town in 2015 with their innovative 'semmelwrap', serves award-winning classic semlors from the beginning of the new year onwards. Keep an eye out for other limited-edition modern variations.

Enjoy a lactose-free semla filled with Valencia almond paste and whipped cream at this pâtisserie, konditori and café in Tyresö Strand. The semlor are baked using organic ingredients and are left to prove for a long time for a fuller flavour. Linnea's is run by Linnea Andrae, winner of the Swedish version of The Great British Bake Off.

Since opening their bakery and café in Zinkensdamm in 2020, Svedjan has become a great success. They're especially famous for their moist semlor with lightly whipped cream and almond paste flavoured with blood orange - a recipe that's been a huge hit with semla aficionados.

Drop by Konditorn & Bagarn in Hökarängen for breakfast, lunch or a coffee or to buy freshly baked bread, pastries and other goodies. Tuck into delicious semlor, baked with love. Ring and order your bun in advance if you want to be sure of bagging a bun.

A small organic bakery and café on Kungsholmen that sells semlor like hotcakes. Whether you prefer a classic semla or if you want to challenge tradition a bit, you'll find a bun to suit you - how about a cardamom bun semla, chocolate ball semla or a croissant semla? Pick up your Lenten buns to go or eat in in the cosy café along with a cup of coffee. 

Socker Sucker's baked goods are famous for their photo-friendly aesthetics, and that goes for the semlor too. Choose between classic, vegan and "laminated" with crispy croissant dough. All of them are filled with their homemade almond paste made from roasted Valencia almonds, a pinch of bitter almonds, vanilla and cardamom. From time to time new variants pop up, so keep an eye on their Instagram.

When it gets close to Shrove Tuesday, the queue of semla fanatics can stretch around the block at popular Bageriet BAK, which opened in Hökarängen in 2019. They bake a large, fluffy semla with generous amounts of cream and almond paste made from scratch.

Enjoy the popular semlor at Vattenverket, a stone-oven bakery and café i beautiful old industrial premises right next to Lake Kottla in Lidingö. Vattenverket's semlor are served every day from early morning during the season.

Balders Bröd is an artisan bakery with branches in northern Stockholm, with their main bakery in Sollentuna. They make everything from rolls and buns to cakes, pastries and cookies. When it comes to semlor, they have a wide selection of exciting variations to choose from. Paradise for all semla fanatics!

Bröd & Salt has stores all over Stockholm and you can buy their popular semlor in classic, nut-free and vegan variations. They'll be making their famous pistachio semlor again this year and if you prefer plant-based they also have a vegan semla.

Park Café is a classic café where everything is baked right next to the café, from early morning until late in the afternoon. The selection varies depending on the season, but during semla season you're sure to find these Lenten treats behind the counter. The café is run by food lover Maryam Rydén, who also runs the White Guide-awarded Viggbyholm station café.

Artipelag's konditori, whose head pasty chef Annie Hesselstad was pastry chef for the Nobel banquet in 2022 and 2023, serves classic semlor baked from scratch using organic flour and coarsely ground cardamom. The filling consists of almond paste with toasted almonds, a dash of cognac and lightly whipped cream - a great reason to head out to Artipelag.

Panem on Stora Nygatan in the Old Town is a luxurious combination of bakery, konditori, café and bistro. You can sample their semlor - which consist of a wheat bun flavoured with cardamom, filled with salt-toasted almonds and fluffy cream - right up until Easter.

Spånga Konditori is well worth the short trip from Stockholm city. This is where you'll find the semla that came second in Thatsup's major semla taste test in 2023. Coarse almond paste, softly whipped cream and chopped almonds characterise this classic bakery's semla.

Mr Cake is run by star pastry chef Roy Fares, who combines Swedish fika culture with American café culture. Choose between a classic semla and a vegan semla with caramelised almond fillng and vanilla chantilly made from oat cream. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday they also make a limited number of fried "cronutsemlor" - a croissant/doughnut/semla hybrid.

Eat classic semlor complete with triangular "lids" and fluffy whipped cream at Thelins konditoris. If you're looking for a slightly more luxurious experience you can visit Thelins Grand Grand Café & Vinbar in the heart of Kungsträdgården park, otherwise they have locations all over town.

Magnus Johansson Bageri & Konditori in Hammarby Sjöstad goes all-in on semlor around Shrove Tuesday. In addition to their classic semla they experiment with various flavours, and they offer a plant-based semla. Do you want to treat your semla-loving pal? Buy them a gift card from the bakery that's good for a large semla. 

Take a walk out to Djurgården and sample the organic semlor at Rosendals Trädgård. They bake fluffy semlor with plenty of almond paste, lightly whipped cream and a round lid. The beautiful garden surroundings are an extra reason to make the trip out of the city.

The popular semlor they serve at this stone-oven bakery are large, classic and made completely from scratch from top-quality ingredients. Roughly-chopped almond paste with bitter almonds and fluffy whipped cream are the order of the day. They also make vanilla semlor.

Small and very popular hole-in-the-wall famous for being sourdough pros. They serve traditional semlor with stone oven-baked buns, almond paste and hand-whipped cream.

The Lenten buns at Viggbyholms Stationscafé in Täby draw in semla fans from near and far, and they're a regular feature every year. Their semlor are made entirely from scratch using cardamom, whipped cream and coarsely chopped almonds.

It's no secret that Kosterheds in Solna loves semlor. The popular bun pops up here every now and then all year round, in the form of midsummer semlor with strawberries, cinnamon bun semlor and saffron semlor. During the first months of the year, the counters are filled with classic semlor, mini semlor and semlor with vanilla cream instead of almond mass. This year they'll also be doing creamy semla biskvi pastries. Four-legged friends are welcome here, and can even enjoy doggy ​​ice cream.

A good old-fashioned konditori on Södermalm whose semlor, finely powdered with icing sugar, are always popular during semla season. As well as classic semlor they also have buns with extra toasted Valencia almonds, vanilla semlor or an extra large luxury semla - for anyone who can't get enough of a good thing. They also bake vegan and gluten-free semlor. 

The semla they serve at the popular bakery at Camilla Hamid's cafe in Vasastan is in line with the place's name - Sweets. Here, the bun is filled with a sweet, caramelised almond paste with chopped almonds. Unless you choose the vanilla semla, which instead contains homemade vanilla cream. There's also a semla mud cake, for anyone who wants to try something new.

Stora Bageriet's semla is highly regarded by many Stockholmers, and it's available in both Vasastan and Östermalm. The recipe for success includes gently whipped cream, slightly coarser almond paste with a pinch of salt, and plenty of chopped almonds on top. Hetvägg (semla served in warm milk) is offered for those who prefer it, and if you want to try something different, why not try some semla porridge.

This popular stone-oven bakery (which also has branches in London) produces some of the best bread in the city, and they also make a mean semla, which coarsely ground cardamom, beautifully piped whipped cream and thickly powdered triangular lids. They also serve a vegan semla, if you prefer, and one made with a classic cardamom bun. 

If you want a really classic semla - and find yourself in the Årsta area - head to Årsta Konditori in the square. They serve popular semlor topped with large lids powdered with icing sugar in the konditori's well preserved Fifties setting.

This gluten-free bakery and konditori in Kungsholmen serves bread and pastries with an emphasis on craftsmanship. Their semlor are made with naturally gluten-free ingredients and filled with almond paste and lactose-free cream topped with toasted almonds.

Malvas is a small gluten-free artisanal bakery on Vikingagatan in Birkastan. Tuck into gluten-free semlor with beautifully piped cream and a triangular lid powdered with icing sugar. There's also a vanilla semla which is filled with vanilla cream instead of almond paste, which can be pre-ordered. Keep an eye on the bakery's Instagram for info on which days the semlor are available, and send an order.

If you find yourself in Sundbyberg needing sweet treats without gluten, head to Café Så Gott. They serve gluten-free semlor with large lids and fluffy lactose-free cream.

Gullegårdens stone-oven bakery in Gärdet is especially popular with Stockholmers who want to avoid gluten. They serve creamy semlor all season, all of which are naturally gluten-free. If you'd like a gluten-free vegan or vanilla semla you can also pre-order these.