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

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 semla with a twist - over the years they've served variations such as liquorice-flavoured semlor and their cinnamon bun semlor. A perfect semla stop for anyone who fancies doing a little ice skating in Vasaparken before or after their semla.

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 almonds and fluffy whipped cream. If you want to be sure of bagging a semla on Shrove Tuesday pre-ordering is recommended.

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.

K-märkt's cafés can be found at a few different addresses in Stockholm. The semlas served here are filled with smooth marzipan and topped with a generous amount of chopped almonds as well as lightly whipped cream. When Thatsup chose Stockholm's best semla in 2025, K-märkt took home the prestigious second place. 

A stone's throw from Odenplan, this popular artisanal bakery offers semlor made with organic flour from Warbo Kvarn, butter from Gårdö Mejeri, freshly ground cardamom, and plenty of almond paste with coarsely chopped Spanish Valencia almonds and lightly whipped cream. Pop in to buy a semla to take away or enjoy it on the spot in the small but cosy premises.

Organic artisan bakery Skeppsbro Bageri on Skeppsbrokajen, hasn't just won the hearts of Stockholmers with its classic semla, it also took first place in Thatsup's major semla test 2025. With views over the water, you can enjoy a tall and majestic bun with a generous cardamom flavour, almond paste with large almond pieces, and a proper dollop of cream. You can also shop from their bread vans, whose schedule is available on their website. 

If you're happy to travel a little way outside the city to get your hands on a really good semla, then Tegnérs Bageri is the destination to aim for. Everything is baked with craftsmanship and love, and in addition to this, their semla is made from a particularly delicious marzipan made with salt-roasted almonds, a small tower of cream, and a fluffy wheaten bun.

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 organic Valencia almonds, and they serve a lactose-free and a vegan version 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. 

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. 

Since opening their bakery and café in Zinkensdamm in autumn 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. They also serve their popular semla “hetvägg” style - in bowl of hot milk. 

Family-owned Café Crema can be found in both Bromma and Kungsholmen, where they serve breakfast, brunch, lunch, and snacks – as well as semlor throughout the whole semla season. With a fluffy bun, a generous amount of coarsely chopped almonds, and finely piped cream, Café Crema's semla secured fourth place when Thatsup named Stockholm's best semla in 2025. 

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 with roughly-chopped almonds and a hint of vanilla is always a hit.

Käcks Bakery in Sundbyberg has become a favourite among many of Stockholm's fika fans, and you may well have seen their talked-about pastries flash by in your feed. Their semla has also attracted people from all corners of the city and is considered by many to be among the best. Could it be the tower of whipped cream and coarsely ground almond paste that's the secret to their success?

Frost opened in autumn 2025 and quickly became a talking point on the Stockholm café scene. It's hardly surprising, given that the bakery's run by the former world champion in baking, Håkan Johansson, who runs the bakery alongside his wife Sacha. Despite it being their first semla season, there's already talk that Frost's semla is set to be one of the city's finest. This is thanks to a dense and juicy bun, generously filled with cream and marzipan, as well as chopped almonds. 

Brioche artisanal bakery tends to follow the seasons, which makes semlor an obvious feature over the early months of the year. You're guaranteed a really fresh cream bun here, as they should never be served older than four hours. If you want it served in the traditional “hetvägg” way, in a bowl of warm milk, that's available too. 

Tössebageriet was the talk of the town in 2015 with their innovative 'semmelwrap' which they now serve throughout semla season. Naturally, they also serve classic semlor, with creamy almond paste and freshly whipped cream, if you prefer. 

This popular stone-oven bakery 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 semla made with a classic cardamom bun.

Enskedeparkens Bageri is a real favourite for a coffee break outside the city, with its rural surroundings adding to the cosy atmosphere. The café's semla is made with heritage grains and is a moist delight with plenty of cardamom flavour, fluffy cream, and coarse marzipan with a pinch of salt and almond pieces. It's easy to get here via the green line on the underground.

At Gärdet, Ett Bageri bakes bread, rolls and cookies in a stone oven – and of course, semlor during semla season. The pastry consists of a fluffy bun with lightly whipped cream and not-too-sweet almond paste topped with coarsely chopped almonds. A semla that's definitely worth a journey on the underground to get here, even if you don't happen to be passing by.

Park Bageri & Konditori's history stretches back over a hundred years, so to say that they know their semlor here is no exaggeration. However, they're not afraid to think outside the box, which is why the semla has a rustic appearance and the almond paste has a distinctly roasted flavour. It's proved a popular concept with semla aficionados, who believe that this semla is well worth a trip to Alvik.

Granero Bakery is in Norra Djurgårdsstaden, and if you're craving a really good semla, it's definitely worth the trip. Freshly made semlor are served using selected ingredients, with pieces of almond in the almond paste and lightly whipped cream. If you fancy a slightly more luxurious semla, there's also a version with candied almonds. Why not combine your semla treat with a stroll in the beautiful surroundings?

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.

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

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.

Bröd & Salt has stores all over Stockholm, so you're never far from one of their popular semlor. They'll be making their famous pistachio variant again this year.

Lidingö Bread and Pâtisserie may primarily be inspired by France's small local patisseries, but the selection also features classic Swedish fika. Throughout the semla season, the traditional Lenten bun is served with the bakery's own marzipan made from Valencia almonds and beautifully piped cream. Semlor come in both small and regular sizes, and they occasionally feature a couple of guest variations. 

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 classic almond paste and fluffy cream - during the weeks around Shrove Tuesday.

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 crisp Wiener semla, with buttery Wiener pastry, semla filling and cream. Or why not kickstart the day with semla porridge, topped with mascarpone cream, caramelised almond paste, toasted almonds, burnt butter, maple syrup and frothed milk?

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.

At Paulina's Kitchen & Bakery, everything is baked from scratch using quality ingredients, a concept that bodes well for a delicious semla. Their flaky croissant semla is probably the most popular, but they also sell a classic semla with plenty of almond paste and cream. The café has plenty of space if you want to enjoy your semla on-site.

Art Bakery focuses on a truly classic semla with light almond paste, plenty of whipped cream, and a triangular lid as the finishing touch. If you're in the mood for a bit of variation, their vanilla semla is a fun alternative and there's also a vegan variant.

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 to eat their semla this traditional way.

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.

Josephine Baker, in Årsta in southern Stockholm, is run by two accomplished pastry chefs with a passion for artisanal cakes. During the semla season, they serve not only classic semlor made à la minute, but also creative variants such as vanilla semla and cappuccino semla, as well as semlor that are gluten- and lactose-free.

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.

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.