What is Swedish fika, or svensk fika?
Sweden is well-known for being the birthplace of the sensational group ABBA and the furniture behemoth IKEA. The next most significant four-letter word after Ikea and Abba is none other than FIKA.
The term “fika,” which can be employed as a verb or a noun, is pronounced “fee-kuh.” It simply means “a coffee break” in English but it’s actually more than that.
Fika i Göteborg (Fika in Gothenburg)
Three common landmarks in Gothenburg: Oscar Fredriks kyrka (church) and Älvsborgsbron (bridge); photo at the bottom is Feskekörka (Fish church)
Gothenburg (Göteborg), the second largest city in Sweden, is often overshadowed by its more famous capital, Stockholm. When it comes to roasting coffee, however, such is not the case. Gothenburg’s coffee scene has flourished in recent years, giving rise to a robust local community.
The city is known for its lively urban scene, welcoming atmosphere, picturesque seaside, and abundance of warm, cozy, and inviting cafes.
If you want to know about some of the popular Swedish desserts and pastries, you can read our post here.
Best Cafes and Fika Spots in Gothenburg (Göteborg)
As someone who enjoys the Swedish fika culture a lot, I’ve made a list of the best coffee shops, cafes, and fika spots in town. I wanted to give you a list of suggestions that you could trust, so this is mostly based on my own experiences with the cafes on the list.
I’ve also noticed that I’ve never seen a list of recommended cafes based on where they are in the city, so I’ve taken that into account and put these “fika” spots into groups based on their location.
Cafes Göteborg – Haga
1. Café Husaren: Cafe Husaren is generally regarded as the “Home of Hagabullen”. Their motto is “hemlagat, hembakat, och hemtrevligt,” which translates to home-made, home-baked, and homely. They also serve tasty prawn sandwiches (räckmacka) and hot chocolate to demonstrate true Swedish cafe culture. When I initially visited this café, the gigantic cinnamon buns (kanelbullar) drew my attention. Since then, I’ve been a regular customer and have brought many international friends here to enjoy the best of Swedish fika.
Fika Göteborg: Cafe Husaren, Home of Hagabullen
2. Cafeva: Eva Nylén has been running the popular Caféva in Gothenburg’s cosy Haga neighbourhood since 1983. They serve home-baked cakes, bread, soup, and pies. Vegan options are also available.
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3. Le Petit: Le Petit is the place to go if you like Swedish pastries as well as Austrian and French alternatives. You can also have breakfast, lunch, and dinner before indulging in some desserts.
Cafes Göteborg – Linné
4. Cafe Con Leche: This cafe is located near Oscar Fredrik kyrkan (a church). It is also popular for its affordable breakfast that comes with freshly baked bread. There is indoor and outdoor seating, so when the sun is out, the outdoor area is almost always full.
5. Ethel’s Cafe: Ethel’s Cafe serves luxury brunch, salads, sandwiches, pastries, coffee, tea, or some soft ice cream. It’s a stylish little cafe, but you can choose to sit indoors or outdoors. It’s located near Slottsskogen, so you can go for a walk in the park before or after having some food and fika.
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6. Villa Belparc (Slottskogen): This is my go-to place in Slottskogen. It is both a restaurant and a cafe and boasts a lovely view of nature, which is perfect for sunny days. You can sit outdoors to have fika and enjoy the views of the park. It is so calming! The indoor setting is so classic and sophisticated.
Cafes Göteborg – Järntorget
7. Kafe Magasinet: This is another popular spot, so it can get really crowded, but it’s one of my go-to favourite places. It has a cosy outdoor atmosphere and closes later than most other cafes. They serve high-quality coffee, desserts, breakfast, pizza, wine, etc.
8. Eva’s Paley: My personal favourite cafe in Avenyn.The atmosphere gives me classic Parisian vibes. The cafe also prides itself on having its own bakery where everything is baked from scratch with love. They also offer breakfast and lunch menus, as well as afternoon tea.
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9. A43 Coffee: Ifou are a coffee aficionado visiting Gothenburg, this should be on your must-visit list! A43 Coffee focuses on creating experiences with coffee, tea, snacks, and food. They offer coffee in the bar, which is the regular coffee you can order, but if you want a more exquisite experience, you can book one of their coffee tastings for 6-20 people.
10. Kaffelabet: The name speaks for itself. This is a one-stop shop for everything coffee, from coffee beans to machines to courses, workshops, etc.
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11. Junggrens Cafe: Junggrens is Gothenburg’s oldest cafe. Its doors first opened in 1896, which makes it more than 100 years old! The cafe is regarded as the icon of Gothenburg’s cafe scene. Aside from the classic Swedish pastries, they also serve smörgåsar, smörrebröd, varmrätter, coffee, and alcoholic beverages like wine and beer.
Cafés Göteborg – Centrum
12. Viktors Kaffe: Many would agree that this cafe has superb coffee. Although the place is not very spacious, it still has a lovely setting for you to enjoy your coffee and sweets. Viktor, the man who runs the cafe, is very passionate about coffee and knows a lot about it!
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13. Fröken Olssons: Fröken Olssons opened in 1985 and became a popular meeting place for people who enjoy good food and coffee in a cosy environment. The cafe is owned and run by Eva Olsson, who used to cook the food and bake the pies herself.
14. Latteria:Curious what it’s like to have a cup of coffee in the midst of antique halls? Marble walls and Josef Frank patterns give the space its distinctive appearance. Its open atmosphere radiates calm and comfortable vibes, and its antique feel makes it a special breakfast or fika spot.
15. Brogyllen: This is also one of my personal favorites. Since the area in Västra Hamngatan 2 tends to get busy around four o’clock, I prefer to go there in the early afternoon. Long client lines are typically seen, especially on weekends. This family-owned café presently has five locations around the city. It is known as an authentic and traditional patisserie in Gothenburg. They provide an extensive selection of breads and are renowned for their “golden bread.” Their baked goods are too beautiful to eat! Brogyllen takes pleasure in keeping old recipes alive.
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16. Ahlströms Konditori: This is Gothenburg’s oldest confectionery (konditori). Founded in 1901, Ahlströms prides itself on keeping the craft heritage alive. They have two branches in the city: Korsgatan and Vikingsgatan. They serve sandwiches and pastries in both branches.
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17. Cafe Kronhuset: I love to hang out here so much, especially when the sun is out! There’s no better place to have fika than in the oldest part of Gothenburg. The fact that it is in the centre of the city and in this historic area makes it quite beautiful. Kronhuset is the oldest building in Gothenburg that has been kept up, so it is a special landmark of the city. There are also breakfast, lunch, and other à la carte options at the cafe.
18. Bar Centro: We adore a nice “hole-in-the-wall” restaurant! Bar Centro is a well-known coffee shop in the city centre. Despite the modest size, they provide good coffee, cuisine, and wine.
19. JOS: This is the ideal location for you if you want to eat healthy! Salads, freshly squeezed juices, and snacks like coffee and raw-food pastries are available here.
20. Allora Espresso Bar: Do you fancy a cup of Italian espresso and a cannoli? This espresso and aperitivo bar is located in the centre of Gothenburg. If you want to have a taste of Italy in Gothenburg, then head over to Allora!
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21. Mr.Cake: American café culture meets Swedish fika with a twist at Mr. Cake, a café and patisserie that initially opened in Stockholm. Roy Fares, a well-known pastry chef in Sweden, is the owner. Their red velvet croissant is my absolute favourite!
22. Kopps: Kopps notoriety as a hangout spot is due to more than simply its convenient location. They serve a broad selection of food, including burgers, pizza, salads, and more, in addition to their excellent coffee and sweets. In addition, they offer shuffleboard for social play. One of my favourite places to work and meet up with friends for fika.However, in the late afternoons, the location may get rather congested.
23. Språkcafé: The cafe’s name speaks for itself. Språk means language, so the cafe’s name literally translates to “language cafe.” This makes it a meeting place for international people in Gothenburg who want to have both Swedish fika and practise the Swedish language. There are language evenings to practise different languages and meet new friends.
Cafés Göteborg – Majorna
24. Cafe Biscotti: Café Biscotti is known for its fluffy rolls and delectable pastries, among other things. They serve seasonal, traditionally Swedish dishes that are freshly prepared and home-baked. Lunch menus are updated weekly to have the season’s freshest offerings. Everyone, from vegetarians to meat lovers, can find something they like here.
25. Konditori Kampanilen: A cutting-edge artisan bakery that values quality ingredients. Stone-baked sourdough bread, traditional cinnamon buns, and other baked goods are available at the bakery. The confectionary is known for producing exquisite chocolate pralines, traditional pastries, and cakes. I get hungry just browsing their Instagram! You can also enjoy fika in this quaint place.
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26. Materia: Materia has seating both inside and outside. Inside, it’s cute and cosy, and sitting outside is a great way to enjoy some fresh air and a hot cup of coffee. They have specialty coffee, homemade smoothies and shots, tasty dishes, sourdough sandwiches, chia puddings, beetroot cake, cheesecake, and a lot of other good and healthy things. It’s a great fika spot with friends in Majorna.
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Cafés Göteborg – Hisingen, Lindholmen, Eriksberg
27. Leymans Galleri Cafe Musik (Eriksberg): At Leymans, the concept of art, music,and food come together. The cafe boasts a beautiful view of the Eriksberg harbor, smell of good coffee and freshly baked goods. The cafe is filled with interesting paintings, artwork and ukuleles!
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28. Seacup Cafe (Eriksberg): At the quayside of Göta Älv, you can find the SeaCup cafe. Like Leymans, the cafe has a nice view of the harbor. While you enjoy some good food and fika, you can also appreciate the vintage feel of the cafe.
29. Alkemisten Kaffebar & Kafe (Lindholmen): Alkemisten was founded in 2015 by siblings Kristian Hedborg and Mikaela Hedborg on the island of Hisingen. Their specialty is turning out perfectly brewed cups of coffee, lightly roasted but expertly brewed. This is a great place for people who love coffee! There are also sourdough sandwiches, tasty treats, and a popular weekend brunch. At Alkemisten Lindholmen (the second branch), you can also get a vegetarian or vegan lunch on weekdays.
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30. Coffee Amadeus: This is a nice and simple place to hang out in the evening and have fika. The coffee is worth every penny, and there are a lot of good cakes to choose from. There are also pool tables, so you can play with some friends. Customer service is superb!
Final Thoughts
I hope this list will be useful for your upcoming fika date, whether you’re new to Gothenburg, visiting for a few days, or a native looking to check out additional cafés.
This list clearly shows that Gothenburg cherishes “excellent coffee, freshly made breads and pastries, and most of all, a comfortable (mysigt) atmosphere” because of the city’s robust cafe culture. If you are looking to try the best cafes in Stockholm as well, these are our recommendations.
These are all personal recommendations and we are not affiliated with any of the restaurants and cafes mentioned. Please also take note that there might be changes in prices and operating hours so we highly encourage you to please double check should you decide to visit any of the places mentioned.
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