Standard Swedish breakfast fare

The most common Swedish breakfast is made at home and centers around a smörgås (open-faced sandwich) consisting of bread, margarine or butter and a slice of cheese. You can spice up your smörgås with a variety of traditional toppings, including gurka (cucumber), tomat (tomato), and cold cuts such as skinka and nötkött (ham and beef). Contrary to popular belief, Swedish pancakes are not typically served for breakfast. (Sorry folks, IHOP got it wrong!)

Muesli, a common breakfast item in Switzerland, is also very popular among the Swedes. The blend of flakes, grains and sometimes dried fruits is usually served with filmjölk, a soured yogurt similar to buttermilk.

Coffee (kaffee) is an absolute must with any Swedish breakfast. The Swedes love their coffee strong; don’t be surprised by the lingering caffeine buzz…

Common for Swedes, daring for foreigners

For a more authentic (and fishy) morning treat, try knäckebröd (crisp bread) with kalles caviar. This delightful combination of fish paste and bread is not for the faint of heart. But, if you want the full Swedish breakfast experience, by all means try it. It tastes great on eggs, too!

You can also opt for an interesting dish consisting of makrill fillet (mackerel fish in tomato sauce) on a piece of soft bread topped with cucumber. This may sound a bit strange, but it’s actually quite tasty.

For a DIY-breakfast, you can purchase the above items from any local COOP or ICA grocery store in Stockholm.

Best restaurants for a Swedish breakfast

If you’d like to have a nice sit-down meal, here are three good options:

Cafe String

Nytorgsgatan 38
Breakfast: Saturday–Sunday 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Website

Café String is situated in the heart of SOFO, the bohemian district of south of Stockholm’s city center. It has a relaxed, friendly vibe with a good selection of Swedish breakfast foods, including waffles, fresh fruit and a variety of juices. String is very popular with the locals, so come early!

Sirap

Surbrunnsgatan 31 A
Breakfast: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Website

Café Sirap is Stockholm’s best choice for an “American- style” breakfast, and it should be — the owners are American. The contemporary atmosphere is very inviting, and the large portions remind you that America is king when it comes to big breakfasts.

Clarion Hotel

Ringvägen 98
Breakfast: Monday-Friday, 6:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 7:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m
Website

The Clarion offers more than your average hotel breakfast buffet. Expect a wide variety of warm and cold options along with Asian-style breakfast favorites (lactose- and gluten-free alternatives are available). If you stay at the hotel, the room rate does include breakfast.

Your favorite Swedish breakfast dishes

Have a favorite breakfast spot in Stockholm? A delicious recipe that can be made, even in a hotel kitchenette? Share your favorite Swedish breakfast tips below!

The post Stockholm: What’s a typical Swedish breakfast? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Restaurants throughout Sweden offer a dagens lunch, the lunch of the day. The idea of a dagens lunch is simple: it’s an inexpensive lunch option for workers throughout the country. If you find yourself in Sweden around lunchtime, skip the fast-food, find yourself a restaurant and ask for a “dagens lunch.” You’ll have a great meal at a great price.

What it is

Traditionally, a dagens lunch includes a salad, the choice of a main dish from a few different options, a drink and coffee. Every restaurant is a bit different, but the main dishes available tend to be set for the week. A reasonable dagens lunch usually costs around 75 to 90 SEK (or about $10 to $12).

Depending on where you are, the main dish can be a bit fancier and a bit more expensive (in Östermalm, for example). In fact, some of the fancier restaurants don’t always offer dagens lunches, and instead stick to their normal menus. In Sweden, that is usually an indicator that a place isn’t Cheapo-friendly.

Where to eat it

For an inexpensive lunch, head away from the city center. Södermalm, Vasastaden and even little places like Nacka offer a wide array of dagens lunch menus to choose from.

One of my favorites is Cliff Barnes, which has two different locations, one in Vasastaden and one in Nacka. Along with an amazing dagens lunch, the Cliff Barnes in Vasastaden offers a great bar scene at night. It’s a can’t-miss if you’re looking to meet people.

For a wide variety of choices, head over to Medborgarplatsen, a large square in Södermalm. There you’ll find traditional Swedish restaurants, a crêperie, Thai food and just about everything in between. Wander around and check out the menus: You’re bound to find something worth sitting down for. I like Snaps, a great place with plenty of good food to choose from and outdoor seating. By chance, Snaps also turns into a great bar in the evenings.

Pea soup and pancakes on Thursday

As I said, each dagens lunch menu is a little bit different. You might find pork chops on a Tuesday, chicken on Wednesday and so on. However, one thing that doesn’t differ all that much is the Thursday menu.

In Sweden, Thursday is pea soup and pancake day. Few restaurants offering a dagens lunch will fail to offer this meal. Admittedly a strange combination, peace soup and pancakes is nonetheless a traditional—and surprisingly delicious—one. (It’s also incredibly filling.)

Explanations for the tradition are wide-ranging. Some argue that it started with the military, where pea soup and pancakes are served every Thursday. Others say that it was a way for restaurants to stretch their meat supplies through the end of the week. Still others believe that it harks back to Sweden’s religious days, when meat was meant to be abstained from on Fridays. Whatever the reason, the tradition continues, and pea soup and pancakes can be found throughout Sweden—Stockholm included—on Thursdays.

You can read more info on places to go, sights to see and other Stockholm tips here.

The post Stockholm Cheap Eats: Dagens lunch appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.