Chic — Specialty Store in Mariatorget, Stockholm

Chic is an old-style konditori on Swedenborgsgatan in Mariatorget, the kind of place where the door opens onto the smell of freshly baked bread and the counter runs the length of the room. It keeps its own bakery, and that is the reason to come.

Start with the semla, which comes in the classic form and several variations, balanced rather than oversweet. The toscaflarn with buttercream between the layers is the other one to get, and the princess cake and Napoleon cake sit alongside it on the counter. The apple pie and the French chocolate cake are both worth a slice, and there is a cheese pie for lunch. Baguettes and bread go home with you, including a Wiener bread.

The room is cozy and the coffee holds up, hot chocolate with whipped cream included. You order at the counter and find a table, inside or out on the terrace in good weather. It gets crowded and noisy, and seating is limited.

Prices sit high for Stockholm, and portions of the sweet things are small for what you pay. Weekdays from 7 am are the easiest time to walk in; weekends open later at 9:30 am.

Come for the semla and the toscaflarn and you get the best of it.