ICA Nära Humlegården — Supermarket in Östermalm, Stockholm

This is a branch of ICA in Östermalm, a small supermarket on Karlavägen that runs on everyday essentials rather than long aisles. You walk in and the whole shop is in front of you: the cold shelves, a compact produce section, and enough on them to put together a normal week's meals.

The thing to buy is the warm grilled chicken, ready-cooked and hot to take home. It is the one item here that goes beyond the cold shelves, and it turns a quick stop into dinner without cooking. Everything else is the ordinary run of a neighbourhood shop: dairy, bread, fruit and vegetables, the things you came in for.

Staff are friendly and helpful, and the shop is laid out so a small basket shop takes minutes rather than a lap of the aisles. Stock levels are adequate for a small shop, though the shelves can run thin on some items, so a specific ingredient is not always guaranteed to be there.

The doors open at 8 am on weekdays and 9 am on Sunday, and people waiting outside before then have to wait. Closing at 10 pm every night, Sunday included, is the more useful end of the day for a late arrival or a late dinner plan.

It suits a short, practical shop in Östermalm rather than a full weekly stock-up. Come for the grilled chicken, the essentials and the late hours; expect a small shop where the range is what a neighbourhood needs, not a wide one.