Lisas Grabb Café & Hembageri — Specialty Store in SoFo, Stockholm

Lisas Grabb Café & Hembageri is an independent café in SoFo, run by the second generation of the family, and the first thing you notice is how much of the room is given over to regulars: a wall of pictures of happy customers, a self-serve counter for coffee and pastries, and an owner who greets whoever comes through the door. It sits on Blekingegatan, a short walk from Medborgarplatsen station.

The cardamom bun is the thing to get first. The cardamom is generous rather than shy, the dough feels solid and well worked, and the whole bun reads as handmade rather than chain-produced. The kanelbulle follows the same logic: fluffy, buttery, correctly sweet. If you want something savoury, sandwiches are made to order on home-baked bread with cheese sliced fresh, and the ham and cheese comes generously filled.

How it works is simple. Coffee and pastries you take yourself from the counter; sandwiches you ask for and they are prepared on request, hot and fresh. The room is small and home-like, with an old-school Swedish fika feel, and it is the kind of place where you can sit alone and end up chatting with the owner or other guests.

Prices stay modest for what you get, and the buns are generous and affordable by Stockholm café standards. Come early on a weekday if you want the full breakfast spread; Saturday opens later and Sunday is closed entirely.

The one friction is the menu itself: sandwiches and pastries, and not much beyond that, so a longer list would suit anyone hoping for yogurt or a lighter option. It still suits anyone chasing a proper fika in SoFo, and anyone who wants breakfast before a day of wandering the neighbourhood.