Munkbrohallen — Supermarket in Gamla Stan, Stockholm

Munkbrohallen is a compact supermarket under Munkbrogatan in Gamla Stan, and the first thing you notice is how much is packed into it: shelves run tight and the deli counter keeps a spread that reads bigger than the floor plan. It sits at the Gamla Stan metro stop, which makes it the natural last stop before a train or a walk back through the Old Town.

The buy here is the homemade pasta salad, sold as a takeaway tub with fine ingredients; it is what you pick up for a train journey or a bench lunch nearby. Broccoli steaks sit beside it as a prepared vegetable, and the sandwiches are the simple grab-and-go option, bought together with the pasta salad by people eating outside.

For a shop this size, the gluten-free and vegan range is well covered, so you can stock a restricted diet without hunting across the Old Town. Dogs are welcome inside, which matters if you are travelling with one and cannot leave it behind. The deli is the other thing worth a look before you pay.

Prices here run high for the Old Town location, and there is no hot prepared food, so plan a cold lunch rather than a hot one. Forks are sold as a set at the checkout rather than handed out free, so pick one up if you are eating on a bench. The trade is a small shop with a wide selection at a location premium.

Opening runs from 7 am on weekdays and 9 am at the weekend, closing at 10 pm every day, so a late arrival still gets fed. It suits a traveler who wants a real lunch and a few supplies in one stop, not a full weekly shop.