Östermalms Food Hall — Supermarket in Östermalm, Stockholm

Östermalms Food Hall is a standalone market hall rather than a branch of anything, and its setting in Östermalm is part of the draw: a historic building on Östermalmstorg whose architecture you notice before you get through the door, and whose interior keeps you looking once you are inside.

The fish and seafood counters are where to start. Salmon, oysters and ikura come out fresh and balanced, and one stall, Lisa Elmqvist's, is the name to reserve a table at if you want to sit down to it. Beyond the fish, the stalls carry Swedish specialties: cheese and smorrebrod to try, and local caviar to pick up and take home.

The format rewards strolling rather than a single errand. You move between meat, cheese, fish and Mediterranean counters, some set up as restaurants and some as simple, quick dishes, with takeaway as easy as eating in. The room fills with a mix of locals and tourists, and on some days the pulse of the place is as much of a draw as the food.

Prices run high, even by Stockholm standards: a sandwich with salmon and crab and two lattes can come to around 40 euros, and the budget is the only real limit on what you can eat here. Breakfast is thin on the ground, so plan your visit around lunch or dinner instead.

Come for the fish, the cheese and the caviar, and accept the cost as part of the experience. It suits anyone who wants to see a historic market hall in action and eat well inside it.