Valhallabageriet - Östermalmsgatan — Specialty Store in Östermalm, Stockholm

Valhallabageriet - Östermalmsgatan is an independent bakery café in Östermalm, and the first thing you notice walking in is how compact it is: a small room with a few seats and the counter doing most of the work.

The kanelbulle is the one to order first, soft and full of flavour, and the kardemummabulle runs it close. The dammsugare has a coated exterior that holds up better than you might expect. There is a vegan bun too, and it is not the saffron bun most bakeries fall back on. A croissant turns up in the mixed bag alongside the buns, though it is at its best eaten the same day.

The shop runs on self-service: you pour your own filtered coffee and add milk yourself. There is no cappuccino and no pre-made coffee, so come for the buns and the plain coffee rather than a full café menu. Seats inside are few.

A mixed bag of one croissant, two kardemummabular and one kanelbulle comes to 64 SEK with packaging included, which is the cheapest way to try several things at once. Buy on the day rather than saving pastries for later if you want the croissant at its crispest.

Otherwise this suits anyone staying in Östermalm who wants a proper bun and a quiet seat rather than a full coffee menu.