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The top vegan-friendly places in Stockholm

The traditional Swedish diet is quite heavy on meat and dairy, but if you follow a vegan diet, don't worry – there are plenty of plant-based options in Stockholm for a meal out or stocking up on snacks. Many of them will even tempt carnivores...

Published: 20 August 2019 10:04 CEST
The top vegan-friendly places in Stockholm
Vegan restaurants are relatively common in Stockholm, but these are some of the best. Photo: Miriam Preis/imagebank.sweden.se

Stores

Many vegan products are widely available, with brands like Oatly stocked in most major supermarkets, and many popular brands offering meat-free alternatives such as vegobullar to replace köttbullar (meatballs). And if you're looking for a bigger range or a specific ingredient, there are plenty of vegan friendly stores around Stockholm which offer items ranging from groceries to home products, cosmetics and clothes.

One of the biggest organic grocery stores is Goodstore, boasting a wide range of vegan products. Another option is Paradiset; all products are organic and the majority of their items are vegan-friendly. 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

A post shared by Goodstore (@goodstores) on Jun 5, 2019 at 11:15pm PDT

Other choices include Saltå Kvarn, a store which only sells their own custom brand of organic food and treats, and Gryningen near Medborgarplatsen, with all-organic and plenty of vegan supplements and fresh produce.

Looking beyond food, there are a range of spots around the city that have vegan clothing and shoes for sale too. Clothing brand Ve & Fasa prides itself on sustainable fashion, with durable and animal-friendly materials, while Green Laces is another option selling high quality vegan footwear and accessories. 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

A post shared by Green Laces (@greenlacesshoes) on May 22, 2019 at 8:39am PDT

Bakeries

You can't miss out on Swedish desserts and pastries while in Stockholm, and there's no reason why you should, even if you stick to a vegan diet. 

In the heart of the capital's Old Town, Sattva Naturbageri is one of the best known for vegan and vegetarian desserts, and their famous cinnamon buns.

On Södermalm, Bagar'n Hornstull offers vegan options including Sweden's popular princess cake, which is rarely seen free of animal-based products. And not far away you'll find cosy Sthlm Raw which refers to itself as an “unbakery” due to their focus on all things uncooked. These treats are stocked in many cafes and spots around Sweden, and you can find the location nearest to you here.

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

A post shared by Vegan Café in Stockholm (@sthlmraw) on Aug 2, 2019 at 10:02pm PDT

Restaurants 

Despite the fact that traditional Swedish cuisine has a heavy focus on meat, these days it's common for restaurants to offer vegan options, and there's a fast growing number of places that offer only vegan food. There are too many to name, but here's a selection of some of the best.

Trendy FLFL is mostly vegan, and offers falafel and other Mediterranean specialties perfect for a fun night out.  a place where you can sink your teeth into some fancy falafel. This hipster style vegan restaurant has a high-tone atmosphere and great food, perfect for a fun night out. 

Kokyo is a restaurant focusing on Chinese and Japanese restaurant with an entirely separate vegan menu, and homemade tofu. Another Chinese restaurant worth mentioning is Lao Wai. This is a cozy, entirely vegetarian (and most vegan) place that prides itself on authentic Chinese cooking. Minh Mat also offers a  vegan menu and is a popular choice if you're looking for Vietnamese cuisine. 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

A post shared by @flfl_levantine_kitchen on Oct 3, 2016 at 2:02am PDT

Matapoteket is a great place to find raw meals at lunch or for a plant-based smoothie and fika, with meals ranging from poke bowls to raw pizza. 

And a longtime favourite is all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet Hermans, the perfect place for stuffing your face with tasty and organic food. On top of that the restaurant has a beautiful view and offers a generous student discount.

A final recent addition to the vegan food scene, Dirty Vegan is a zero-waste vegan fast food establishment, where you can find all of your comfort food desires like (mock) mozzarella sticks, seitan burgers and mac'n'cheese. 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 

A post shared by AkkiSushi Hornstull (@akkisushi) on Dec 25, 2016 at 3:56pm PST

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FOOD AND DRINK

OPINION: Are tips in Sweden becoming the norm?

Should you tip in Sweden? Habits are changing fast thanks to new technology and a hard-pressed restaurant trade, writes James Savage.

Published: 5 April 2024 13:59 CEST
OPINION: Are tips in Sweden becoming the norm?

The Local’s guide to tipping in Sweden is clear: tip for good service if you want to, but don’t feel the pressure: where servers in the US, for instance, rely on tips to live, waiters in Sweden have collectively bargained salaries with long vacations and generous benefits. 

But there are signs that this is changing, and the change is being accelerated by card machines. Now, many machines offer three preset gratuity percentages, usually starting with five percent and going up to fifteen or twenty. Previously they just asked the customer to fill in the total amount they wanted to pay.

This subtle change to a user interface sends a not-so-subtle message to customers: that tipping is expected and that most people are probably doing it. The button for not tipping is either a large-lettered ‘No Tip’ or a more subtle ‘Fortsätt’ or ‘Continue’ (it turns out you can continue without selecting a tip amount, but it’s not immediately clear to the user). 

I’ll confess, when I was first presented with this I was mildly irked: I usually tip if I’ve had table service, but waiting staff are treated as professionals and paid properly, guaranteed by deals with unions; menu prices are correspondingly high. The tip was a genuine token of appreciation.

But when I tweeted something to this effect (a tweet that went strangely viral), the responses I got made me think. Many people pointed out that the restaurant trade in Sweden is under enormous pressure, with rising costs, the after-effects of Covid and difficulties recruiting. And as Sweden has become more cosmopolitain, adding ten percent to the bill comes naturally to many.

Boulebar, a restaurant and bar chain with branches around Sweden and Denmark, had a longstanding policy of not accepting tips at all, reasoning that they were outdated and put diners in an uncomfortable position. But in 2021 CEO Henrik Kruse decided to change tack:

“It was a purely financial decision. We were under pressure due to Covid, and we had to keep wages down, so bringing back tips was the solution,” he said, adding that he has a collective agreement and staff also get a union bargained salary, before tips.

Yet for Kruse the new machines, with their pre-set tipping percentages, take things too far:

“We don’t use it, because it makes it even clearer that you’re asking for money. The guest should feel free not to tip. It’s more important for us that the guest feels free to tell people they’re satisfied.”

But for those restaurants that have adopted the new interfaces, the effect has been dramatic. Card processing company Kassacentralen, which was one of the first to launch this feature in Sweden, told Svenska Dagbladet this week that the feature had led to tips for the average establishment doubling, with some places seeing them rise six-fold.

Even unions are relaxed about tipping these days, perhaps understanding that they’re a significant extra income for their members. Union representatives have often in the past spoken out against tipping, arguing that the practice is demeaning to staff and that tips were spread unevenly, with staff in cafés or fast food joints getting nothing at all. But when I called the Swedish Hotel and Restaurant Union (HRF), a spokesman said that the union had no view on the practice, and it was a matter for staff, business owners and customers to decide.

So is tipping now expected in Sweden? The old advice probably still stands; waiters are still not as reliant on tips as staff in many other countries, so a lavish tip is not necessary. But as Swedes start to tip more generously, you might stick out if you leave nothing at all.

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