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FOOD AND DRINK

Five budget-friendly bars for a night out in Malmö

For Eurovision visitors, students or anyone else looking to have a good evening without breaking the bank, Malmö has plenty of pubs – which is good news for beer drinkers, as alcohol is famously expensive in Sweden.

Five budget-friendly bars for a night out in Malmö
The easiest way to order a beer in Sweden is to ask for a 'stor stark', or 'big strong one'. Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT

Most of these are around the Möllan neighbourhood, which is more or less the centre of the city’s nightlife.

A general tip if you’re buying a beer anywhere in Sweden and aren’t too bothered about the exact one you get is to order a stor stark, literally a “big strong one”. These are usually half a litre of beer at around 5.5 percent ABV, so bear that in mind if that’s more than what you’re used to.

Nobes

Technically known as Gamle Nobes Bodega, everyone in Malmö calls it Nobes. Originally opened in 1937, Nobes is the closest you’re going to get to a British-style pub or German Bierhalle, with its tiled floor and rustic dark wooden décor.

As far as food is concerned, Nobes has some of the best traditional Swedish food in Malmö, with its kålpudding cabbage casserole, served with gravy, potatoes, pickled cucumber and lingonberry jam a must (it’s better than it sounds, we promise).

They have a dart board and sometimes have live music, and you can choose from a range of draft or bottled beers, ciders and wines.

Expect to pay a minimum of 60 kronor for a beer and around 160 kronor for food.

Address: Kristianstadsgatan 36

Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 2pm-midnight, Fri 2pm-1am, Sat noon-1am and Sun noon-midnight

Ölkaféet

This is one of the most popular pubs in the Möllan neighbourhood, and that’s not just because it’s the unofficial supporters bar of the local football team, Malmö FF.

They’re cheap and cheerful, with reasonably priced pub grub, a heated outdoor seating area with views over the Möllan square and football matches on the TV, if that’s your kind of thing.

They even have a small library, a gallery wall with works by local artists, and board games like backgammon, checkers and chess, which you can borrow.

If there are no seats (it can get busy on the weekend), Vegan Bar next door is a good alternative, even for non-vegans.

A standard 50cl beer (veckans öl or “beer of the week”, despite the fact it hasn’t changed in years) costs around 65 kronor, with a burger costing around 140 kronor.

Address: Södra Skolgatan 43 – or just walk to the Möllevångstorget square and look for the bright blue awnings.

Opening hours: All days 10am-1am

Rex Pizzeria

Rex, on Nobelvägen, is probably the best example of a classic Swedish pizzeria that you can find in Malmö.

A warning: leave any expectation of Italian-style pizzas at the door, as Rex is firmly in the Swedish-style fulpizza category.

Their pizzas, such as the Tropicana, with cheese, tomato, ham, banana and curry powder, almost make a Hawaiian pizza look tame – although you can get more normal pizza toppings too if banana and curry is a bit too wild for you. They also have vegetarian and vegan options, for groups with allergies or other dietary restrictions.

Pizzas aside, Rex is also a popular pub with cheap drinks, shuffleboard and pool tables, and a nice outdoor serving area in summer. They often host quizzes, standup or other entertainment in their event room in the basement.

Beers cost around 60 kronor and pizzas range from 70 to 140 kronor.

Address: Nobelvägen 107

Opening hours: Tues-Sat 11am-1am, Sun-Mon 11am-11pm

Azalee

If you’re looking for a cheap bar which also provides the evening’s entertainment, Azalee’s your best bet.

This bar is a bizarre mix of casino, karaoke bar and pub, and an evening of karaoke here is equally as entertaining whether you’re getting up on stage yourself or just listening to the other guests get progressively worse at singing as the night goes on.

They offer classic pub fare at around 150-200 kronor and reasonably priced drinks.

Address: Claesgatan 8

Opening hours: Weds-Tors 4pm-1am, Fre-Sat 4pm-3am

Karaoke: Weds and Thurs, 8pm-1am, Friday and Saturday 8pm-3am

Blackjack Weds-Sat 6pm-close

Entry fee: 50kr after 11pm on weekends

Lion Bar

The picturesque Lilla Torg area of Malmö is not known for being cheap, but Lion Bar (a national chain) is an exception, offering a 40cl beer for under 40kr.

Food wise, they offer standard pub grub – nachos, buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks, burgers and so on – with deals on some food items.

Unsurprisingly, the prices rise if you stray from the special offers, particularly if ordering cocktails or wine.

Address: Landbygatan 4

Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 3pm-midnight, Fri-Sat 3pm-1am

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TRAVEL NEWS

Where Malmö plans to place its first three Copenhagen Metro stops

Politicians in the Swedish city of Malmö have decided where the first three stops will be if a new Öresund Metro is built, linking the city to the Danish capital - and they are planning on using the earth excavated to build a whole new city district.

Where Malmö plans to place its first three Copenhagen Metro stops

Malmö and Copenhagen have been pushing for an Öresund Metro linking the two cities since at least 2011, but so far neither the Swedish government nor the Danish one have committed to stumping up their share of the roughly 30 billion Danish kroner (47 billion Swedish kronor, €4 billion) required.

Malmö hopes the Swedish government will take a decision on the project this autumn, and in preparation, the city’s planning board last Thursday took a decision on where the first three stops of the Öresund Metro should be placed.

They have selected Fullriggaren (currently a bus stop at the outermost tip of the city’s Västra Hamnen district), Stora Varvsgatan, in the centre of Västra Hamnen, and Malmö’s Central Station, as the locations of the first three stops, after which the idea is to extend the metro into the city. 

Stefana Hoti, the Green Party councillor who chairs the planning committee, said that the new Fehmarn Belt connection between the Danish island of Lolland and Germany, which is expected to come into use in 2029, will increase the number of freight trains travelling through Copenhagen into Sweden making it necessary to build a new route for passengers.

Part of the cost, she said, could come from tolls levied on car and rail traffic over the existing Öresund Bridge, which will soon no longer need to be used to pay off loans taken to build the bridge more than 20 years ago.  

“The bridge will be paid off in the near future. Then the tolls can be used to finance infrastructure that strengthens the entire country and creates space for more freight trains on the bridge,” Hoti told the Sydsvenskan newspaper.

According to planning documents given out by the city planning authorities, the stop at Fullrigagaren would be called Galeonen and would be roughly, the one at Stora Varvsgatan will be called Masttorget, and the third stop would be called Malmö Central.  

Source: Malmö Kommun

After Fullriggaren the next stop would be at Lergravsparken in the Amagerbro neighbourhood, which connects with the current M2 line, after which the there will be four new stops on the way to Copenhagen Central, including DR Byen on the current M1 line. 

The hope is that the Öresund Metro will reduce the journey time between Copenhagen Central and Malmö Central from 40 minutes to 25 minutes. 

Source: Oresunds Metro

But that’s not all. Excavating a tunnel between Malmö and Copenhagen will produce large amounts of earth, which the architect firm Arkitema has proposed should be used to extend Malmö’s Västra Hamnen district out into the sea, creating a new coastal district called Galeonen, meaning “The Galleon”, centred on the Fullriggaren Metro stop. 

This project is similar to the Lynetteholm project in Copenhagen, which will use earth excavated for the Copenhagen Metro extension to build a peninsular in front of Copenhagen Harbour, providing housing and protecting the city from rising sea levels. 

Rather than producing a sea wall to protect the new area from rising sea levels, Arkitema and its partner, the Danish engineering firm COWI, have proposed a new coastal wetland area. 

“Instead of building a wall, we extended the land out into the sea. Then a green area is formed which is allowed to flood, and over time it will become a valuable environment, partly as a green area for Malmö residents, partly because of the rich biodiversity that will be created there,” Johanna Wadhstorp, an architect for Arkitema based in Stockholm, told the Sydsvenskan newspaper
 
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