The best cafes in Sweden for global nomads
Djäkne kaffe bar in Malmö
COVID19 disclaimer: Currently, Sweden is practicing social distancing rules and recommends that people stay home to work so if you’re a digital nomad, keep this list for the future. However, most of these places are open at the moment and doing takeaway as well as delivery options. These places are also vital small businesses so you can support them by getting coffees and meals to go or stopping by for a quick fika (2 meters apart of course!)
You don’t have to be a global nomad to enjoy the environment of these Swedish cafes…
Global nomads who work remotely are a growing trend and cafes around the world are a hotbed of people working, studying, and having meetings. With steady access to a good strong cup of coffee, steady wifi, plenty of electric outlets, and cozy environments its easy to get work done in some cafes.
A good coworking cafe should have a steady wifi, electrical outlets, strong coffee, and of course an environment of other people also working or studying in the vicinity.
These are great cafes to have a fika by yourself or with friends but also good places to bring your laptop and get some work done remotely with a good cup of coffee (or tea) and a pastry by your side!
Fika in Sweden is part of a culture, a way of life, and of course an enjoyable part of the day in between meal times for that much needed recharge. How do you combine a fika when you work remotely online on your own? Hang out and work in one of these spots and for your fika break, invite a friend or acquaintance to join you!
Djäkne kaffe bar in Malmö
Djäkne kaffe bar in Malmö
This cafe in central Malmö is more than just a cafe. They have memberships for coworking and designated workspaces in their second floor. The memberships include the all the specialty coffee brews this cafe serves and daily lunch.
I interviewed this cafe for my book “In search of the best Swedish chokladbollar” last year and spent quite a lot of time doing some of my writing in the cafe so I can personally say that this is a great space to get some work done.
The vibe is conducive to a coworking space more than a social fika space but they do have startup events and people do meet here for the specialty coffee and have a quiet fika together.
Having a croissant and coffee at Love Coffee Roasters in Lund
Love Coffee Roasters in Lund is a small spot in Lund buzzing with hipsters, university students, and other global nomads coming in for a Fika and to get work done. They have two cafes now in central Lund so you can choose between their original location on Klostergatan or their newer cafe right across from Lund Central station at Clemenstorget.
I also interviewed the passionate roaster and owner behind this local roasters and cafe for my book. I also spent quite a bit of time writing my book in this cafe due to the work environment there. When I need a caffeine fix or a cozy spot to meet up friends for a Fika, I like coming to Love Coffee.
Cinnamon bun at Kavalleriet cafe in Stockholm
Located in the Performing arts museum in Stockholm is Kavalleriet cafe
With ample space to spread out in this sprawling cafe that was once a cavalry building storing weaponry, horses, and such is now a performing arts museum. Opened by the same people behind the popular Kaffeverket, Snickarbacken 7, and Gast cafe (all of three of these cafes were interviewed and profiled in my book!), Kavalleriet cafe has a similar menu.
I like coming here because there’s always tables to set up my computer and I can do some work while drinking a cup of coffee and munch on something for Fika or lunch.
Kavalleriet cafe, Photo by Marta Vargas for Kavalleriet
Plenty of tables to set up your laptop and work from at Kavalleriet cafe in Stockholm
A cozy fika at Gast Cafe in Stockholm
Golden lighting, candles, blonde wood, and high ceilings on a quiet side street off from a busy Main Street in central Stockholm. Gast cafe is a great place to stop in for a breakfast, fika, or lunch with comforting healthy meals.
The wifi is stable and you’ll be in the company of other people working on their laptops or having meetings in the cafe. Every single time, I have visited Gast for a fika or lunch, I’ve always been inspired to do a bit of work on my laptop or tablet or phone.
Gast means ghost in Swedish, the quirky name and icon was selected to reflect the location. The park across the street is called Spökparken (the spooky park) and its a bit of a rumor that there were some ghost sightings in the park - if you believe in that sort of stuff.
Gast cafe is part of a small group of cafes in the Stockholm area which consists of Kaffeverket, Kavalleriet, and the now closed Snickarbacken. The cafe has a menu that is similar to Kaffeverket so you can get the yummy avocado toast or salad bowls they offer at both places. My favorite is the avocado toast!
Gast, Kaffeverket, and Snickarbacken are profiled in my book “In search of the best Swedish chokladbollar” and they offer the classic chokladbollar as well as different versions of rawbollar (kinda like bliss balls or protein balls) in their cafes.
A calm corner at Alkemisten cafe in Gothenburg
Tucked away in a cute residential neighborhood just north of the central city of Gothenburg is a vegan cafe called Alkemisten kaffebar.
This cozy little place serves up specialty coffee from Nordic roasters, vegan pastries, cakes, cookies, sandwiches. I interviewed this cafe for my book and came during lunch time on a weekday. The place was pretty quiet so its the perfect environment to tuck into a sandwich for lunch while working away on the computer and staying for a nice little vegan fika of a rawboll (or otherwise known as a bliss or energy ball) and a coffee or tea.
Check out my book for more pics of this cute place!
Of course there are coworking spaces in Sweden that you can rent for a day, week, month, or year to work from if you need more of an office environment. I like the comfort of these cozy cafes a lot, not just for the yummy coffee and pastries but also the fact that there is an environment of people also working quietly on their own computers. The wifi connectivity in these places are pretty stable for the most part so that’s important too! I have also worked out of the city libraries but sometimes the wifi isn’t always reliable and you have to pay for using the bathroom with coins. Because Sweden is mostly cash-free, this isn’t always convenient.
All opinions and pictures are property of Alaine Handa except otherwise stated. All rights reserved. (c)
