Best Scandinavian Restaurants In London England

It’s been almost 1000 years since the Vikings (Nordic folk, fond of axes) were a threat to Britons. Now – while pillaging is off the menu –London restaurants face major competition from Scandinavian restaurants. Here are the 10 best.

1. Nordic Bakery

Bakery, Cafe, Northern European

The Nordic Bakery posits itself as a tranquil space that gives diners the chance to enjoy a quiet moment in the heart of London. The interior is all clean colours and edges with a minimalist scheme and adds to the interior peace of the bakery. A relatively small group of cafes, the Nordic Bakery has three sites in the capital, spread throughout London’s West End. The bakery features savoury dishes but the main feature are the traditional Nordic sweet treats. These include cinnamon buns, berry buns, and oatmeal and raisin cookies. Image Courtesy of Fika

2. Fika

Restaurant, Swedish

Situated near the capital of curries, Brick Lane, Fika is a Swedish restaurant with a difference. Inside, the interior is all bleached wood, clean white tiles and exposed brick work, giving Fika an edgy and simple feel. The menu is split into three different parts, with lunch and dinner served daily, and brunch served on the weekends. Dishes for dinner include an elk burger, Swedish meatballs or pulled ox cheeks, with desserts counting kladdkaka – a sticky chocolate cake – among them. Brunch options also include toast and eggs with a variety of toppings, or even pancakes for the extra hungry.

3. Garlic and Shots

Bar, Cocktail Bar, Pub Grub

While there is a great variety of food available at Garlic and Shots, the main event is certainly the selection of vodkas (hence ‘and Shots’). All of the dishes, ranging from small plates to large main dishes, are flavoured – either subtly or heavily – with garlic. While not a chain, Garlic and Shots maintains three global sites; the others can be found in either Stockholm or Majorca. The London venue, however, has a selection of 101 modern and innovative vodka based shots. These include a garlic martini shot, a shot of dark rum, garlic and honey, and even a shot that includes a spicy Turkish pepper. Not for the faint hearted.

4. Cooper and Wolf

Restaurant, European

Cooper and Wolf is a small and humble Scandinavian restaurant that serves a limited (but excellent) selection of Nordic dishes. Some of these include Swedish style meatballs with a beetroot salad on sourdough, or fresh salmon fillets on crispy potato cakes. Desserts also include typical Scandinavian style cinnamon buns. Nordic people are renowned for their love of coffee so perhaps it is no surprise that Cooper and Wolf has teamed up with one of London’s favourite coffee shops, Caravan. Guests can enjoy fantastic Scandinavian food alongside top quality drinks – perfection. Image Courtesy of Aveqia

5. Aveqia

Restaurant, British

Aveqia offers a very different dining experience to most other restaurants. Pioneers in the field of active cooking, Aveqia brings people together, to cook and eat together, in ways that other activities simply cannot compare. Diners are taken through a step-by-step process alongside chefs, who instruct them on how to make top quality meals, before sitting down and eating the fruits of their labours. For team building with a twist, Aveqia also offers a corporate deal that lets businesses take advantage of this unusual culinary and dining activity.

6. Lisa’s

Bar, Market, Swedish

Situated in the fashionable area surrounding Notting Hill and Portobello Road, Lisa’s is the epitome of Scandinavian chic and substance. Simple and gentle decor creates a relaxing space, with the ethic of tranquility as present in the food as it is in the surroundings. Meatballs, herrings and salmon are common themes on the menu, as are varieties of rich and dark rye bread. All of the ingredients come from local producers and waiting staff all have a thorough knowledge of each dish. As well as food, Lisa’s is also a highly respected bar, which features a selection of great musical entertainment each month.

7. Scandinavian Kitchen

Cafe, Restaurant, Coffee Shop, European, Swedish, Vegan, Gluten-free

Scandinavian Kitchen is the brainchild of a Dane and a Swede, both of whom were innocuously roaming the streets of London in 2006, looking for a decent Scandinavian restaurant. The cafe serves food from the whole Scandinavian region, and has an attached supermarket where products and grocery items are made available (and can even be ordered online). The decor of the cafe is distinctly – perhaps typically – minimalist, which allows the food to speak for itself. The menu contains meatballs (Swedish or Danish), typical sweet treats, as well as traditional smorgasboards, which are platters of open sandwiches, wraps, and salads.

8. Stockholm Restaurant and Deli

Deli, Restaurant, Swedish

The Stockholm Restaurant and Deli lays claim to being London’s first Swedish restaurant and provides high quality, home-cooked food, for people to eat in or take away. The restaurant first opened in 2011, led by head chef Göran Landh, a chef with experience in Africa and Sweden, as well as other parts of Europe. Celebrated and popular dishes include the incredible reindeer burger, meatballs, and crispy potato cakes. Specialty dishes include beef rydberg – a diced fillet steak is fried with potatoes and served with a mustard and onion cream. The attached delicatessen also allows people to pick up typically Swedish ingredients in order to recreate their favourite dishes at home. Sweet treats, such as Swedish chocolate cake, are also available.

9. Texture

Restaurant, European, Vegan, Gluten-free

Texture is a Michelin star restaurant in west London, headed by a young and exceptionally experienced chef Agnar Sverrison. He’s an Icelandic national who previously worked under Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir. The restaurant serves Icelandic and Scandinavian inspired dishes, made with local British produce. The menu includes dishes such as lightly salted Icelandic cod, served with quinoa and prawns, as well as suckling pig, and Norwegian king crab. For big fish fans, there is also a Scandinavian fish tasting menu although at £78 per person, this may be a little pricey.

10. The Finnish Church

Church

No, this isn’t a fancy or quirky take on a Finnish church – it is an actual Finnish Church, the cafe of which serves a variety of typical Scandinavian (and of course, Finnish) home cooking. Guests here can be sure of a warm welcome in this new, modern, building but can also be guaranteed that they will not find much in the way of alcohol. While being religious is not a requirement to eat here, the cafe still resides in a place of worship. However, what it does give is an insight into Finnish Christianity, something that many people will not encounter on a regular occurrence.

11. The Harcourt

Restaurant, European

Located in a Grade II listed Georgian townhouse in Marylebone Village, The Harcourt reopened it doors in April 2016. Finnish Head Chef Kimmo Makkonen has established reindeer as a signature serving; the Nordic Reindeer with pearl barley, turnips and lingonberry jam is a positively delectable dish. The Harcourt also offers a range of old and new-world wines, a charismatic cocktail programme and an extensive whisky list curated especially for the whisky room.

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