Dining and Souvenir Shopping on the Cheap in Stockholm

Do not get scared off from visiting Sweden by articles listing how expensive the food and shops are there. There are still plenty of reasonable options that will not break the bank. Discover some of the ones that we found below.

Dining

Mae Thai Hötorget

Dinner at Mae Thai Hötorget in Hötorget Square

This was our favorite meal in Stockholm. It is located right near T-Centralen and frequented by locals. It served very tasty Thai food that was also inexpensive. We ordered six items for around $50 USD for 3 adult menu items, 1 kid menu item and 2 appetizers. The kids menu item was 75 SEK and the portion was still large. Water was available for free. There was so much food that we would have definitely had enough if we had only ordered three items for the four of us.

This street food spot is located right next to Hötorget square with a glass enclosure around the seating and a retractable roof with some long tables for people to sit together. We enjoyed conversing with some Stockholm residents. Food is also available to go. 

We ordered everything mild. The red curry with chicken had the perfect amount of kick to it without being too hot. The Pad See Ew noodles had almost no spice but lots of flavor. The spring rolls were crispy with a tasty dipping sauce. 

If you are in a group with some less adventurous eaters it is also near Bastard Burgers which has great pricing on burgers. They range from 115 to 169 SEK with a higher price for meals. 

Junibacken Cafe

Junibacken had really reasonably priced food. Unfortunately the kitchen had just closed when we went there but you can see some of their menu items offered here: Junibacken Menu. The atmosphere was very cool and looked like you were inside of the Big Top at a Circus. They also had coffee and outdoor seating with great views. If you are going with multiple adults I would recommend each adult taking a break with a coffee on their outdoor terrace. 

Bistro Nobel

The highlight of our visit to the Nobel Prize Museum was dining in the Bistro Nobel inside. Underneath each chair you sit on there are signatures from different Nobel Prize winners. My kids were excited to sit in the same chair as Barack Obama. You can also ask them at the front about which people sat in your chair number and their field of work. We thought their Kladkaka and Morotskaka for 55 SEK were both very tasty. They also had Toscabit, Kokostopp and Dammsugare for 40 SEK and Appelkaka for 55 SEK as options for fika. If you want a cheap souvenir get a chocolate Nobel prize medal for 18 SEK. 

Get your own Nobel Prize!

Hot Dogs

Hot Dogs from street vendors was one of our favorite parts of the trip. They were a good way to get in a quick, cheap and tasty lunch. In most places they seemed to range in price from 40 to 55 SEK with a couple places being cheaper. They were longer than the US hot dogs, the bread options were more filling and you could get them with a lot of topping variations. My kids thought it was hilarious when I accidentally overloaded one of my hot dogs with fried onions. Some of them fell off onto the ground and pigeons were eating them. I had to keep walking as I ate to stay one step ahead of them. 

Pictured below is our favorite hot dog vendor. He has been at the same location for over twenty years. He is located near the water behind the Vasa Museum.

Panem

Panem had some reasonably priced fika options that were around 45 SEK. There were some nice seating options that were quiet so this seemed like a good place to take a break. Some of their other menu options are pricier. 

The Generator Stockholm

The Generator Stockholm had very reasonably priced food for breakfast. We prepaid in order to get their breakfast deal for 95 SEK per person. This included one breakfast entree and unlimited drinks. Drinks included coffee, tea, apple juice, orange juice, milk and water. There were multiple milk options if you needed to avoid lactose, like almond milk, etc… It was a great value for the amount of food we received. 

Anyone can go there and order a la carte off of their breakfast menu as well. It is not a far walk from T-Centralen. Pricing ranged from 95 to 125 SEK for their breakfast menu items. Breakfast hours are from 7 am to 10:30 am on Monday to Friday and from 7 am to 11 am on Saturday and Sunday.

One night while we were there we also got their Smoked Cheddar and Bacon Burger off of their Big Bites menu for 170 SEK which was delicious. 

7-Eleven

There are lots of 7-11 locations and they have lots of food that is easy to grab quickly. There is a lot more food variety as well as more tasty and healthy options than US locations. 

Ikea

We went to the Ikea Stockholm Gallerian. A couple people from Stockholm told us this was a good place to try the famous Swedish meatballs. The food was tasty and we got an incredible amount of food for only 260 SEK for all four of us ($26 USD). There were a lot more food options than in the US and the food was even cheaper. My favorite was the meatballs and gravy. My daughter loved the Kanelbulle for 5 SEK. My son loved the Tomato and Mozzarella Salad. My husband liked their soft ice cream machine where you got soft serve vanilla ice cream and a cone for 7 SEK. 

Our Ikea Meal

Are there other places that you would try eating?

We ran out of time on our trip but people in Stockholm told us Meatballs for the People would be a good place to check out for their delicious food. Aifur was a Viking themed restaurant recommended to us that sounded like it would be a lot of fun. These options would both be pricier than the food options I listed above.

Souvenir Shopping

What are good souvenirs to take home from your trip?

Dala horses make great souvenirs since they are unique and found in most Swedish homes.

Fika is a tradition where people gather to talk and take a break. It is traditionally done with drinking coffee and having a kanelbulle (cinnamon bun). We brought home some cinnamon buns and a mug for Fika.

If shopping for kids souvenirs related to Pippi Longstocking are a great idea. Many shops also featured Moomin.

Ikea

Ikea had some food items that would make great inexpensive souvenirs. A pack of Dammsugare kafferep was 18 SEK. Their bästisar elk pasta was 20 SEK and their lingonberry jam was 25 SEK. Their Rostad lök containers were 15 SEK. 

Kafferep

Sylt Lingon and Bastisar

Kafferep

New Style Council

On our last day we went into a few souvenir stores. The cheapest one we found was New Style Council. We got items such as a mug and dala horses.

Royal Palace Souvenirs

We loved seeing the crowns at the Royal Palace the most. Afterwards we got a cute crown for our kids as a souvenir for 85 SEK. They also had a few other fairly inexpensive souvenir options. 

XXL Sport

We stopped in here to ask for directions but noticed that their pricing was really good on some of their clothing items. It is a good place to stop if you forgot to pack a coat for your trip. I really liked the full body rain slickers that they were selling for younger kids.

Stockholm Arlanda Airport

The airport actually had some great small food souvenirs and keychains at reasonable pricing. It is a good place to shop if you did not have much time for shopping on your trip and still have space in your bag for souvenirs.

Other Souvenirs to Look Out For in Stores

Enjoy your time in Stockholm!