Holy hygge! Nordic traditions and cuisine are slowly infiltrating the trendy London scene and we can see why. Beautifully crafted open sandwiches or plates of meats, cured fish and cheeses sit happily alongside rye bread and crackers. Remember when everyone was crazy about smashed avo on toast? Well kiss goodbye to that well known green fruit (that really seems like a vegetable) and say hello to some seriously insta worthy smorgasbords…
1. HYGGE smørrebrød
Housed at The Bottle Shop, this pop up is back after housing multiple events around London. They’re interested in delivering authentic, traditional Nordic cuisine in a modern manner but what does that mean for us? 5 courses sampling some of the best damn gravad lax along with perfect beer pairings for every course.
Tickets available here.
2. Brünch
Easily some of the prettiest plates of food we’ve ever laid our eyes on, Brünch know how to do it well. Focused on the only 3 B’s anyone should be concerned with: Bread, Brunch and Booze, this Berlin inspired pop up is now permanently housed at the London Fields Tap Room. Expect comforting brunches of smoked cheese and eggs and of course, all the springtime smorgasbord inspo.
365 Warburton St, London, E8 3RR
3. Snaps and Rye
With a daily selection of smørrebrød (that’s an open-faced sandwich) starting from only £2.50 and small plates of smoked trout, pork veal meatballs and potato salad, this restaurant prides itself on its proper Nordic cuisine. Their produce is all fresh, seasonal and sustainable so take a trip over to Notting Hill for all things nice and Scandi.
93 Golborne Road, London, W10 5NL
4. Rök Smokehouse
Interested in simplicity and smoke, this restaurant is all about North European cooking techniques to get the most out of their ingredients. With a new set menu (at their Islington branch) that comes in at a purse-friendly £14, there’s now more chance than ever to sample some crispy duck fritters or a pulled pork smørrebrød. *Drooling currently in process*.
Islington branch: 149 Upper Street, London, N1 1RA OR Shoreditch branch: 26 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 3NY
5. Nordic Bakery
Easily famed for their colossal sized freshly baked cinnamon buns, one can sometimes forget the Nordic Bakery do other items also. Yes, they’re all about their coffee, dark rye and truly excellent buns.
But they also do a wide selection of sandwiches with roast ham, danish salami and brie. Majority of the menu is under a fiver and for that price, you may as well snatch up a slice of Scandi heaven.
14A Golden Square, Soho, London W1F 9JG
6. Cooper & Wolf
This family-run café and restaurant in the heart of Clapham is full of passed down family recipes and traditional Swedish fayre. As well as caviar for breakfast (I mean, who wouldn’t?), the main menu consists of hearty dishes of fish pie, meatballs and of course, delicious open sandwiches on fresh sourdough.
145 Chatsworth Road, Lower Clapton, London E5 0LA
Feature Image: Brünch