Top List

Malmö was once the home to the highest number of restaurants and bars per capita in all of Sweden. Whether or not that record still stands, we don’t know. However with restaurant Bise, local restauranteurs Arvid Falk and Ludvig Fredriksson has opened restaurant and bar, not adhering to a specific cuisine or concept.

With this latest addition to the Malmö restaurant scene, good food, inspired by great tastes from all over the world is to be enjoyed in a relaxed, fun and easy going atmosphere.

When Agnes Hansson found the perfect space in a perfect location, she did not hesitate to realize one of her dreams. This resulted in a combo of a wine bar, lunch and dinner eatery as well as a pastry shop.

Located at Davidshallstorg, one of the most sought after addresses in Malmö, the tiny locale is as quaint as its surroundings. Drop in for a coffee, or a glass of wine or a quick meal before or after browsing the many quirky shops in the area.

Clear across Skåne from us TypeO Loft lies Lillaro Café. As the name implies, light meals, coffee and baked goods can be had here. The drive to Lillaro in Förslöv is time well spent. Once there, all challenges of everyday life dissipate.

Have a seat in one of the many ”rooms” in the cute, quaint and quirky garden or keep warm inside by the cast iron stove. If you are lucky there’s home made bread for sale and if you are even luckier, the wood fired pizza oven is on as well. Open on Sundays only.

It is about time that Ystad, one of Sweden’s summer epicentres, gets a spot where you can just drop by for a glass of magnificent wine and a plate of finger-licking good food. JH Matbar offers just that, and much more.

Run by young husband-and-wife team Christoffer and Malin Jedenstam Herbst, the casual venue takes bookings but also takes a number of walk-ins each night. The slightly austere setting serves as a minimal backdrop for the seasonal food, where flavours pack a punch and are anything but spartan.

With its location in the midst of picturesque rolling hills and a stone’s throw from the beach in the small town of Brösarp, Talldungens Gårdshotell serves up honest and straightforward food made from locally sourced ingredients.

We love the friendly atmosphere, attentive and personal crew, the extensive wine list, which incidentally consists of mainly natural wines, and of course, the food which is cooked heavily influenced by Mediterranean cuisine. The quirky interior adds to the feeling of being in an eccentric relative’s spacious summer home, and if you can bring your imagination past the often cool breeze, (blankets are at hand) there is a certain Mediterranean flair to be felt if dining al fresco in the walled courtyard.

Well aware of not mocking the hipsters, we appreciate the smoked sausages and big burgers prepared from meat and produce sourced ”within cycling distance”, by the bearded and sleeve tattooed owners of this beach shack, located at Löderups Strandbad.

We try to time our visits for late dinner when the crowds are gone and we can enjoy one, two or many of the dishes and one, two or many of Strandkompaniet’s own beer Löderups Lager. If live music is not your thing, check their website or call, as someone is playing several (but not all) days a week during high season.

Österlen is the home of many excellent restaurants where the meals are hearty and the ambience is relaxed – much like the pace of life here. Villa Strandvägen is one of the few places that will provide a full fine dining experience, when, or if we feel like having more of an occasion or want to impress the in-laws.

Villa Strandvägen restaurant is located literally a stone’s throw from the white sandy beaches of Ystad, in a Belle Epoque mansion. It is consistently highly ranked as a restaurant and as a small boutique hotel.

Skåne’s most beautiful spa is quite unexpectedly found in Höör, a town that seldom makes the cut when recommending places to visit around Skåne. Run by the former state church of Sweden and designed by Lund-based architect Johan Sundberg, Andrum Spa reminds us of Peter Zumthor’s breathtaking Therme Vals.

The healing properties of water play a central role in Andrum Spa’s facilities, inspired by Nordic wellness rituals such as Finish sauna bathing and bathing in hot springs in Iceland. Try the 50 minute hot stone massage for the ultimate picker-upper.

The pier, the fishing huts in the harbour and the maritime museum all testify of Torekov’s past as a fishing village. A couple of kilometres south of the harbour is Torekov Hotell, a hotel and spa that reflects the intimate and casual ambience of the town.

In 2020, Torekov Hotell underwent a major revamp. The revamp resulted in an extended spa area which now offers a wide variety of pools – two Japanese outdoor pools, a massage pool, a large outdoor heated pool and an ice bath, to name but a few. One of the hotel’s signature treatments is the magnesium wrap anti-stress full body treatment.

High above the dense woodlands and rocky heights of Skåne’s Romeleåsen, The Lodge looks out over the landscape below. This New England-style property, complete with the weathered wood finishes, handwritten beach signs and cast iron stoves, is described as a Swedish take on an American getaway.

The 1,000 square metre Honulele spa has several treatment rooms, a spot for yoga and a 12 metre-long infinity pool. A 4-course dinner is enjoyed at on-site restaurant Heaven – we recommend booking your table a few weeks in advance.

Some 30 years ago, writer Marika Wachtmeister started collecting and exhibiting art in the park grounds and forests around Wanås Castle, her family’s 18th Century estate just north of the city of Kristianstad. Her great love for art comes from when she and the rest of her family lived in New York during the 1960s.

The art collection and the majestic natural landscape it is showcased in is equally impressive. Our favourite installations include work by Marina Abramovic, Dan Graham, Antony Gormley and Sissel Tolaas. Although many artworks are permanent, Wanås also organises temporary exhibitions – such as the much-debated spray-painted pink sheep by artist Henrik Plenge Jakobsen that graze the grounds. Make sure to also pay a visit to the restaurant and café.

Approaching Kivik Art Centre is an oxymoronic experience. The ever-present rolling fields, picturesque apple orchards and quaint cottages are not the usual settings for experiences of art, design, architecture and sculptures. Nevertheless, Kivik Art Centre, the brainchild of Thomas Kjellgren and Sune Nordgren, both with a solid background in the arts, has found its home right in the middle of nature, rather than in a historic urban building.

The art centre is open daily throughout summer and contains a permanent exhibition by Snøhetta, photographer Tom Sandberg, architect David Chipperfield, sculpture artist Antony Gormley, Petra Gipp and architect Gert Wingårdh, to name a few. The Venturo, an organically shaped house by Matti Suuronen, is the art centre’s reception area and café. Every year new temporary exhibitions are added to the permanent ones.

One to keep a close eye on is Obra, a Malmö platform for contemporary art. With a mission to introduce art to both established and new audiences, Tomás Giraldo-Feener, who co-founded the project with photographer Petra Bindel, puts on exhibitions that are meant to spark conversation about the art and the participating artists.

Since leaving the previous space in Malmö’s harbour area, Obra is without a visiting address. But keep your eyes peeled for what will come – we guarantee it will be well worth the wait.

If Scandinavian and Swedish art and design is your fancy, a visit to Fabriken – Swedish for ‘the factory’ – is a must. Sculptors such as Hertha Hillfon and Barbro Bäckström, photographers Dag Hammarskjöld and Jean Hermanson, glass artists like Josh Simpson, William Bell and Nina Westman, to name but a few, have all been exhibited at Fabriken.

Fabriken is consistently graced with high marks for displaying interesting works in an unusual setting and with knowledgeable guides as icing on the cake. The former aviation parts factory provides plenty of space to highlight each work.

Skissernas Museum in Lund is a unique art museum that focuses on the artistic creative process. It features the world’s largest collection of sketches, models and preparatory work for Swedish and international public art. The large exhibition rooms hold modern and contemporary art – from small pencil drawings to monumental paintings and plaster sculptures.

When you are done perusing works by Henri Matisse, Henry Moore, Fernand Léger or Isaac Grünewald we highly recommend the excellent in-house restaurant. Excellent food is prepared in an open kitchen and served in the decidedly Nordic and sparsely but warmly furnished dining room.

One of our favourite Malmö spots to grab a coffee and do some laptop work is Atrium. Judging by the number of other patrons in the airy café, we aren’t the only ones who love to spend time there and treat it like a second living room.

Opened in 2015 and run by husband and wife team Adrian Ndreca and Natalia Andersson, the space is welcoming, bright and friendly. Do as we do: Head there early, grab one of the breakfast deals with coffee, apple juice and sourdough bread open sandwiches, and just hang out for as long as you can before you get the feeling of having outstayed your welcome.

There are a great many things that the masters at Mat & Choklasstudion in Malmö do well. There’s a vegetarian lunch to die for and a great selection of bread. But what they truly excel at is the creation of the most delicious and imaginative pastries, desserts and baked goods. And no wonder – head pastry chef Joel Lindqvist, who runs the place, was awarded the title Dessert master in a nationwide competition in 2014.

Our approach when tackling the very difficult task of selecting just what to order here is simply to go with the flow by having the server introduce us to all the different goodies on offer, and then put together a plate with at least a handful of different options to go to town on. It’s like we’ve died (of sugar overdose) and gone to heaven (if heaven was somewhat like Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory).

In 2012, husband and wife Matti and Iwona Holgersson returned to Skåne (and Matti’s hometown) after having worked in various gastronomic fields in Copenhagen. A derelict carpentry in the quaint village of Sankt Olof offered them a new start in life, and a spot to explore their joint love of sourdough.

Today, the family business – a chain of organic bakeries and cafés – has grown to include no less than four different locations (in Sankt Olof, in Ystad, in Borrby and in Simrishamn). We still love the original location the best and like to drop by year-round. Don’t miss the weekly highlight – Sundays are pizza days at Byvägen 35.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again … The gluten-heavy treats at Loshult Handelsbod are truly worth driving across half of Skåne for. We’ve spent years putting in the hard work of locating Sweden’s best cinnamon rolls, and we’ve finally found them in this remotely located village in northern Skåne.

The bakery, which is housed in a gorgeous ancient wooden villa, in the process of being restored by owners Salli and Raphael Bartke, also serves up the most beautiful variety of loaves of bread. Head here early (or order ahead) as queues start forming quickly.

The Lundgren sisters, which the timber-framed café and restaurant were named after, were a total of six. Greta, Anna, Ebba, Rut, Britt-Marie and Ella’s parents acquired the old fisher’s cot in 1927 and began renovating it to turn it into a holiday home for the family. When the family fell upon financial hardship, oldest sister Greta came up with the idea of turning into a café. Soon, all six sisters were involved in the budding business.

A classic from Flickorna Lundgren is Vaniljhärta, a pastry made of shortcrust dough formed into hearts and filled with vanilla cream. It is said that Swedish king Gustaf VI Adolf, who frequently stopped by for a coffee while in Skåne, would bring a selection of plants and shoots in exchange for a box of vanilla hearts.

This is a 26 km loop that starts with a bit of a climb up the hill from TypeO Loft, past lake Krageholm, through a lush forest and out onto a tree-lined road that leads past Krageholm Manor.

Keep going out of the village of Sövesta towards Högestad over open fields and rolling hills. By Högesta castle, take a left and follow the scenic road towards Baldringe. At the church, make another left turn and follow the winding and very quiet road back towards Sövesta. At the main road, turn left again and then right at the Sövesta church (where you can stop for coffee at Ladan & Loftet). You are now back at the same road that you started and that will take you back to TypeO Loft.

A 46 km loop that starts the same way as number one on this list of bike rides in Skåne close to TypeO Loft. It is a fairly easy ride with less change in altitude that takes you over the fields down to the sandy beaches along Nybrostrand and Ystad. In summer, the Danish pastries at Fritidsbaren beg for a stop.

Once you reach Nybrostrand, you can follow a separate bike path away from the traffic along the main road that takes you back to Ystad, along the beach to Svarte, where you make a right towards Marsvinsholm Castle which is a very pretty house built in 1648, when Skåne was part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Pass the castle and continue under the highway and back to where you started.

140 km there and back, it is not really a loop, but rather a beautiful ride along the ocean. Choose your own point of return and enjoy the sense of freedom of riding your bike along the water. If you choose to go on an all-day excursion, we suggest riding all the way to the seaside resort towns of Skanör and Falsterbo.

Stop for a beer and some food at Hörte Brygga on the way. Most of the ride will take place on separate bike paths away from traffic and the land is almost flat for the duration of the ride. Once in Skanör, have a bite at one of the restaurants in the harbour or just settle for ice cream at Da Aldo, before heading back.

It is about time that Ystad, one of Sweden’s summer epicentres, gets a spot where you can just drop by for a glass of magnificent wine and a plate of finger-licking good food. JH Matbar offers just that, and much more.

Run by young husband-and-wife team Christoffer and Malin Jedenstam Herbst, the casual venue takes bookings but also takes a number of walk-ins each night. The food is seasonal, mostly local and quite ambitious, and clearly delivers in terms of flavour.

Another hotspot in Kåseberga, Kåseberga Surf Co is a hang-out spot for those passionate about surfing. Aside from renting a board or SUP, you’ll also be able to buy the sleek boards designed by owner Christian Dittrich.

Susanne, his wife, also contributes with her handmade ceramics and regularly hosts ceramic evening workshops. If you’d rather stay dry and have your feet firmly planted in the Scanian soil, this is also a great spot for specialty coffee and homemade pastries.

With regular pizzas found in even the smallest of towns across the region, Bella and Jonas Kempe set out to create something a bit more unusual. Öl & Knäcke, which translates to beer and crispbread, serves up low-alcohol beer and crispbread pizza in a revamped barn.

The rye crispbread they use originates from the city of Leksand, home of Swedish crispbread, and toppings include bleak roe, gruyere cheese and caramelized onions.

If you have meandered out of your vacation cocoon and find yourself all the way over in Simrishamn, we strongly suggest a visit to Olaols Gelato. A gelateria in the truest form, the artisanal Italian ice cream made on-site by couple Stefan and Ottilia at their quaint farmstead Norrevångsgården.

The flavours vary according to seasonal changes and the availability of local ingredients. If ice cream is not your thing, have a waffle, a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate and just relax in the leafy and quiet cobblestoned courtyard.

Is coffee and yoga a good combo? The folks at Ladan & Loftet certainly seem to think so. In Sövestad, our neighbouring village, two families have teamed up to revamp an old barn – the bottom floor is dedicated to roasting coffee and serving Swedish ‘fika’, while the top floor is transformed into a magnificent yoga studio.

Find your zen and then perk back up with a cup of your favourite brew.

In an old shipyard warehouse, restaurant Aster opens up its doors in the summer of 2021 and becomes Malmö’s new neighbourhood eatery in the city’s developing western parts. The owner trio aims for a convivial and familial vibe with lots of shared meat and fish dishes, often prepared over an open fire, which is chef Sahin Erdal’s passion.

Produce and other ingredients are sourced from the proprietary farm, located in the country, just outside the town of Lund. The rest of the team made up of Mimmi and Linus Montán-Elveroth both have a solid background within the industry as well as a shared passion for delicious cocktails.

A parking lot in a bland industrial area on the outskirts of Malmö is the unlikely place for the city’s hottest pizza spot. Here, foodies flock and queue for a taste of some of the finest Neapolitan pizzas around.

Make sure to get her in time (or check social media for daily status), as these pizzas sell out quickly.

Sandhammaren might be the most famed of the local beaches as it bears the official title of the best beach in Sweden. The gleaming white fine sand dunes follow the coastline for over five kilometres and provide plenty of space for swimmers, kite surfers and sunbathers alike.

On the busiest days on weekends and high season weeks in July and August parking spots might be scarce. A top tip is to head to the western part of Sandhammaren at Tyge Å, via Backåkra.

Löderups strandbad might very well be the epicenter of beach life in Skåne. With plenty of parking, restaurants and ice cream stands, the beach is busier than most in the area. If you want to see and be seen and don’t mind being a little closer to strangers than on other beach locations, this might be the ideal spot.

Renowned restaurant Strandkompaniet will keep your growling stomach quiet both for lunch and dinner if you like to stay late.

The beach at Haväng is reached via some of Skåne’s prettiest winding roads through apple orchards and rolling hills. Set up your beach camp for the day on top of the grassy fields to enjoy the view or head down to the narrow strip of sand to swim. The water can best be referred to as “refreshing”, even at the height of summer but the vibe in the area is nothing short of magical.

The area is so vast and the elbow room is plentiful so no need to worry about feeling crowded. But as per usual, try to get as far away from the parking as possible.

With the risk of tooting our own horns, we highly recommend getting the latest issue of Akt, an independent magazine in search for greatness in a small corner, abstraction in the mass, with a keen eye for timeless aesthetics and a nod to Belgium’s creative landscape.

For Akt III, TypeO’s co-founder Micha van Dinther has contributed with two articles – an essay on the feeling of melancholy, as well as a portrait of Cédric Etienne of Studio Corkinho and self-proclaimed ‘curator of stillness’.

Monocle‘s books on home decor, entrepreneurship and eating and drinking have become staples here at TypeO. In their latest book, the editorial team takes on topics of slowing down, enjoying more and being happy. Not an easy feat, no doubt.

The book’s ten chapters cover how to live a gentler life, how to have a good home, what pastimes to make time for, how to eat well, how to dress with care, how to stay more active, how to occasionally get lost, the importance of seeing new places and how to find balance. This book is a sound investment for a better life.

Before the pandemic struck, we had the pleasure of visiting the wonderful city of Antwerp. While there, we stayed at August, Belgium master-designer Vincent Van Duysen‘s latest hospitality project (read the full story here), and toured some of his other public projects: Graanmarkt 13 and the Pulcinella youth hostel.

Now that all travel happens in the mind, this book, an anthology of Van Duysen’s works between the years of 2009 and 2018 (which unfortunately excludes August, as it opened in 2019) offers a journey into the aesthetic world of his. Be warned that this book will induce severe design wanderlust.