Despite the prevalence of Swedish and Norwegian surnames, Nordic cuisine plays an understated role in Twin Cities food culture. True, lefse is served at the State Fair and pickled herring makes a cameo at local potlucks. But when it comes to dining out, it’s easier to find tacos and pad Thai than Finnish fare. However, there are a handful of spots that specialize in Nordic cuisine (which includes the Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, plus nearby Finland and Iceland) worth discovering.
Read MoreDiscover the Twin Cities Nordic Eateries
From cardamom buns to smorgasbrod to pickled herring
Swedish Crown Bakery
Tucked into a suburban strip mall, the bakery offers a selection of Scandinavian breads, pastries, and cookies made with natural and often organic ingredients. Take home a hearty loaf of limpa, Danish rye, or cardamom bread, or linger over an almond twisty, a lightly sweetened pastry rolled with almond paste and filled with custard. A handful of items made with gluten-free ingredients are available daily, and the oat and cardamom cookies are vegan.
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Tullibee
The seasonal menu at the Hewing Hotel’s stylish restaurant incorporates Nordic ingredients like lingonberries, lefse, and skyr (a thick Icelandic yogurt). Breakfast and brunch feature Norwegian-style waffles. For dessert try the gjetost sundae—the rich, sweet Norwegian cheese flavors diminutive scoops of ice cream served with lingonberries, shaved white chocolate, and a krumkake cookie filled with whipped cream.
Finnish Bistro Coffee & Cafe
The menu includes Finnish specialities like Karelian piirakka, a rye pastry stuffed with potatoes, as well as Scandinavian favorites like pickled herring, reindeer sausage, and lefse. Some items put a Nordic spin on American dishes, like French toast made with pulla (a Finnish sweet bread with cardamom and raisins) and chicken lefse wraps. Bakery offerings include Swedish limpa bread, loaves of Finnish rye, and almond kringler cookies.
Norway House Kaffebar
The low-key museum cafe serves the Nordic waffles of State Fair fame, plus open-faced sandwiches with classic and modern toppings like shrimp salad, smoked salmon, and eggs with caviar. The bakery case offers a selection of locally made Scandinavian-style baked goods.
Fika
Located in the Swedish American Institute, FIKA serves an elegant New Nordic menu of salads, small plates, and smörgåsar (open-faced sandwiches). Try the juniper-spiced meatballs served with a potato puree and lingonberries, or the seared salmon smörgås garnished with a sweet mustard sauce. Baked goods are made in-house, and include Danish rye bread, cardamom buns, and a rotating selection of Swedish cookies.
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Cafe Finspång
The Midtown Global Market vendor offers a small selection of freshly-made Scandinavian sweets, including lingonberry bars and cardamom cookies.
Taste of Scandinavia Bakery
Since breakfast is served all day, order the Swedish pancakes: delicately thin, egg-rich pancakes topped with the traditional lingonberries plus raspberry jam, strawberries, bananas, whipped cream, and chocolate curls. Other Scandinavian-inspired dishes include lefse served with lingonberry cream cheese, open-face Danish-style salmon sandwiches, and French toast made with Finnish pulla bread.