Gretas at Haymarket, Stockholm

I consider myself to be so very lucky to have grown up in Stockholm, Sweden. I love my home city and I love how it’s spread across 14 islands and connected by 57 bridges. The sea is all around you and it’s as beautiful in the summer as it is in the winter.

Stockholm has so many different cuisines on offer and wonderful restaurants and bars and cafes. We are if nothing else a coffee nation. I think we are like the second or third largest consumer of coffee, In The World. If you take into concideration that Sweden only has a population of about 9 million that’s pretty astonishing don’t you think?

I often joke that I’ve got coffee running in my veins but it’s not really a joke if its sort of true hahahah

One of the places I frequent each time I go home and visit my family in Stockholm is Gretas which can be found inside Haymarket Hotel.

The View

The view is of the square called Hötorget (Haymarket in English) full of fresh fruit and vegetable stands, the flower stalls and the tourist trinkets. It’s home to the Royal Concert Hall, A food market hall called Hötorgshallen and the Food Court called Kungshallen. Like I said, plenty of eateries in Stockholm and this is just a tiny square of that.

Getting a table outside at Gretas or by the windows make for the excellent pastime of quality people watching.

The lobby is amazing with it’s interior decor à la 1920s glamour and film. This used to be an old department store building up until a few years ago. Think old Selfridges of London.

The Swedish movie star Greta Garbo used to work in this department store before she became an actress. It was called PUB back then after it’s owner Paul Urbanus Bergström. Hence the name of the cafe, Gretas! How cool is that.

Confession time

I’ve been to Gretas several times since it opened but I’ve only ever had the avocado toast. They do other dishes here too that look amazing when I’ve seen the servers walk past with them but honestly, the avocado on toast is the only thing I’ve ordered here hahahahah

The Restaurant

It’s pink. The End. hahahahaha no seriously, it’s pink! It continues the old feel of the 20s and 30s in here from the lobby and they make use of the pineapple theme and have plenty of fresh plants all over the place and it feels really relaxed in here. Lots of people come here for a quick business lunch I think because looking around there are lots of laptops out, every time I come here.

They’ve made really good use of mirrors too which I love. I just thinks it makes any space feel bigger and more airy.

The Drinks

I’ve had coffee here. That’s it as far as drinks go hahahahah It’s good coffee but I’ve had better. I found the cappuccino a little bitter on my last visit, maybe the coffee beans had burned when I tried it.

The latte is nice though. As with almost all places in Stockholm, the option to have lactose free milk is a godsend for someone like me. I’m lactose and fructose intolerant. This means I basically always suffer with drinks I choose in England as lactose free is only available in Costa so far.

The takeaway mugs are so pretty though!

I’ve learned that I’m a slow drinker (and eater for that matter). I like to take my time with things. This means I’m way behind the rest of my dining company when we go out. This is why I always order hot drinks in takeaway mugs so I can finish them later hahahah The takeaway cups are so cute at Gretas though don’t you think?

Adjecent to Gretas you can find ‘Paul’s’ which is a short hop and a skip across the lobby. This is the bar area and where one would usually partake in a drink or five…

It’s equally as gorgeous as the pink Gretas but this place is more blue and red and again, has some amazing finishing touches that you just must look out for if you come here.

If I still lived in Stockholm, this is where I’d imagine having some after work drinks with my friends.

The Food

Like I wrote earlier, I’ve only had the avocado toast here at Gretas. There is a reason for this.

It’s because this is without a doubt the best tasting avocado on toast I’ve ever had! Worldwide!

The avocado is served on top of creme-cheese and it’s just so simple no fuss but tastes amazing. The first time I had it I complained because I thought the egg was raw hahahahah

No the egg wasn’t raw, just cooked to absolute perfection. I mean come on, just look at this fluffy fresh beauty and tell me that your mouth isn’t watering just a teeny tiny little bit. Mine is writing this hahahahah

It’s really quite the pretty and awesome tasty little dish that I highly recommend you to try if you ever find yourself here at Gretas. I honestly just come for coffee sometimes too so I can just do some people watching and blog writing.

My husband has had cake here before and the cheeky so and so couldn’t even wait to eat it until I’d finished taking my food shots bless him. It tasted yummy and they have plenty of cakes on offer too if you have a sweet tooth and not in to avocado.

The Verdict

• Great spot for some people watching
• The best avocado on toast I’ve ever had
• Stockholm is pricey but Gretas isn’t! super reasonable prices
• The service is good and you’re always met with a smile
• Lovely decor of Pink and a 1920s feel to the place
• If you sit on the sofas it might be hard to eat as the table to sofa ratio height is a little off
• One of the most instagrammable cafes in Stockholm
• The menu at Gretas changes each week but don’t worry, the avocado on toast is always on it

All the details you need to get yourself to Gretas can be found below;

To visit their website click here

To see a selection of their menu click here and here

To visit them their address is: Hötorget 13-15, 111 57 Stockholm, Sweden

Have you been here before? What did you think?

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