Where to Eat in Malmö Foodie Map of the Best Restaurants & Bars

Malmö is the third-largest city in Sweden. However, its proximity to Copenhagen, with all the cultural influences, and its position as the capital of the Skåne region, rich in farmland and small-scale producers, puts it among the most interesting and leading food areas in Scandinavia. The crown jewel is one of the few two-Michelin-starred restaurants in the Nordic countries – restaurant Vollmers.

In this city map, we have gathered all our favorite spots to create the best restaurant guide to Malmö. You will find coffee shops, natural wine bars, casual & fine dining restaurants, and, of course, falafel. Navigate the map easily either by scrolling through the list on the right or by clicking the points on the map. Places are listed in geographical order.

Located in the still-developing Varvsstaden area of the city is Aster. The restaurant is a bit of a hidden oasis, tucked away amidst the rubble of new construction. Twinkling string lights beckon you to come closer, and the smell of wood burning in the open fire invites you inside. The menu primarily features vegetables and herbs grown on their nearby farm, alongside ingredients from local producers. Highlights from our visit included the caramelized onion tart with havgus cheese; farm tomatoes on grilled toast with aioli, boquerones, and sumac; and the grilled turbot with a smoked beurre blanc. To drink, there are handmade cocktails and lots of our favorite natural wine producers, including Le Coste, Frank Cornelissen, and Claus Preisinger.

The mission at Spill is simple – to make delicious meals out of food that would otherwise go to waste. The chefs get leftover produce from the restaurant suppliers and craft two dishes (one meat, one vegetarian) each day for the low price of 95 kroner. Still hungry? Refills are available for free – it’s important to Spill that everyone leaves full. The dining room takes up most of the lobby of a tall office building – the space feels like a modern canteen with pink-painted walls, communal tables, and fresh flowers.

Saltimporten Canteen is a New Nordic lunch restaurant situated at the dockside in an old salt importing warehouse. Chefs Ola Rudin and Sebastian Persson closed their prestigious fine dining restaurant Trio in 2011, to instead make simple, affordable stews and soups made with high quality, seasonal ingredients. The lunch is served canteen-style, at communal tables in a minimalist space.

St. Jakobs Stenugnsbageri is Malmö’s most popular bakery chain, with several locations around the city (including two at the central train station). They also deliver their pastries to some coffee shops in the city as well, so that means you’re never very far from Malmö’s best cardamom bun!

As the name suggests, Falafel & Burgers inside the Malmö Saluhall is your go-to place for falafel and burgers. They serve a few different types of burgers here, and we opted for The French: local beef from Skåne topped with sweet gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, and umami-rich truffle mayo, served on a wonderfully buttery bun. This is by far our favorite burger in Malmö! While you're here, you’re also going to want to try their Falafel Salad (think of it as a side salad to your burger). The falafel is flavorful and delicious, but it’s the pieces of fried halloumi with a bubbly, crunchy exterior that steal the show.

Malmö's Saluhall (market hall) is an indoor food market with 20 vendors ranging from a butcher and a fishmonger to some of the city's best casual eateries. In addition to Falafel & Burgers (which serves our favorite burger in Malmö) we also recommend checking out Hedvigsdal Pizza for crispy, wood-fired pizzas and Favvo Ice Cream for silky soft ice creams made with creative flavors like licorice, yuzu, and rhubarb.

Nestled in Malmö’s old town lies a cozy Scandinavian living room with wooden tables, lots of plants, jazz music, and a four-course, seasonal menu. On our visit we enjoyed a raw fish dish with celeriac and truffles, baked beets with a cheese sauce, deer with a root vegetable purée, and an incredible dessert of strawberry sorbet, vanilla cream, vanilla oil, and grapefruit jelly. On the wine side, we shared a bottle of Arbois Pupillin Ploussard from Renaud Bruyère and Adeline Houillon. Flavorful, unpretentious food in a relaxed atmosphere – this is a place we could easily return to.

BISe (short for “bisous” in French) is a restaurant, wine bar, and cocktail bar. The wine bar has natural wines, snacks, and small plates, and the restaurant has a seasonally changing three-course menu with food inspired by southern Europe. These are not your typical bar snacks – we fell head over heels in love with the matjes herring dish with new potatoes and brown butter, as well as the oxtail ragu piled atop grilled bread with aioli.

When you’re craving smash burgers and Cali vibes, head to Surf Shack. All of the ingredients are fresh and local, including the beef which comes from Swedish farms and is ground in-house daily. Our favorite part about Surf Shack is that you can fully customize your perfect burger – for us, the ideal burger here is the smash cheeseburger with cheddar cheese, grilled onions, and garlic mayo, but they have lots of other toppings (bacon, avocado, eggs, mushrooms, pickles, etc.) for you to make it your own. Wash it all down with a hand-spun milkshake!

The restaurant formerly known as Bastard has become Ruths, an all-day bakery and eatery, open daily from early morning until late night. Swing by in the morning for coffee, porridge, egg dishes, and freshly baked pastries, like a brown butter cardamom twist or an Argentinian medialuna. The lunch menu features snacks and a few lighter dishes, and the dinner menu adds wood-fired pizzas to the roster. Loaves of bread, cheese, and charcuterie are also available for purchase in their deli shop.

Vollmers is a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Malmö's city center. The two brothers, Mats and Ebbe Vollmer, received their first star in 2015 and the second one in 2017, which put them in a very exclusive culinary league in Scandinavia. Expect pleasant New Nordic cuisine with elements from classical French cooking in a luxurious, yet relaxed setting. Service is excellent, and the desserts are particularly outstanding.

On a cobbled street in the heart of the old town is one of Malmö’s most popular wine bars, Julie. Cheese fridges greet you when you enter, and friendly faces escort you to a seat at the bar, in a cozy booth, or outside in the open-air courtyard (weather permitting). No waste is the motto here, both in terms of food and in wine; in that same spirit, the wine list leans mostly natural, organic, and biodynamic.

Slottsträdgårdens Café is located in the colorful Kungsparken. A trip out here is the perfect escape from the busy city life in Malmö. Pass the many bridges across the canal that run through Malmö's oldest park and take a break at the café in the heart of the gardens, to enjoy a simple lunch made with seasonal, organic produce. You can also have proper Swedish "fika" (coffee and sweets), before you continue your stroll through the beautiful flower gardens.

Swedish cider producer Fruktstereo has opened a small bar on the second floor above Maya Cantina. In this “bird’s nest” of a bar, they sling their locally-produced fruit pet nats alongside natural wines that they import (Gut Oggau, Christian Tschida, Sepp Muster, & more). Stop by for a glass or a bottle, or try one of their experimental cocktails made from fresh seasonal ingredients and their ciders. We loved the fresh and floral “Hey There Delilac” and the spicy and fruity “If I Rhubarb the World.” There are snacks and tacos available from the Mexican restaurant below.

Solde Kaffebar & Kafferosteri has been one of the city's finest specialty coffee bars since 2006, and roasts their own beans for some of the top restaurants in town. Go here for a hand-brewed coffee, house-made pastries, yogurt with homemade granola, or a simple Swedish breakfast of "macka" (bread roll).

If you’re in the mood for Hong Kong-style street food, LU in the trendy Davidshall square is your spot. The signature Cantonese dishes include roast duck, beef chow ho fun noodles, and crispy wo tip dumplings. Natural wine is available to help wash down the spicy food!

The creative, bite-sized dishes at Mutantur look like they could be part of a fine dining tasting menu, but the best part about this place is that everything can be ordered á la carte. You can eat the whole menu if you’re feeling famished, or you can just drop in for a snack and continue on your way. Choose your own adventure! A few of our favorite dishes included the signature truffle falafel (an elevated version of Malmö’s signature street food), the lobster toast with black garlic mayo, and the potato “tacos” filled with cream, onions, and caviar. Every bite leaves you craving more – it’s extremely high-level cooking in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.

After one bite of a pastry from Leve, you’ll say “I can’t believe it’s not butter!” Why? Because Leve is an entirely vegan bakery – which we didn’t learn until days after we had enjoyed several of their baked goods. On Fridays, they sell their famous “Fredags munk” – filled doughnuts with seasonal flavors that change weekly. On our visit, the flavor was apple pie with vanilla cream and a sugary crumble on top. Pro tip: pre-order by calling ahead because they sell out!

American-style diner Casual Street Food is a little slice of New York in Malmö. Slide into a red leather booth and dive into some burgers, fries, and milkshakes, or maybe even some natural wine if that’s your thing. (It's definitely our thing – we enjoyed a glass of Frank Cornelissen’s Susucaru Rosato on our visit.) The “Meals on Wheels” burger seems to be a crowd favorite, but we went for the double smash cheeseburger with chili mayo and caramelized onions. Perfect greasy late night food.

Köld Ice Cream is located inside the food court of the shopping mall "Mitt Möllan." At this playful ice cream shop, we ate some of the craziest and tastiest ice creams of our life. One favorite was the seemingly simple vanilla bean, with just a hint of lemon zest that makes the flavor burst in your mouth. Another highlight was the "Golden Cream," coconut ice cream with turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and black pepper. (It sounds like way too many spices, but they blend surprisingly well.) Other funky combinations you can expect are porter beer and chocolate, rooibos tea and blueberries, or bergamot and Earl Grey tea. Half of the selection is always vegan, for those with dietary restrictions.

In a back alley in Malmö is Soi 29, a restaurant serving the absolute best Thai food we’ve had in Scandinavia. Go à la carte, or opt for the “One Night in Bangkok” set tasting menu and let the chefs decide for you. Must order dishes: the Dtom Tha Gai (coconut chicken curry), the Pad Kee Mao (stir-fried shrimp, Iberico pork, and veggies), and the Moo Wan (braised pork belly in fish sauce and palm sugar caramel). Whatever you do, you can’t leave without eating this melt-in-your-mouth pork belly! The vibe is eclectic and fun, with hot pink tables, disco balls, string lights, and karaoke nights on occasion. To drink, there is natural wine, Thai beer, and killer cocktails – we loved the Mai Thai and the Spicy Pineapple Margarita.

Far i Hatten, which translates to "Dad in the hat," is located in Folket Park ("the people's park") in Malmö. Coffee and waffles are served during the day, but the best time to come is in the evening, when it morphs into an outdoor "biergarten," wine bar, and dance venue, with ping pong tables, disco balls, and DJs. All the wines are natural (it's our favorite wine list in town, actually), and the pizzas are not to be missed.

In the corner of an unassuming brick building in the district of Möllevången, you'll find the tiny food bar and gastropub Lyran Matbar. Chef Jörgen Lloyd and his team welcome you to sit along the bar, or at one of the few wooden tables inside this small space to enjoy their daily menu. The atmosphere is casual and the food is New Nordic, vegetable-focused, and locally sourced. Presentations are simple and minimalist, and the wines are all natural.

Falafel is a staple dish in Malmö. In fact, Malmö is often referred to as the falafel capital of Europe, largely thanks to the many immigrants from Israel and Lebanon. We tried a few around town, and our favorite by far was the variety served at Värnhems. Their falafel is moist on the inside, crispy on the outside, and bursting with flavor – add some garlic mayo and fresh veggies and it’s heaven. But what really makes Värnhems stand out from its competitors is the house-made, tortilla-like bread. Added bonus? This place is practically open 24/7.