11 cosy garden cafés in West Sweden & Gothenburg

You’ll find a choice of garden cafés and summer cafés here, all located in lovely surroundings and offering an exceptional fika experience.

When the sun’s out and it’s nice and warm, what can be better than hunkering down in a leafy garden and enjoying home made fika with a steaming cup of fresh coffee? Check out our best tips for cosy garden cafés and summer cafés.

1. Jonsered Gardens café

JONSERED. Just a 15 minute train ride east of central Gothenburg lies Jonsered Gardens. The park’s gardens have been restored to their former 19th century glory and the historic manor has both a café and year round programme of events. Dogs are also welcome. You can enjoy lighter lunches or fika here with organic and locally produced dishes on the menu.

Photographer: Monika Manowska

Top tip! The Gotaleden hiking trail between Gothenburg and Vårgårda passes Jonsered, and offers varied walking through easily accessible natural surroundings. In the area you’ll also find local beer brewery Poppels.

2. Hellekis Kök & Trädgårdscafé

KINNEKULLE. At Hellekis Säteri you can walk in the lovely park among unusual deciduous trees and stunning borders. Enjoy the manor’s magnificent rose garden and perennial borders. Next door is Hellekis Kök & Trädgårdscafé which serves everything from delicious cakes to tasty wild garlic soup.

Photographer: Monika Manowska

Top tip! Not far away lies Kinnekulle stenbrott which is known locally as ”The Little Grand Canyon”, and that’s not so surprising when you see how the cliff sides shift in colour from red brown to beige. Enchantingly beautiful!

3. Rosenkaféet in Gothenburg Garden Society

GOTHENBURG. Looking for a cosy garden cafe in Gothenburg? Then we can recommend Rosenkaféet which is nestled in the leafy Trädgårdsföreningen (Garden Society of Gothenburg). It’s a proper oasis in the middle of the city, with something to delight all your senses. You’ll find the actual cafe in a 19th century building which used to be the stables. Everything from homemade traditional dishes to delicious cakes and pastries are served there.

Photographer: Hanna Källberg

Top tip! Don’t miss the Rose Garden which is filled with thousands of colourful scented roses. And in the imposing Palm House you can admire the palm trees and other tropical plants.

4. Gunnebo Kaffehus and Restaurant

MÖLNDAL. Just outside Gothenburg lies Gunnebo Coffee House and Restaurant, supplied by its own kitchen garden. Organically made food and fika, with seasonal ingredients from the garden and local producers, is served daily. At the back of the kitchen is Gunnebo bakery which bakes with Swedish KRAV-labelled organic flour, milled from old traditional grain varieties. Sitting here, in this unique 18th century setting, is a delight for the senses.

Photographer: Anna Hållams

Top tip! Join a guided tour of the House and discover its exciting history, or a guided walk around the colourful orangery with its many rooms and fascinating heritage building techniques.

5. Kafé Botaniska Paviljongen in Gothenburg’s Botanical Gardens

GOTHENBURG. Enjoy a nice fika in the cosy cafe in the Botanical Gardens in Gothenburg, where everything is made from scratch, with the plant kingdom as its biggest source of inspiration. There’s a large selection of vegan fika and rawfood cakes, including almond cake, brownies and classic carrot cake. Have a seat in the sun to enjoy your climate-smart coffee.

Gardener among the perennials in the Botanical Garden

Photographer: Göteborgs Botaniska Trädgård

Top tip! Obviously you don’t want to miss a walk around the Botanical Gardens, where there are over 20 000 different plant species from more than 130 countries around the world.

6. Björnhyltans Garden Café

AMBJÖRNARP. Welcome to a rustic garden café with a tasty selection of cakes and drinks. There are always gluten and lactose free alternatives and if you come here on a "garden day" you’ll also be able to enjoy a waffle or two. You have the choice of sitting out in the garden or inside. The cafe opens when the farm shop is open.

Photographer: Monika Manowska

Top tip! In Ambjörnarp, a short journey from Björnhyltan, you can have a go at trolley cycling. A fun activity for all the family.

7. The Garden Café at Årås Säteri

DALUM. Årås Säteri is in a lovely setting between two forest lakes. The doors open to the summer café at Årås just in time for the arrival of spring’s first green leaves. You’ll find the cosy garden cafe in the manor park, with homemade fika, organic ice cream and sandwiches on the menu. The coffee comes from the nearby coffee roastery in Ulricehamn, ‘Stadens’.

Photographer: LM.Persson

Top tip! Explore the lovely forests and lakes around the manor along the Årås Wilderness Trail. The trail is 8.5 kilometres long and starts at the Årås Kvarn mill.

8. Garden café at Sammels Lantgård

LANDVETTER. You’ll find Sammels Lantgård in Bertshult just outside Landvetter, 25 minutes from Gothenburg. Apart from the green selection in the farm’s nursery you can also enjoy a fika in the greenhouse café, which serves homemade cakes, fruit pies, Swedish biscuits and other goodies which you can enjoy in the cafe or out in the garden.

Photographer: Monika Manowska / Sammels Lantgård

Top tip! Stroll among the well stocked greenhouse’s vegetable beds and allow yourself a meditative moment in Sammels’ herb filled kitchen garden. As well as plants you can also buy furniture from the farm’s carpentry workshop.

9. Nolbygårds Ekobageri & Kafé

ALINGSÅS. A stone’s throw from Alingsås town centre lies Nolbygårds Ekobageri & Kafé, where you can enjoy organic bread and other treats in a genuine period setting. Everything from the lovely vintage wallpaper to the furniture maintain and showcase the building’s centuries old history.

Photographer: TINA STAFREN

Top tip! Would you like to know more about the history of Swedish cafés and bakeries? Then join a fika tour of Alingsås. The 90 minute guided tour around the town centre stops at several of the town’s many cafes, where you’ll get to taste their delicacies.

10. Vänga Kvarncafé & Bageri

FRISTAD. Just north of Borås lies Vänga Kvarnkafé & Bageri where bread, buns and cakes are baked with locally produced ingredients, in the working mill’s own bakery. You can cycle and hike in the beautiful surroundings before you pause for a well deserved fika.

Top tip! We recommend a walk along the Vänga Mosse Trail, a lovely, moderately long hiking trail, with long sections on wide boardwalks over the raised bog. There’s also a birdwatching tower to visit.

11. Råda Säteri Garden café

HÄRRYDA. The west wing of Råda Säteri houses a cosy garden cafe where you can enjoy lunches, homemade fika and delicious sandwiches. You can also get sweet crêpes and galettes at Crêpe et Ciel in the grounds. You can sit indoors, in the outdoor seating area next to the kitchen garden, on the sun terrace or in the glasshouse next to the crêperie.