Friday Foodporn: Scandinavian Grace Kafe, 668 President Street

The Scandinavian Grace Kafe, which opened on President Street between Fifth and Sixth last month, is a specialty store/ café focused on kitchenware and foods imported from (where else?) Scandinavia. It’s small and sleek, and serves some of the best pastries, coffee, and espresso in the neighborhood.

The shelves are lined with products that you’d be hard pressed to find outside of Northern Europe (and their two other shops, located in Williamsburg and the Catskills). Hafi Lingonberry and Elderflower Syrups, Vestlands Lefse Viking Bread, Teema and Origo tableware, and Kippis tea towels are displayed elegantly, like museum pieces.

The Kafe is the real draw here though, and sets it apart from the other two stores, which are only focused on housewares. Owner Fredrik Larsson bakes Swedish cookies and pastries, such as tosca (almond cake) and kladdkaka (chocolate brownies) daily, and the coffee is from Lofbergs Lila, which is slow roasted in Sweden. The pastries are dense and sweet, and the coffee is damn good.

Kladdkaka

Tosca Cake

There isn’t much room to relax at the moment, but there’s a bench out front and plans to spruce up the basement and back garden and expand the menu (Swedish meatballs, anyone?). It's open from 11 AM – 7 PM, 7 days a week.