food halls of scandinavia

Food halls/markets are kinda like mini festivals with their bustling atmosphere and multitude of options and crowds. Generally things I'll avoid, but I do anything for food. So in addition to the libraries, I made it a point to seek out all the food halls.

Amsterdam Foodhallen

I got back to the hostel around 7 or 8 one night. Ambiguously hungry and too tired to consider any more sightseeing. And then I started talking to Ann. And naturally that lead to talking about must-trys. And then I blinked and found myself on a tram to Oud-West with one thing on my mind - bitterballen. [So, I confess. The mission was less for the actual food hall than for a specific dish that just happened to be at a food hall.] I found a relatively quiet table upstairs with my adorable little sampler from Bitterballen Bar so I could savor each fried sphere with minimal judgment from strangers.

One bite into Rund, and I quickly realized these were not what I expected. I guess I did not read thoroughly because I was expecting deep fried meatballs. But turns out bitterballen are deep fried meat... roux.

So with that in mind, I proceeded.

There was more texture in Bouillabaisse, and I was into it.

Couldn't get much flavor from Thom-kha.

Goat was more reminiscent of all forms of fried cheese.

And Truffel for last was fortuitous because it was so strong... in a great way.

And shockingly, they all tasted great with mustard.

With a long bar right in the center and warehouse space vibes, we'll call this the trendy food hall.

Copenhagen Torvehallerne

The modern food hall.

The beautiful, vibrant, I-could-live-here-because-it-houses-all-my-needs food hall.

My eyes couldn't focus on any one thing, and my appetite was so overstimulated that I wasn't sure I was even hungry anymore.

Look at these ginormous fish.

And the piles of meat.

And artsy wine bottles.

And delicious chocolate covered almonds. And verdant herbs. And cacti. They're really into cacti.

I finally decided on a torskrygg (cod) salad from the case of seafood salads... with pea shoots, berries, herbs, and lemon that was as refreshing as it sounds.

Copenhagen Copenhagen Street Food

The boisterous food hall.
Situated on the water by a harbor. DJ at one door. Wish trees at the other. I wandered around and around, squeezing through lines and changing my mind and questioning the very nature of my existence. Until we found the duck fat fries with spicy ketchup. And fried herring smørrebrød.

Stockholm Östermalms Saluhall

The homey food hall.
I just really felt like I couldn't leave Sweden without a meal of Swedish meatballs. And some sources pointed me towards Husmans Deli as a cost friendly option. Hop up on a seat at the counter and wait for the bread basket and salad and warmed up plate of meatballs and mashed potatoes.

There's olive oil and balsamic and a jar of lingonberries I was all over. Or rather... it was all over m-...my meatballs.

Gothenburg Feskekörka

The seaside food hall.
Otherwise known as the fish church. Also known as the kind of church I would religiously go to every Sunday morning. Next time I won't walk in with a full stomach. But I had to go to go... because it's a fish church.

Gothenburg Saluhallen

The classic food hall.
Because the booths were modest and had this old Roman-y feel to it.

I must confess I did not eat here either because it had a deli feel. An indoor farmer's market of preserved meats and cheeses feel. Like I'd come here to stock up on snacks for classy dinner parties or low key wine nights or Tuesdays in bed. And I was just stopping in on my way to Brännö.

Malmö the one that was closed for construction :(