There's a good reason Minnesota's football team is named the Vikings—the state is home to more Nordic-Americans than any other state. About 28 percent of Minnesotans, or over 1.6 million people, have Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, and/or Icelandic heritage. Even if you don't have Nordic roots, Minnesota's wooded landscapes and chilly winters evoke the Nordic countries, and Nordic-inspired cuisine, minimalist design, and hygge appeal to people of all backgrounds.
I have Finnish heritage and a deep affinity for all things Nordic, and over my past decade-plus in the Twin Cities I've enjoyed local Nordic-inspired restaurants, bakeries, shops, museums, classes, and more. Here's my guide to experiencing Nordic culture in the Twin Cities in one food-filled day.
Start with a Nordic-inspired breakfast.
Kick off your day with a hearty, Nordic-inspired meal. Taste of Scandinavia has locations in Bloomington, Little Canada, and North Oaks. Their Nordic-inspired breakfast menu is served all day and includes lefse, Swedish potato sausage, Swedish pancakes, and French toast made with pulla (Finnish cardamom bread). The bakery counter offers plenty of Nordic items to-go, including packages of lefse, Swedish rye bread, and pulla. I love the Swedish pancakes—they're a little thicker than crepes with a slightly chewy texture, and they're topped with raspberry jam, fresh fruit, lingonberries, whipped cream, and chocolate shavings.
In St. Paul, the breakfast menu at the Finnish Bistro features cardamom-spiced oatcakes, reindeer sausage, lefse, rice porridge, pulla french toast, and a traditional Finnish breakfast with pickled herring, smoked salmon, and rye bread. If you can't make it for breakfast, consider stopping by for dinner—entrees include Finnish lihapiirakka meat pies and potato-filled Karelian pies. Pick up Swedish limpa bread, pulla rolls, lefse, or a loaf of Finnish rye from the bakery counter to enjoy later. I'm a big fan of the almond kringlers, shortbread cookies with almond frosting, as well as the single-serving vanilla bean pulla.
Taste of Scandinavia, multiple locations
Finnish Bistro, 2264 Como Avenue, St. Paul; 651-645-9181; daily 6:30am-8:30pm
Visit the American Swedish Institute.
Part historic house museum, part Nordic cultural center, the American Swedish Institute (ASI) offers exhibits about the Turnblad family who once lived in the castle-like mansion and the Swedish-American immigrant experience, as well as galleries with works by contemporary Nordic artists. You can explore the mansion via a self-guided tour, and it's especially beautiful when it's decked out for Christmas.
The ASI also hosts an impressive lineup of Nordic handicraft, cooking, language, and cultural classes and events. Over the years I've taken an intro to the Finnish language class, learned to make felted flowers, attended a winter solstice party complete with live reindeer, and toured the mansion after dark on a ghost tour.
Check out the ASI Museum store for Nordic and Nordic-inspired books, jewelry, home decor, foods, and kitchenware. The museum's FIKA Cafe serves New Nordic small plates, salads, and smögåsar (open-face sandwiches). I love the gravlax (pictured at the top of this post) and the salmon smörgåsar, and if you're not up for a whole meal, the cafe also serves espresso drinks and nice selection of Nordic pastries—try the cardamom roll.
American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Avenue, Minneapolis; 612-871-4907; Tuesday-Wednesday 10am-4pm, Thursday 10am-8pm (free museum admission 3pm-8pm), Friday-Sunday 10am-4pm, Monday closed
FIKA Cafe, 2600 Park Avenue, Minneapolis; 612-524-5108; Tuesday-Wednesday 10am-4pm, Thursday 10am-8pm, Friday-Sunday 10am-4pm, Monday closed. Lunch menu served 11am-3pm and 11am-8pm on Thursday
Peruse Ingebretsen's Nordic Marketplace.
A Lake Street staple since 1921, Ingebretsen's Nordic Marketplace spans four storefronts and includes a butcher shop and deli, gift shop, and needlework store. The Nordic countries of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland are each well-represented, with home decor, kitchenwares, sweaters, jewelry, bath products, stationary, books, toys, and more. Some of my favorite Ingebretsen's purchases over the years include salty licorice, Nordic noir paperbacks, and lefse making supplies, and I always have my eye on their Marimekko section.
Note that the butcher shop and deli is cash or check only, with an ATM on-site. Ingrebretsen's also occasionally offers Nordic handicraft classes.
Ingebretsen's Nordic Marketplace, 1601 East Lake Street, Minneapolis; 612-729-9333; Monday-Saturday 9am-4pm, Sunday closed
Take an afternoon coffee break at Norway House.
Norway House is an organization that aims to connect the United States to contemporary Norway through arts, business, and culture—what better way to do that than with food? The Kaffebar at Norway House serves coffee and Norwegian-style pastries, plus beer and wine, lefse-wrapped hot dogs, Norwegian meatballs, and Nordic charcuterie boards. The skol buns, lightly sweetened cardamom rolls filled with vanilla cream and topped with coconut, taste exactly like the ones I enjoyed in Norway.
Norway House also hosts rotating art exhibits and cooking and handicraft classes. Their annual Gingerbread Wonderland exhibit is a Christmas staple, with hundreds of gingerbread houses made by kids, enthusiastic home bakers, and professional pastry chefs. Ingebretsen's Nordic Marketplace operates the Norway House gift shop, which has a curated selection of Norwegian and Nordic items.
Norway House, 913 East Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis; 612-871-2211; Tuesday 12pm-5pm, Wednesday 10am-5pm, Thursday 10am-8pm, Friday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm, Monday closed
Savor dinner at Tullibee.
Wrap up your Nordic day in the Twin Cities with dinner at Tullibee, an upscale restaurant in Minneapolis' North Loop that serves Nordic-inspired cuisine. Menus change frequently, but the cocktail list typically features some Nordic ingredients like lingonberry, spruce, and aquavit, and the dinner menu has items like gravlax (smoked salmon) with rye, Norwegian salmon, and a pickled herring Caesar salad. I love the krumkake sundae, made with gjetost (sweet Norwegian cheese) ice cream and lingonberry jam.
Tullibee is located on the first floor of the Hewing Hotel, which is great place to stay in Minneapolis if you're looking for Nordic vibes. The rooms have a minimal feel that combines rustic and modern influences, and there's a Nordic-style sauna and rooftop hot tub with views of the city skyline.
Tullibee, 300 North Washington Avenue, Minneapolis; 651-468-0600; weekday breakfast 7am-2pm, weekday lunch 11am-2pm, weekend brunch 8am-2pm, dinner Sunday-Thursday 5pm-10pm, dinner Friday-Saturday 5pm-11pm
Hewing Hotel, 300 North Washington Avenue, Minneapolis; 651-468-0400
Additional Nordic spots in and around the Twin Cities:
The Danish American Center in Minneapolis offers language classes, craft classes, and events focused on Danish culture.
Scandinavian North in Stillwater stocks high-quality Nordic clothing, bags, shoes, jewelry, home decor, kitchen items, and more.
Krown Bakery & Eatery in Anoka offers Nordic breads, sweet rolls, pastries, and cookies, plus a lunch menu with occasional Nordic specials.
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