This cosy, fun cafe and deli is great for a casual lunch or breakfast of light Scandinavian snacks or homemade cakes.

The Venue
Scandinavian Kitchen is located halfway up Great Titchfield Street, making it an ideal pit stop to refuel if you’re shopping on Oxford Street. Its bold red paintwork sets Scandinavian Kitchen apart from the other caffs on the street, and inside, it has a clean, slightly quirky simplicity: wood tables, bright red walls, white cut-out lampshades, and strings of little flags. There are tables by the front window and more at the back of the shop, surrounded by shelves stacked with imported Scandinavian foods.

The Atmosphere
The cafe is small and mellow, with a personal, home-style feel. People come here in small groups or alone; tables are divided into twos and fours, with food and drinks served at the bar. The staff are friendly and chatty, offering advice and recommendations to shoppers and diners.

The Food
The Smorgasbord is a good way to pick-and-mix several of the cafe’s open sandwiches. They cost £4.95 for three sandwiches or £7.75 for five. Nicely presented on a long rectangular plate, the sandwiches are small but colourful and piled with toppings. Sweet onion, parsley and garlic pickled herring on rye is a winner, with a fishy, vinegary tang which goes well with the malty bread. The cold roast beef sandwich is good too, another piece of rye bread with a rare slice of beef layered with mild, creamy Swedish mustard, on a chunky, grainy slice of rye. The Swedish meatball sandwich comes with three cold meatballs on top of a bright purple, sweet-and-sour salad of apple and beetroot, but the buttered sourdough underneath is a bit tough.

Rolls, wraps and made-to-order sandwiches are available too, and the menu changes seasonally. Hot specials (£2.95 - £5.95) include Swedish meatballs and hotdogs, or if you’re after something sweet there’s also a selection freshly made cakes, brownies and Scandinavian pastries with prices ranging from about 80p to £3. The chocolate cake (£2.50 a slice) is a real treat – rich, gooey, sticky and not too sugary, with an intense milky chocolate taste, and drizzled with creamy vanilla icing.

The Drink
Coffees (£2) and hot drinks are available, and the chiller holds a wide selection of ordinary and Scandinavian soft drinks, starting from £1 a bottle. Although alcohol is for sale in the shop, the cafe isn’t licensed so you’ll have to take it home to drink.

The Last Word
Scandinavian Kitchen’s food is comforting and wholesome. The atmosphere is cheery and unfussy so if you don’t know Swedish meatballs from Danish ones, you won’t feel out of place. That said, the cafe attracts plenty of Scandinavian customers, and having the main seating area surrounded by full shelves gives the place a homely pantry vibe, as well as being a canny bit of shopkeeping. It’s hard not to check out the shelves of sweets, crackers and pickles while sitting in the cafe, so you might leave with a few new discoveries to try at home too.

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