I had the pleasure of arranging a special brunch for my mother and decided this was the perfect place. We have a strong Scandinavian background, which we relished growing up. I’d been here multiple times before with family and friends, so I knew firsthand how lovely the building and grounds were. As well the food is consistently exceptional.
I’ve had the apple beet salad multiple times – I highly recommend it. And I always get a scone or two. It makes a difference if you catch them fresh out of the oven when they first open. My favorite is the White Chocolate Chip Raspberry scone, but the Apricot Chamomile Lemon Zest scones are good, too. Go for any of the berry versions if you can get them on the day of your visit. The bread pudding and cake are very “Swedish” and yummy. My sister likes the ginger cookies and takes some home.
The creamed wild rice super is nicely complemented with their in-house baked rye bread. The Gravlax, and Swedish Meatballs on the menu are some of the very best you can eat. This last time, I ordered the Whitefish Cake for only $20. It comes with Wild Rice, fantastic lemon creamed leeks, fresh spinach and tossed Herb Crumbs.
We had an excellent server who was timely with food and drinks as well as providing great suggestions. The interior light airy atmosphere is super with natural lighting from the big windows. It is also pleasant to view the garden.
We also like the related gift shop and always buy something.
No problem with parking, they have a huge parking lot. Also, it is easy access for people in wheelchairs to drive right up to the front door. No steps. It makes for a perfect outing along with touring...
Read moreIncredibly delicious food! I highly recommend checking out Fika. I have visited many times for lunch or brunch and I'm always so impressed by their food.
The menu rotates a bit with the seasons, but you can always find Swedish meatballs and gravlax available—both of which are fantastic. On my most recent visit I was able to try the seasonal “Kroppkakor,” which are veal and potato dumplings. These were so good and I highly recommend trying them if they're on the menu! Additionally, their cocktails and coffee are also wonderful. I always get their “Bloody Swede” whenever I visit and it is genuinely one of the best Bloody Marys I've ever had, the beet and aquavit just make for an incredible drink.
Beyond the food and drink, the location inside the American Swedish Institute is great—if there is ever a long wait to be seated, you can put your name in and explore the museum and they will text you when your table is ready. However, the only times I've ever had to wait long for a table have been during the Christmas season. The staff are very nice and the atmosphere is great. It's a super clean and trendy space which feels very modern Scandinavian. At this point I have brought most of my family here whenever they are visiting from out of town and they all love it. Overall a great place and I will certainly keep coming back regularly for...
Read moreI visited the museum with a senior group a while back. I decided to take them to lunch before a scheduled tour started. I've had a good experience with my group before. On this day, however, it was a different experience. I had a few in my group who decided to seat themselves at a table they chose and before I could talk to them about needing to wait to be seated a staff person/waitress quickly moved over to them and scolded them for sitting there. She spoke quickly and in a demeaning tone and the guests didn't understand what they had done wrong. They were told to leave and go up to the podium to check in and wait to be seated. At another point there was a straggler from the group who had gone into the gift shop before eating. She came over to find a place to sit and after sitting down she was told to leave, to go to the front podium for check in, before she could be seated. This woman uses a walker and is unsteady and the fact that they made her walk all the way back to the front to then seat her by herself was disturbing to me. I was quite surprised by the service and the lack of compassion for those I brought who needed assistance or were compromised physically...
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