If you’re looking for the Best Food and Restaurants in Swedish Food and Cuisine in Singapore, your must-visit short list is simple: Restaurant Zén for modern Nordic fine dining, Fika Swedish Café & Bistro for homely classics, and IKEA’s Swedish Restaurant for value-friendly meatballs and herring.
This focused guide is part of Homejourney’s wider Scandinavia content cluster and supports our main pillar, Homejourney's Complete Guide to Swedish Food & Cuisine 2025 Homejourney's Complete Guide to Swedish Food & Cuisine 2025 . As a Singapore real estate platform built on safety, trust and verified information, Homejourney helps you enjoy Swedish cuisine here with the same confidence you’d want when choosing a home or investment.
Why Swedish food matters to Singapore travelers and investors
Singapore’s dining scene is a useful shortcut to understand how global, liveable and investment-worthy a city is. When a city can support serious Nordic food like Restaurant Zén alongside casual Swedish cafés and family-friendly IKEA meatballs, it signals high spending power, strong tourism, and a cosmopolitan resident base—all factors property investors track closely.
For tourists, expats and investors comparing destinations, Swedish cuisine in Singapore offers three practical advantages:
- Cultural comfort: If you’re from Sweden or Europe, familiar dishes like meatballs, smörgåsbord-style plates and herring help soften relocation or long stays.
- Price benchmarking: Comparing the cost of a Swedish tasting menu or café brunch here versus Stockholm gives you a feel for Singapore’s everyday living costs.
- Lifestyle proxy: Where good Nordic and Swedish food clusters—like Bukit Pasoh, Kampong Glam and Alexandra/Tampines IKEA—you’ll often find attractive residential neighbourhoods and boutique developments nearby you can explore on Homejourney’s property search Property Search .
1. Restaurant Zén – Singapore’s modern Nordic temple
Best for: Once-in-a-lifetime modern Swedish/Nordic tasting menu, special occasions, serious food-focused trips.
Location: 41 Bukit Pasoh Road, a conserved shophouse just above Outram Park MRT (about 5–7 minutes’ walk via Exit 4).
Style: Sister restaurant to three-Michelin-star Frantzén in Stockholm, serving a refined modern Nordic tasting menu with Japanese and French influences.[2][5]
Zén is widely considered one of Singapore’s top dining rooms, offering a multi-storey experience where you move between floors for snacks, mains and petit fours.[2][5] Expect seasonal ingredients, precise plating and reimagined Nordic flavours rather than traditional rustic Swedish cuisine.
Price, booking & what to expect
- Menu format: Single tasting menu only, typically 9–12 courses, updated seasonally.[5]
- Indicative pricing: Around the high-hundreds SGD per person for food only; with beverage pairings this can go above S$600 per head at peak times.[5] Always check the latest pricing as it can change with ingredients and season.
- Reservations: Released monthly, typically on the 1st of each month at 10am Singapore time; peak weekend slots can go within minutes.[2][5]
Local insider tip: If your dates are flexible, aim for a mid-week early seating. It’s often easier to secure, the pace feels calmer, and you still have time to walk around nearby Duxton/Bukit Pasoh after dinner to get a feel for the neighbourhood’s boutique hotels and apartments. Then cross-check nearby projects on Homejourney’s projects directory Projects Directory .
Dishes to look out for (subject to change):
- Nordic seafood courses that echo Swedish coastal traditions while using Japanese techniques.
- Game or farmed meats presented with classic Scandinavian flavours like lingonberry, dill, or brown butter.
- Playful snacks that reference the idea of a refined smörgåsbord rather than a full buffet.
Real estate angle: Bukit Pasoh and surrounding Outram/Chinatown have a strong conservation-shophouse identity and are within minutes of the CBD. If you value walkable access to top restaurants like Zén, explore nearby resale apartments and boutique launches via Homejourney’s Singapore property search Property Search and cross-compare performance with data on Projects .
2. Fika Swedish Café & Bistro – homely Swedish classics in Kampong Glam
Best for: Casual halal Swedish food, brunch, families, and travellers who want an everyday meal instead of a tasting menu.
Location: Along Beach Road in the Kampong Glam/Arab Street area, about 7–9 minutes’ walk from Bugis MRT (Exit B). The area is flat and stroller-friendly, though it can be hot at midday.
Fika is a long-running, Muslim-owned café focused on traditional Swedish food and pastries, with an emphasis on homely cooking and fresh ingredients.[3][4] It’s one of the few places in Singapore where you get a straightforward plate of Swedish meatballs with creamy sauce, lingonberry, and mashed potato in a relaxed setting.
What to order: Swedish comfort staples
- Swedish meatballs: The classic choice—juicy meatballs, smooth mash, cream sauce and tangy lingonberry jam. Portions are generous enough for a late lunch.
- Gravlax or salmon dishes: Lightly cured salmon with dill and mustard sauce is ideal for hot Singapore afternoons.
- Crepes and pastries: Great for those wanting a lighter “fika” break instead of a full meal.
Tripadvisor reviews place Fika comfortably in the upper half of Singapore’s thousands of restaurants, reflecting strong tourist and local support.[4] It is popular with nearby office workers at lunch, so reservations or slightly off-peak timing (11.30am or after 1.45pm) help avoid queues.
Price & practical details
- Indicative mains: Around S$20–S$30 for meatballs or salmon-based dishes (subject to change, check the in-store menu).[3][4]
- Atmosphere: Casual, family-friendly, no strict dress code—perfect after sightseeing at Sultan Mosque and Haji Lane.
- Dietary needs: Muslim-owned and widely known for halal-friendly options; always confirm any allergies directly with staff.
Local insider tip: Combine a late lunch at Fika with a late-afternoon walk through Kampong Glam’s shophouses. Pay attention to how residential units sit above ground-floor shops—this vertical mixed-use pattern is common across Singapore and can be an interesting model if you’re considering shophouse investments via licensed agents you can later find through Homejourney’s agent directory .
3. IKEA Swedish Restaurant – wallet-friendly meatballs & herring
Best for: Families, value seekers, and anyone craving classic Swedish cafeteria food in Singapore.
Locations:
- IKEA Alexandra: Near Queenstown MRT, with frequent internal shuttle buses.
- IKEA Tampines: Shuttle buses from Tampines MRT/bus interchange.
- IKEA Jurong: Inside Jem, directly connected to Jurong East MRT.
The Swedish Restaurant inside each IKEA is arguably where most Singapore residents first experience Swedish staples like meatballs, herring, and almond cake. IKEA’s menu includes the signature meatballs with cream sauce and lingonberry jam, plant-based balls, salmon dishes, soups, and cakes at very accessible prices.[1]
Opening hours & typical prices
- Opening hours (restaurants): Generally 10am–9.30pm (Mon–Fri) with last order around 9pm, and slightly earlier opening on weekends (9am or 10am depending on store).[1]
- Signature dish: Swedish meatballs with mashed potato, vegetables, cream sauce and lingonberry jam from around S$7.50 for 8 pieces (subject to change).[1]
- Breakfast specials: Rotating local breakfasts like mee siam or nasi lemak, usually S$4–S$5, showing how Swedish and local flavours coexist in one place.[1]
Local insider tip:
