During our recent visit to the Swedish capital we had said to ourselves: “Let’s not do too much research and instead just ask for local advice on the best places to get great coffee.” Sure enough, after popping in to see our friends at Drop Coffee and saying hi to the kids at Johan & Nyström, we had plenty of great addresses that had been warmly recommended to us by local coffee enthusiasts.
From that long list one place in particular had been highlighted as a “must go” destination. So, in an attempt to cram in as much coffee into a very short visit, Erica and I jumped on the next Tunnelbana and headed back to near where we were staying. Only a stone’s throw from Odenplan is a very homely but equally upmarket venue called Pascal, which brings together amazing coffee, beautifully baked pastries, freshly cooked meals and more.
We took a seat at the long table in front of the bar and struck up a conversation with owner Arman who runs the place together with his brother and sister. His family has a long history of working in gastronomy, both in Sweden and Spain, and before moving to Stockholm to open Pascal Arman ran a specialty coffee shop in the nearby city of Nyköping.
At Pascal, Arman and his team don’t just want to serve great coffee but really put the roasters in the foreground too. At the time of our visit they offered a houseblend, which has been custom made for them and is regularly roastered by Da Matteo coffee roasters in Gothenburg. Next to that, they had the Silent Shout Espresso blend by Koppi and a truly spectacular range of filter coffees that can be sampled in store or taken home. Indeed, Arman waved us over at some point and said: “So, we got this coffee in the other day, which is so special and rare that only 80 150g bags of it made it to Sweden. We have a few here. Want to try?” Erica and I nodded in unison and waited in anxious anticipation of what Arman might come back with. The coffee in question was a Da Matteo roasted Ethiopia natural N2 Hachira from Ninety Plus. “This is the best of the best, literally,” Arman said before brewing a cuppa. To say this coffee blew our minds away would be an understatement and we’re glad we bagged one of the 10 bags Arman had for sale.
Although Pascal’s space is airy and warm it was buzzling with locals and visitors alike who use the homely atmosphere to meet for study groups, catch up after doing some shopping or to relax with a magazine or book. Arman and his team source almost all of their products from local businesses, including their bread, their teas and they even have a local supplier who makes Kombucha out of yerba mate in his basement.
If you’re wondering why the place is called Pascal then let us tell you we wondered the same thing. “Well, actually Pascal was the first guy to open a coffee shop in Paris many centuries ago. He’s a bit of an idol for us because like us, he also had Armenian roots so we decided to call our new venture after him. Makes sense right?” Arman said with a big smile.
While many visitors to Stockholm concentrate their efforts on hanging out in hipster Södermalm, Erica and I are both witness to the fact that great coffee can also be found in other parts of the vibrant Swedish capital. Pascal is definitely a must visit destination for anyone hunting for great coffee, especially during the depressing and dark Swedish winter.
