Inside Sweden: Is it possible to get good airport food?
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Hej,
I'm almost nine months pregnant, so I'm staying firmly on the ground, but for a lot of The Local's readers it's that time of the year when they hop on a plane to spend at least part of their summer holiday abroad, visiting friends or family.
Earlier this year we asked readers to share their tips about the best places to eat, before or after security, at Arlanda Airport, the largest airport in Sweden.
Personally I wouldn't even dream of stopping to eat before security, but I'm also the kind of person who shows up at the airport two hours before my flight is scheduled to depart, which has led to many a disagreement in my family.
There are two types of people, etc...
Anyway, we didn't get enough responses to that survey to publish an article about it, but my hope had been to find this tiny hidden gem that actually serves good food for a reasonable price (or överkomligt pris, as you'd say in Swedish).
I was flat out of luck, because the restaurant picked by the highest number (still less than a handful) of respondents was, drum roll... McDonald's.
Some of the reasons were that it's comparatively cheap and it's a safe option in that you know what you get (so I guess you don't have to come face to face with the disappointment of taking your chances with a more unique eatery).
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I half suspect it picked up the protest vote, though.
Or maybe this was the reason, as shared by one reader: "Did you know that the McDonald's at Arlanda is the only one in Sweden where you can grab a beer? Might not exactly be fine dining – but hey, beer at McDonald's? Can't say no to that."
Hawaii Poke and La Neta were the only other two restaurants that got more than one vote in the survey. I love La Neta on Södermalm (it used to be door-to-door with The Local's old office), but haven't tried the airport version.
Overly expensive airport food made headlines in 2023 after SEB bank senior economist Johan Javeus shared a picture on X of an "extremely ordinary prawn sandwich and a normal beer" he bought at Landvetter Airport for an eye-watering 422 kronor (around 36 euros or 38 dollars at the time).
A Swedavia spokesperson told us at the time that they were planning to roll out a price cap on food at their ten airports (which include Arlanda) at some point by the end of 2025. I contacted them to check whether this has actually happened yet, but it's the summer holiday season in Sweden, so...
Maybe for now the best option is still what several readers recommended: just bring your own food. But if you find that hidden gem, please let me know!
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In other news
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There are almost 30,000 islands and islets in the Stockholm archipelago and each of them is different from the next. Here are ten worth visiting, whether you're looking for a party night, a relaxing weekend, seafood or family fun.
Have a lovely weekend,
Emma
Inside Sweden is our weekly newsletter for members which gives you news, analysis and, sometimes, takes you behind the scenes at The Local. It's published each Saturday and with Membership+ you can also receive it directly to your inbox.
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Inside Sweden: Is it possible to get good airport food?
The Local Sweden's editor Emma Löfgren rounds up the biggest stories of the week in our Inside Sweden newsletter. Advertisement Hej, I'm almost nine months pregnant, so I'm staying firmly on the ground, but for a lot of The Local's readers it's that time of the year when they hop on a plane to spend at least part of their summer holiday abroad, visiting friends or family. Earlier this year we asked readers to share their tips about the best places to eat, before or after security, at Arlanda Airport, the largest airport in Sweden. Personally I wouldn't even dream of stopping to eat before security, but I'm also the kind of person who shows up at the airport two hours before my flight is scheduled to depart, which has led to many a disagreement in my family. There are two types of people, etc... Anyway, we didn't get enough responses to that survey to publish an article about it, but my hope had been to find this tiny hidden gem that actually serves good food for a reasonable price (or överkomligt pris, as you'd say in Swedish). I was flat out of luck, because the restaurant picked by the highest number (still less than a handful) of respondents was, drum roll... McDonald's. Some of the reasons were that it's comparatively cheap and it's a safe option in that you know what you get (so I guess you don't have to come face to face with the disappointment of taking your chances with a more unique eatery). Advertisement I half suspect it picked up the protest vote, though. Or maybe this was the reason, as shared by one reader: "Did you know that the McDonald's at Arlanda is the only one in Sweden where you can grab a beer? Might not exactly be fine dining – but hey, beer at McDonald's? Can't say no to that." Hawaii Poke and La Neta were the only other two restaurants that got more than one vote in the survey. I love La Neta on Södermalm (it used to be door-to-door with The Local's old office), but haven't tried the airport version. Overly expensive airport food made headlines in 2023 after SEB bank senior economist Johan Javeus shared a picture on X of an "extremely ordinary prawn sandwich and a normal beer" he bought at Landvetter Airport for an eye-watering 422 kronor (around 36 euros or 38 dollars at the time). A Swedavia spokesperson told us at the time that they were planning to roll out a price cap on food at their ten airports (which include Arlanda) at some point by the end of 2025. I contacted them to check whether this has actually happened yet, but it's the summer holiday season in Sweden, so... Maybe for now the best option is still what several readers recommended: just bring your own food. But if you find that hidden gem, please let me know! Advertisement In other news Sweden is set to make it significantly harder to become a citizen from next summer, which the government has argued will make citizenship "mean more" than it does today. So we asked The Local's readers what becoming a Swedish citizen meant to them. Thank you to everyone for your thoughtful comments. After a freeze on new citizenships earlier this year, Sweden's Migration Agency is again processing cases. So what do the statistics say about which nationalities have received Swedish citizenship in the first half of 2025? In the past few months, a number of Swedish gaming companies have gone bankrupt or laid off staff amid funding struggles. The Local's Becky Waterton looked into why this is happening, and how it is affecting foreigners in the industry. More than half of the non-European immigrants who left Sweden last year had tertiary education, new figures have shown. Unemployment in Sweden is already high, and rising. At the end of last month, around 19,000 more people were unemployed than the same time last year. There are almost 30,000 islands and islets in the Stockholm archipelago and each of them is different from the next. Here are ten worth visiting, whether you're looking for a party night, a relaxing weekend, seafood or family fun. Have a lovely weekend, Emma Inside Sweden is our weekly newsletter for members which gives you news, analysis and, sometimes, takes you behind the scenes at The Local. It's published each Saturday and with Membership+ you can also receive it directly to your inbox.
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