Meeting clients for lunch in Gothenburg? Here are Forsman & Bodenfors’s keys to the city
We continue our series on business, food and drink with a stopover in the Swedish city.
Gothenburg, home to Forsman & Bodenfors / Unsplash
Halfway between Oslo and Copenhagen, the Swedish city of Gothenburg offers a high quality of living, pleasantly mild temperatures and, importantly for the marketer on the move, lots of decent grub.
Ericsson and Volvo both have a large presence in the city and their profile on the international tourist circuit is growing. It’s also home to one of the biggest ad agencies in Scandinavia, Forsman & Bodenfors.
So, who else to ask for a few entertaining tips?
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Jim Elfving, Forsman’s director of operations, says there’s a lot to choose from. For a coffee in the city, he recommends Bar Centro. “It maybe isn’t that discrete, but it’s definitely one of the best coffees in town. I love the energy among fashionistas, craftsmen, bankers and native Italians during the day,” he says.
And for those looking for a quiet spot to talk things over with a client, he suggests Viktors Kaffe. ”For a more discrete barista experience, Viktors is the place to visit. Craft coffee and authentic service.” If you’re after a working lunch, perhaps one featuring shellfish, open sandwiches (smörgås) and other Nordic cuisine, then Elfving points towards the central Saluhallen, an indoor market in the middle of Gothenburg.
“In the city’s market hall, you’ll find Bar Bulot, the younger, more savage sister to Michelin’s rewritten Bulot. French Scandinavian food with excellent wine pairings. Don’t forget to pick up some handmade cheeses at Hildas Ost next door,” he says.
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If you’re interested in washing that down, a recently opened Wine Mechanics bar “is the pit stop you need,” adds Elfving. Aquavit might be Sweden’s national booze, but he argues the selection is enough for any connoisseur.
“The Gimme Gimme Gimme Riesling or Single Moms Pét-Nat will make every failed tissue meeting go away. After a glass of Fistful of Love Rosé, you head up to Jonas at Barsac for that final bottle of Burgundy that you read about in Noble Rot.”