Quick answer: For a scandinavian bakery Minneapolis shoppers should start with Taste of Scandinavia’s cafes in Bloomington, North Oaks or Little Canada. Within the city, Ready Meats sells Scandinavian specialties and Ingebretsen’s makes Nordic sausages. Call ahead for pastries.
The shops below sit in Minneapolis and the surrounding metro, so the right pick depends on whether you want a sit-down Nordic breakfast or a specialty-food stop. For the wider picture of sweets in the city, the best desserts in minneapolis guide covers every category.
How to choose a Scandinavian bakery in the Twin Cities
The best choice depends on three things: whether you want to eat in, whether you must stay inside Minneapolis city limits, and whether you are after one specific pastry. Each shop below answers a different mix of those needs.
- Want a bakery with a cafe: Taste of Scandinavia attaches cafes to its bakeries, and those cafes sell Norwegian and Swedish breakfasts. That makes it the natural pick for a sit-down morning.
- Want to stay in Minneapolis: Ready Meats on Johnson Street in northeast Minneapolis and Ingebretsen’s on East Lake Street are the in-city addresses. Both are specialty-food shops rather than pure pastry counters, so treat them as places to browse for Scandinavian foods.
- Want a particular pastry such as krumkake: Phone first. Stock varies by shop and by day, and a short call saves a wasted trip.
- Willing to drive north or east: Grandma’s Bakery has two White Bear Lake addresses, and Taste of Scandinavia has outlets in North Oaks and Little Canada.
Scandinavian bakeries and shops at a glance
| Shop | Address and phone | What it is | Planning use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ready Meats | 3550 NE Johnson St., Mpls., 612-789-2484 | Northeast Minneapolis institution since 1946 selling a wide array of Scandinavian specialties | The in-city stop for Scandinavian groceries. Ask what is in stock before you go. |
| Ingebretsen’s | 1601 E. Lake St., Mpls., 612-729-9333 | Makes all its own sausages, including Swedish, Norwegian and Danish sorts | Best for Nordic sausages. Confirm baked goods by phone. |
| Taste of Scandinavia, North Oaks | 845 Village Center Dr., North Oaks, 651-482-8285 | Bakery with an attached cafe serving Norwegian and Swedish breakfasts | Suits a breakfast or coffee stop north of the city. |
| Taste of Scandinavia, Little Canada | 2900 Rice St., Little Canada, 651-482-8876 | Second suburban bakery-cafe in the same family of shops | Choose it if you are already in the Rice Street area. |
| Denny’s 5th Avenue Bakery | 7840 Fifth Ave. S., Bloomington, 952-881-4445 | Listed in Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s Nordic eats shops guide | Pair it with the Bloomington Taste of Scandinavia cafe for one trip. |
| Grandma’s Bakery, White Bear Lake | 1765 Buerkle Road, 651-779-0707; 2184B Fourth Street, 651-762-2900 | Two White Bear Lake locations, also in the Nordic eats guide | Pick the address nearer your route and call before visiting. |
Addresses and phone numbers come from Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s Great Tastes listing and its Nordic eats shops guide.
Taste of Scandinavia: bakery-cafes for a Nordic breakfast
Taste of Scandinavia is the most useful name for anyone who wants to sit down with a pastry. Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s guide noted that the cafes attached to the bakeries sell Norwegian and Swedish breakfasts, so one visit can cover both traditions.
Outlets are listed in North Oaks and Little Canada, and a Bloomington bakery and cafe is located at 401 W 98th St, Bloomington, MN 55420, phone (952) 358-7490, according to its Bloomington location page. For most Minneapolis residents, Bloomington is the practical choice among the three.
A quick call will confirm what is on the counter, and it is also the way to ask about krumkake or any other cookie you have in mind.
Minneapolis city stops: Ready Meats and Ingebretsen’s
Two specialty shops anchor Scandinavian shopping inside Minneapolis itself. Both are better for stocking a Nordic pantry than for a pastry-case browse, and both reward a phone call first.
Ready Meats in northeast Minneapolis
Mpls.St.Paul Magazine describes Ready Meats as a northeast Minneapolis institution since 1946 that sells a wide array of Scandinavian specialties. That long history makes it a sensible first call if you are putting together a holiday table and want one stop in the city.
Ingebretsen’s on East Lake Street
Ingebretsen’s makes all its own sausages, from hot dogs to Swedish, Norwegian and Danish varieties, using Minnesota farm meat, per the magazine’s Great Tastes feature. Go there for the savory side of a Nordic spread, and ask at the counter about baked goods rather than assuming a pastry case.
Related Nordic names nearby
The same feature lists Olsen Fish Co., a Minneapolis-based importer since 1910 that is responsible for most of the United States’ lutefisk. St. Paul’s Finnish Bistro, at 2264 Como Ave., 651-645-9181, adds a Finnish option for readers who want to look beyond Sweden and Norway.
More bakeries in the north and south suburbs
Two more bakeries appear in Mpls.St.Paul Magazine’s Nordic eats shops guide. Denny’s 5th Avenue Bakery is in Bloomington at 7840 Fifth Ave. S., and Grandma’s Bakery has two White Bear Lake addresses.
- South of the city: Denny’s and the Taste of Scandinavia cafe are both in Bloomington, so you can compare two bakeries in one outing.
- North and east: Grandma’s Bakery on Buerkle Road and on Fourth Street, plus the North Oaks and Little Canada cafes, make a loop through the northern suburbs worthwhile if you enjoy a drive.
Swedish, Norwegian and Danish: what separates them at the counter
In the Twin Cities these traditions usually share a roof. Taste of Scandinavia’s cafes sell both Norwegian and Swedish breakfasts, and Ingebretsen’s makes Swedish, Norwegian and Danish sausages in one kitchen. A swedish bakery Minneapolis search will therefore often lead you to the same shops as a Norwegian pastry search.
That overlap shapes how to shop. Rather than assuming a single country per shop, ask which tradition an item belongs to, and ask how it is flavored and finished. Counter staff at a place that serves several traditions can usually tell you, and the answer helps you pick between similar-looking baked goods.
Planning a pastry run
- Pick your pastry first. If you want krumkake or another specific item, note it before choosing a shop.
- Phone the shop. Use the numbers in the table and ask whether the item is on hand today, plus current opening hours.
- Choose by route. Combine Bloomington stops, or the North Oaks and Little Canada pair, to save driving.
- Add a savory stop. Ready Meats or Ingebretsen’s turns a sweet errand into a full Nordic shopping trip inside Minneapolis.
Troubleshooting a Scandinavian bakery trip
- The item is sold out: Ask whether another location carries it. Taste of Scandinavia has several outlets, and Grandma’s has two White Bear Lake addresses.
- You need to stay in the city: Head to Ready Meats or Ingebretsen’s and ask what they stock, since both are specialty shops rather than dedicated bakeries.
- You want something lighter afterward: A cold treat is a different kind of stop, and the frozen yogurt minneapolis guide covers those options.
- You want fair-style sweets instead: See minnesota state fair desserts for a very different kind of treat.
Frequently asked questions
Which Scandinavian shop has served Minneapolis longest?
Ready Meats has operated in northeast Minneapolis since 1946, according to Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Olsen Fish Co. has imported goods from Minneapolis since 1910, though it is an importer, not a pastry counter.
Can I get a Norwegian or Swedish breakfast at a bakery?
Yes. The cafes attached to Taste of Scandinavia’s bakeries sell Norwegian and Swedish breakfasts, per a 2012 magazine guide, so confirm the current menu by phone.
Is there a Finnish option in the Twin Cities?
The Finnish Bistro is at 2264 Como Ave. in St. Paul, phone 651-645-9181. It sits outside Minneapolis but suits readers who want a Finnish stop.
Do I need to call before visiting?
Yes, especially for a specific item. Stock varies, and the listings give phone numbers so you can confirm availability and hours first.
