Taste of Scandinavia Bakery & Cafe

I had the cinnamon roll French toast. It included two eggs and bacon. It was very good. I would go back there again.

Looking for a new breakfast spot to try that can accommodate a large group with appetites to match and kids in tow, my sister discovered this little café via Unilocal.We showed up at prime brunch time on a Sunday and were seated within ten minutes — which gave us just enough time to oggle at the indulgent bakery case.
We got a plate of lingonberry lefsa cream cheese wantons and they disappeared mighty fast. This is the stuff of Sunday brunch dreams.
The coffee is from Dunn Brothers so you know it’s going to be a great cup of joe. They didn’t have a La Marzocco espresso machine or anything fancy though so I’m still not convinced that their specialty coffee drinks like lattes and cappuccinos are going to be exceptional.
I ordered the Norwegian lefse breakfast and substituted the meat for broccoli. Overall it was pretty dull and could have used a little more umph with a tasty sour cream sauce or spunkier side salsa. With generous amounts of cholula hot sauce though, it was striking a better balance.
Overall this is a great, kid-​friendly breakfast stop that’s perfect for entertaining larger groups and family members with a hankering for traditional breakfast fare.

I visited this little gem with a colleague. While looking for something «different» to eat in the Bloomington area, we decided to give this one a try.
First, finding this place is a bit of puzzle in and of itself. The restaurant is actually tucked inside the Festival Foods. To get to it you actually have to walk into the supermarket and the restaurant is inside.
Time has stopped there. Its like the 1980s never passed. Everything is certainly clean and well maintained, but except for the people inside, this could pass as a café set from «Back to the Future.»
Service was pretty average, not fantastic, but not bad either. Waitstaff was helpful and sincerely welcoming.
The food was very good for what it was. But here’s the thing — most of the items on the menu are pretty much typical American diner dishes. The things that are special are the more authentic Scandanavian dishes — after all, everything else you can get at Perkin’s.
Does Denny’s have a lefse melt? No, but this place does. Does Perkin’s have a Swedish Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Sandwich? Nope, but this place does. Does Byerly’s Café have a Danish Hot Salmon Sandwich? Probably not… but you can guess which place does.
Overall, this is a quiet, out of the way, non-​pretentous taste of Scandanavian food that is more akin to home cooking than haute cuisine. But likewise, its a place that an 80s-​something grandmother might feel right at home. In fact, when we were there, my colleague and I (both in our 40s) were the youngest in the room. But don’t let that fool you. The food is good, and the prices are reasonable. And its a bit out of the ordinary. Who’s up for a little change of pace once in a while?

Food was great, waitstaff not so much.
The food was yummy and the menu had a very wide variety of choices! Our meals were great.
I love that I could add on a piece of lefse with butter and sugar for only $ 2.50!
BUT
We were seated and then waited about 15 minutes for our waitress to arrive to take our drink orders. I think she meant well but talked very quiet and did not make any eye contact or look up. We finished our meal and waited until we had to go to the till to find our bill.
In this girls defense it was very busy (Sunday around 9:30). I didn’t ever see waitresses standing around so maybe they were just understaffed.
I would love to go again, maybe just not on such a busy day! I think Sunday brunch probably gets pretty busy– for good reason, the food is amazing!

Breakfast is available all day here. Got there around 11 on a weekday and it was empty, but shortly afterward filled up with the lunch crowd. Had the swedish sampler of french cardamon toast and swedish pancake and it was excellent. Comes with sausage, bacon, or other choices of meat. Also easy to find, which as an out of towner, is a bonus.

Excellent breakfast with some unique offerings like the gyro omelet! Coffee is really good since it is Dun Bros. really busy on the weekend with lots of the senior citizen crowd. Service can be spotty

We were looking for a local spot to grab breakfast while visiting from out of state and couldn’t have been happier with our choice! Taste of Scandinavia is a cute little café in the front of a grocery store and the food was delicious. My husband was pleased with the Potato Pancakes but the Sweet Scandinavian Lefse was the real winner!

I was really hoping for more traditional Finnish bakery items like lihapiirakka (meat pasty) or Joulutorttu (prune tarts) that are easy enough to make, but it was all pretty akin to IKEA cafeteria levels of Scandinavian. I guess you can’t expect a lot from a place inside a grocery store, but it was a pretty good size selection and seating area. If you’re more into Norwegian fare like lefse and kringler, they seem to have you covered, but for their bakery selection (I didn’t sit down to look over their menu as I wanted to just run in and check it out so maybe that has more traditional items), it was disappointing to see. There was also no one behind the counter when I arrived and no one greeted me after standing there perusing the offerings for a few minutes.
On the plus side, they had a pretty clean bathroom available.

We stopped into festival foods for some necessities and decided to try Taste of Scandinavia to avoid shopping hungry. We were really impressed with the Veggie wraps and lefsa wontons. Quality food, decent atmosphere, and low prices. I bought a 5 pack of lefsa for $ 10… Pricey i know. But if its as good as the lunch we had we’re in for a sweet treat later

This is a gem of a restaurant hidden inside the Festival Foods grocery store in Bloomington. After eating there for the first time last week, my family and I planned our weekly errands around getting breakfast there today. All of their french toast options are delicious. I can recommend their Pulla french toast and their special of blueberry lemon french toast is spectacular. For $ 9 it comes with bacon and eggs making it a steal. I can’t think of a better place to start your day in the Twin Cities. I’ll be shopping in Bloomington more often just to experience this delicious food.

Yummy place for desserts!

This was a gem of a find in a grocery store. I had the Norwegian Lefse Breakfast and it was very good. I finished with the Almond Kringler and loved that. Authentic Scandanavian food at a good price, attentive service, quick service. Definitely will be back.

Absolutely love this place. The lingonberry lefse triangles were light and beautiful. My husband enjoyed a gyro although not the item that brings people here, he enjoyed it. The Finnish beef pastry was elegantly executed and presented with a green salad containing mushrooms, peppers, onion, broccoli, tomatoes, and dried cranberries. The pastry itself was filling but not heavy. The beef and vegetable filling was an excellent partner with the flaky, buttery pastry wrap. The pictures don’t do it justice. Enjoy this place… it is a gem and don’t let the grocery store attachment keep you from enjoying a great meal.

1^st timer on a weekday evening, all to myself. Highly recommend the grilled Norwegian chicken melt, that came w/​mushrooms and cheeses inside grilled lefsa. For dessert, the cherry pie was sooo good, but could’ve scored a TD if topped w/​real whipped cream (not canned). Go here if in Bloomington MN — I will again!

Very friendly and very tasty. Was hoping for more Norwegian flair but what was there was good.

Fast enough service — only about 4 tables occupied on a Sunday morning at 8:15, and I’d indicate I did not have a lot of time. Sausage, eggs, toast, and hashbrowns. Good enough except that the hashbrowns were fried in last week’s oil – at least that’s how they tasted. I will go back for a pastry and coffee, maybe lunch or dinner.

Good service, good food, big portions. But it seems every time I’ve come here there is something on the menu they don’t have. Even during mid afternoon when it’s not busy they run out of something. I like the simple ambiance of the place, and the accommodations. The kids meals come with a complimentary cookie. Very nice.

Tasty. A step up from Denny’s. We like to eat here on Sunday morning before we shop for groceries.

20 years ago Soile Anderson opened the Taste of Scandinavia with a fistful of Finnish recipes and recreated a bakery straight out of her homeland.
From fluffy blueberry muffins and fruit filled danish to homemade Lefse, Lingonberry Cheesecake and Finnish Cadamom Pulla Braid Bread, this Bakery Café has a tasty Scandinavian twist!
In addition to the bakery treats there is a full lunch and dinner menu available, including salads, sandwiches and three Swedish favorites: The BEST Swedish Meatballs outside of Sweden, Pyttipanna and Pancakes.
The Bloomington location is in Festival Foods. This is a gem that should never be missed. The service is fabulous, the food, incredible. I cannot recommend this place enough.
Taste of Scandinavia offers catering, custom Wedding Cakes and easy-​to-​use Internet ordering.

Before I had Lasik they told me to eat a good breakfast… usually this means one bite of white toast and a vat of coffee. Thank goodness my pregnant friend was my driver and recommended Taste of Scandinavia in Bloomington for a little more substance.
Delish! We shared the triple berry crepes and the breakfast croissant sandwich. Very large portions and great presentation. I was skeptical at first, being that most cafes in grocery stores are… well, we won’t go there. But it was very pleasant, quiet, and I didn’t even notice the grocery store part.
I can’t wait to go back!