The top 3 exotic food in Uppsala

Sweden in general, and Uppsala in particular, is a country of immigration. One way of getting good food in a new country is to look at what kind of foreign community has moved there and to target for their original cuisine. Knowing that Sweden has a strong Iranian and Afghan community, it is an excellent place to discover food from those countries. Here is my personal top 3 exotic restaurants. The order is not representative of my preference. All of them have accessible price. Who said you need money to have good food? Ready for the trip?

Afghan in the center: Pamir

(+) Authentic Afghan food

(+) Generous and fresh tunnbröd meal for 95 kr

(+) Central

(+) Same menu lunch and Evenings

(+) Homemade

(+) Very large space, calm

Pamir is an Afghan restaurant that has recently opened. The place is not known by people because the location was often under renovation and had to change owner multiple time. Yet, it is extremely central in Uppsala. Each time I went to this restaurant, all of the clients were speaking Persian! That is an excellent sign for an Afghan place! They offer several menus including the classic pizza, but you are not here for that. Ask for the Afghan menu. I have two recommendations there: their Afghan dumplings (vegetarian or with meat) which are served with a sauce of lentils or yoghurt ; and their tunnbröd: a kind of flatbread filled with either potatoes either leeks. The tunnbröd one is actually the cheapest meal (95 kr for 3 tunnbröd) yet it is the most generous! I can never finish one on my own. The leeks feel like they have been cut just before frying the bread, it is fresh and your palate will feel it!
I think it is the same menu in the evening. I am really glad that the owner kept their authenticity, their own style and did not go for just pizza. That would have been such a loss for the foodie community! Afghan option was missing in the Uppsalian landscape. Finally the place is spacious, quiet that was ideal for my friend with a baby as she could park her trolley and feel comfortable.

• S:t Eriks Gränd 2, 753 10 Uppsala (just in front of Uppland Museet)
• 070-894 77 23
• Foodora:  https://www.foodora.se/en/restaurant/s9fz/pamir-restaurang
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pamiruppsala/

The flavour of Persia: Sofreh

(+) Authentic Iranian food

(+) Ambiance will make you travel

(+) Playful food

Sofreh is an Iranian restaurant. A hidden pearl in the suburb of Uppsala on the way to Granby. The outside of the restaurant does not look appealing, but once you enter, the decoration has a warm oriental vibe. Take the menu, skip the grillrätter and go directly for the specialities. Everything is great there. One dish I remember is the Dizi: it is a kind of lamb stew.

Taking this dish was playful because it is served with a pestle. With it, you will have to mix the fresh herbs and garlic into the stew before eating!

The Dizi, the mortar in the middle is for you to mix up the ingredients!

There was also another stew which had an aftertaste of rose, it was very tasty but I cannot remember the name, I wish I did!
We took 5 or 6 dishes with my friends (a mix of mains and starters) and we shared, we had for 130 kr each. This was definitely a full dinner. We were really surprised by the value for money. The location might be a reason: this place is outside the center of Uppsala so you pay for the food there not for the rent!

Sofreh

• Skomakargatan 16, 754 34 Uppsala
• 018-24 25 60
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/restaurangsofreh/
• Site: https://sofreh.se/Meny.html

Feel the street of Ecuador: Tapicante (foodtruck)

(+) Authentic Latino food
(+) Fresh from the day

(+) Excellently balanced seasoning

(+) Snack portions for 40 kr

Fresh coriander on a chicken taco

Tapicante is a Mexican foodtruck. I am usually not a fan of Mexican food in Sweden too much associated with tasteless and pricy buffets. This is an exception: unlike other restaurants they do their tacos on the fly. The seasoning is well balanced, the prices are reasonable. If you are not very hungry you can even take a small version for 40 kr: excellent for a snack and more healthy than the korv that you get in the pressburå nearby. I like their chicken version with a lot of vegetables and guacamole. He seems to have prepared every ingredients himself, no canned stuff. For our vegan friends there is decent options with black beans instead of meat. The owner is a friendly Ecuadorian that will prepare the food in front of you. The conter part of that is that it might take a couple of minutes to cook so do not hesitate to call him just before passing by! 

The food truck is now located between Uppsala bibliotek and S:t Pers galeriet but if you read this article long time after I wrote it, I recommand visiting their website: https://tapicante.com/acerca-de/

Tapicante

• Svartbäcksgatan 13 (gågatan) Uppsala 
• 0733-46 60 58 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tapicante-131488144231658/ 
• site: https://tapicante.com

Enjoy the trip :).