Why Malmö's Möllevången is a paradise for curious foodies

Möllevången, the 50-hectare trapezoid that functions as an alternative city centre in Malmö is a great place for culinary adventurers, with at least 60 different restaurants serving food from more than a dozen different countries. 

 

For this concentration, you can thank the designers of the city's 1960s and 1970s housing developments, who left little or no space for local shops or restaurants. 

 

So while in London, you can go to a Turkish area for doner kebab, a Bengali one for curries, or a Jamaican one for Akee and Saltfish, in Malmö a lot of it is in one place. 

 

Restaurang Nowroz, a Persian restaurant, opened back in 2003, and is now one of three restaurants serving Iranian specialities such as khoresh stew or kebab. Here's our review of its upstart rival Restaurang Tehran.

 

Of the dozen or so falafel restaurants, Jalla Jalla is a piece of Malmö legend, with extra halloumi, aubergine or fried cauliflower a particular speciality. 

 

But my current favourite falafel joint in Möllevången is Sara, which wraps the chickpea balls in meltingly soft bread they bake themselves in their pizza oven. 

 

Many of the 15 or so Indian restaurants are in reality cheap bars so the food is nothing to write home about. 

 

The South Indian is a notable exception (see our review here), as is Masala Box in the Mitt i Möllan shopping centre (see review here). 

 

 

Indians in Malmö also praise Kontrast, which opened recently on Möllevången Square, and Shubab on Amiralsgatan, which does good South Indian foods. 

 

Pappas Buffé on Bergsgatan may look like a cheap Italian, but in fact mainly caters to young Afghans who have arrived in Malmö over the last few years. Better quality (and more expensive) Afghan food is available at Ariana (our review here), which serves delicious manto dumplings from the country's north. 

 

The ashak dumplings come garnished with dried mint and fresh coriander. Photo: Richard Orange

 

Asien on Ystadsvägen serves authentic Vietnamese food, but Little Vietnam in Mitt i Möllan probably has a more convivial atmosphere.

 

Shamiat restaurant on Södra Förstadsgatan sells great Syrian foul and fatteh (our review). But you can also get a more upmarket take on Middle Eastern food at the more established Restaurang Madina on Bergsgatan, which specializes in Lebanese specialities, and charcoal grilled fish.

 

 

If you get tired of falafel and shawarma, you can go get decent Greek Gyros at Gyrospita on Bergsgatan, garnished with a smear of thick yoghurt. 

 

You can now get excellent Balkan Burek pies in the café next to the Ica grocery store opposite Mitt i Möllan. If you're lucky you can watch the two Serbian men who make them throwing their pastry high in the air to stretch it before slamming it onto their tables. 

 

But if you are willing to step just outside the boundaries of Möllevången, Burek House has a broader selection of Balkan specialities (see our review). 

 

For African food, you have to leave Möllevången and make your way to Persborg, where Marka Caday makes a selection of Somali favourites (see our review here).