The Nordic Museum’s Cafe Serves a Cultural Smorgasbord in Ballard | Eater Seattle

"I found Freya, the Nordic Museum’s new café at 2655 NW Market St., to be a thoughtful introduction to traditional Nordic cuisine when it began serving visitors on May 8. The counter-service space—with high ceilings, tall windows, and abundant natural light—lets diners grab a bite without paying museum admission. Run by City Catering Company, which makes pastries and most ingredients at a South Lake Union headquarters and has supplied meals to Facebook’s cafés, the tiny kitchen executes dishes influenced by New Nordic chefs like Magnus Nilsson and René Redzepi while also hewing to older Nordic traditions shaped by the museum board. Highlights include Mormor’s Pantry, a smorgasbord of juniper-smoked king salmon, pork and rosemary rillettes, krukost (a Swedish potato-and-cheese casserole), beet-pickled egg, pickled vegetables, apple-celery compote, and pretzel rye toast; the Quinoa Salad—renamed after the board asked to remove “Nordic” from its title—that pairs smoked tarragon chicken, herbed goat cheese, pickled red onion, dried cranberries, mixed greens, and quinoa; a Pacific Northwest–meets-Nordic Smoked Salmon Smørrebrød topped with juniper-smoked king salmon, turmeric- and vanilla-pickled fennel, Washington apple, horseradish, and the traditional lemon twist; and the Great Dane Danish dog with warmly spiced medisterpølse, Uli’s curry ketchup, remoulade, white onions, and pickled and fried shallots on a pretzel roll. The cocktail program is inventive—the dill-forward Dill Dall (dill-infused Ketel One vodka, lime, club soda, simple syrup, dill garnish) and the floral Midnight Bloom (hibiscus tea over sage-infused gin, lemon, lavender honey, and crème de violette) stand out, alongside Arctic Solstice, the Icelandic Mule, and Anker and Berg. Freya is open during museum hours: Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Thu 10 a.m.–8 p.m." - Suzi Pratt