In a new Key to Söder film, Swedish chef and cookbook author Sofia Henriksson leads visitors through the food, people and places she genuinely loves in one of Stockholm’s most distinctive districts.
There is no shortage of advice about what to see and where to eat in Stockholm. Search for Södermalm online and you will encounter an apparently endless succession of “best of” lists, fashionable cafés and supposedly secret addresses that appear in almost every guide. NOFO Hotel is proposing a more personal alternative: exploring the neighbourhood with someone who actually knows it. The Södermalm boutique hotel has released a new instalment of its Key to Söder project, this time featuring Swedish chef, cookbook author and food creator Sofia Henriksson. Winner of Sveriges mästerkock — Sweden’s version of MasterChef — in 2020, Henriksson guides viewers through a day shaped by her own tastes and routines. The result is intended to feel less like a conventional promotional itinerary and more like receiving recommendations from a knowledgeable local friend.
A food lover’s day in Södermalm
The film begins over breakfast at NOFO before following Henriksson to some of her personal favourites for food and drink around Södermalm. The distinction is important: these are places where she genuinely shops, eats and returns, rather than businesses assembled to complete another ready-made tourist itinerary. Food provides the route through the neighbourhood, but the emphasis is also on the people behind the counters, bars and kitchens.
“What could be more fun than exploring Södermalm with a true food and drink nerd?” said Johanna Landberg, Brand & Community Manager at NOFO Hotel. “Sofia has impeccable taste, genuine curiosity and a personal list of go-to spots that you immediately want to discover. Since food, drink and local personalities are at the heart of NOFO, she felt like the perfect person to guide our guests.”
Henriksson became nationally known after winning the tenth series of Sveriges mästerkock in 2020. In the same year, she published her cookbook Always Hungry, subsequently developing the concept through a podcast and food content across several platforms. Her approach combines bold flavours and culinary curiosity with a desire to make cooking accessible — qualities that fit naturally with a guide centred on personal discoveries rather than formal sightseeing.
The idea behind Key to Söder
NOFO launched Key to Söder in 2025 as part of its Live Like a Local concept. Its guiding principle is straightforward: some of the most useful travel recommendations come not from rankings or algorithms, but from people who live in or maintain a close relationship with the neighbourhood. The project collects NOFO’s own favourites alongside suggestions from local Södermalm personalities. Hotel guests can explore the recommendations independently or ask the hotel team to help plan and book individual experiences. Access to the guide is included for NOFO guests. The first edition was created with Stockholm music personality Stefan “Storken” Johansson and included everything from cafés and vintage shops to lesser-known bars. Henriksson’s contribution brings a more explicitly culinary perspective to the project. The recommendations are also regularly updated — a small but significant advantage in a district where independent restaurants, shops and cultural venues continually change.
Seeing Södermalm beyond the checklist
Located south of Stockholm’s historic centre, Södermalm has gradually evolved from a predominantly working-class area into one of the capital’s principal creative districts. Vintage shops, independent businesses, cafés, restaurants, galleries and bars coexist with residential streets and traces of the island’s industrial past. Its popularity, however, creates the very problem Key to Söder is trying to address. Visitors can easily spend their time moving between the same heavily promoted locations without gaining much sense of the neighbourhood itself. A local recommendation cannot guarantee an undiscovered place, nor should travellers expect Södermalm to remain hidden from tourism. What it can offer is context: why someone returns to a particular shop, who runs a favourite restaurant or how one address fits naturally into a day in the district. In that respect, the new film is about more than food. It presents the neighbourhood as a collection of relationships and habits rather than a catalogue of attractions.
A historic base in creative Stockholm
NOFO Hotel occupies a listed building dating from 1780 on Tjärhovsgatan, close to the northern side of Södermalm. The boutique property opened in its current form in 2015, although its family-run history extends further back. Its individually designed rooms draw inspiration from cities and neighbourhoods around the world. Key to Söder reverses that perspective: instead of bringing the wider world into the hotel, it encourages guests to step outside and discover the character of its immediate surroundings. For travellers who would rather understand Södermalm than simply photograph its most familiar landmarks, Henriksson’s film offers an appealing starting point. Breakfast is served at the hotel, but the real experience begins when the visitor walks out of the door. The Key to Söder by Sofia Henriksson film is available on NOFO Hotel’s YouTube channel.
Watch the film
Suggested Online Sources
Youtube.com
Nofohotel.se
Allthingslive.se
Aftonbladet.se
