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Guide / Gothenburg
”It’s a big, small town with a lot of buzz”
On hidden gems in Sweden’s second city.
ALI DAVOODI
4 Dec 2020

The Swedish creative director used to run the region’s leading meeting place for fashion and design for an entire decade. He now helps the leading real estate companies to develop their properties through special concepts, including Art Made This supporting female artists and conceptual pop-up shop Templet right in the city center.

My favourite thing that makes me proud of Gothenburg: 
It’s a big, small town with a lot of buzz and interesting scenes within everything from music to design and fashion.

My favourite weekend routine: 
Take a walk in Botaniska and then have a coffee at Bar Italia, Tony’s Coffeebar, or Bar Centro.

My favourite cultural spot: 
All the mural art in every street corner and galleries like Galleri Box and Galleri Thomassen.

My favourite place for dining out: 
There are so many, like great Moroccan place Fatima’s, Studio HPKSM, and JINX food truck.

My favourite place for a creative or business meeting: 
Trädgårdsföreningen’s Walk & Talk and I also enjoy Palmhuset.

My favourite breakfast place: 
Bar Centro.

My favourite city escape: 
To the archipelago and pay a visit to friends on Brännö or the island of Knippla in the northern part.

My favourite local entrepreneur or creative I want to promote:
The two sisters Lien and Erica running the restaurant Vi Viet.

My favourite hotel for a staycation: 
Dorsia hotel with their great touch of the 1920s.

My favourite route for a run or walk: 
Änggårdsbergen by the Botaniska.

My favourite place for fashion: 
Vintage stores Broadway & Sons and Beyond Retro and shoe shop Shelta.

My favourite space for great design: 
The best interior design store in Scandinavia, Artilleriet, and great vintage design stores like V i x D e c o and Östlinghs.

My favorite example of tech innovation in Gothenburg: 
This year, the city offers spectacular works of light art. Together, they form a Light Art Walk in the middle of the city.

My favorite local media:
A bunch of inspiring social accounts: knivenivattnet, Alladin Faily, Nathaniel Asseraf, Noam Asseraf, heelmenow, and Joanna Bagge Ottey.

My favorite thing at home:
To listen to music like Khruangbin, Kourosh Yaghmaei, or Pink Sweats, watching documentaries like Three Identical Strangers and Operation Odessa, or series like amazing French The Bureau, and eat good food with family and friends.