Our Review of Spisa Foodmarket

We first went into Spisa for a pint of milk and left with a bag full of Scandinavian groceries, two happy kids, and a new favourite lunch spot. It's tucked inside Centro Plaza in Nueva Andalucia and manages to be a proper grocery store, a deli, a cafe, and a bakery all in one.

The deli counter is the main draw for us. They do traditional Swedish husmanskost — think meatballs with mash, korv stroganoff, dill-cured salmon — and the kids happily eat all of it. There's also pasta and simpler options if your little ones aren't feeling adventurous. The portions are generous and the prices are fair for what you get, well within budget territory.

Then there's the Scandinavian candy bar, which is basically a self-service pick-and-mix wall of Swedish sweets. If you've ever tried to drag a child past one of these, you know what happens. We've learned to use it as leverage: "Eat your meatballs, then you can fill a bag." Works every time.

The grocery side stocks all the Scandinavian staples you'd struggle to find elsewhere on the coast — crispbread, lingonberry jam, proper coffee, frozen foods from back home. They also have a Sibylla grill (Swedish fast food) and a bakery with fresh bread and pastries. The cafe does good coffee and there's a terrace outside if the weather's nice.

Centro Plaza has free parking right there, so access is easy. The store is fully buggy-friendly and it's all indoors, making it a solid rainy-day option. We stop by at least once a week — sometimes for a proper lunch, sometimes just for coffee and to stock up on the things we can't find at Mercadona.