Taking the 40-minute train ride over an impressive structure immortalized by the BBC show The Bridge and crossing from Denmark to Sweden might seem nonsensical. Why, you may ask, would you do so when Copenhagen — the capital of New Nordic cooking — is right there?

Proximity does not equal similarity. Malmö stands out as funky and far more eccentric than its Danish cousin. The industrial town has long bred young talent eager to work with the pristine produce produced by the mild climate and organic farms of the Skåne region. Nose-to-tail thinking, originating at the trailblazing restaurant Bastard, seemingly flows through its veins. Pairing that with the city’s borderline hippie spirit and a diverse population results in some truly compelling cooking. A self-prescribed lover of natural wine will find the ticket price worth it to tap into Malmö’s long-standing obsession with these offerings alone, which manifests itself in vast selections of natural wines and long-forgotten gems served up in most good restaurants. Malmöites are open-minded and unpretentious, as incarnated in its many hodgepodge places merging remarkable fine dining and genuine hospitality with dirt-cheap pints and darn good music, if that’s what you need. Here are the city’s most essential stops.

Prices per person, excluding alcohol:

$ = Less than 150 Swedish kronor (Less than $15 USD)

$$ = 150 - 800 Swedish kronor ($15 - $82 USD)

$$$ = 800 Swedish kronor and up ($83 USD and up)