Ett litet makeri in Helsingborg – thin pizza, happy children and a bill that was a pleasant surprise

+12 +10

Atmosphere and setting by the harbour

Ett litet makeri is at Kungsgatan 12 in Helsingborg, close to the water. It has been run as a family restaurant since 2012, and the kitchen is Italian-inspired with pizza, fresh pasta and burgers. By their own account, the food follows the seasons with a focus on good ingredients.

We found it pleasant and cosy. Inside there are white cross-back chairs, wooden tables and large windows facing the street, and a big black chalkboard lists the day's specials. Outside there is a terrace with glass screens, black parasols, green cushions and an olive tree in a pot, and that is where we sat.

The only small reservation is that you sit right next to a road. It didn't bother us much, but it is worth knowing if you are dreaming of a completely quiet lunch.

The pizzas – thin and really good

We adults ordered two of the gourmet pizzas: a Milano at 189 SEK and a Biancca at 219 SEK. One came with salami, rocket and grated cheese, the other with meat, mushrooms and green pepper, and a small bowl of creamy dip came alongside.

And they tasted really good. The base was super thin and the toppings were lovely – that was actually what surprised us most. We hadn't expected pizza at that level when we were just after a lunch with the children.

The menu goes well beyond pizza, by the way: there are small plates such as carpaccio and gambas, fresh pasta including pasta carbonara at 229 SEK and truffle pasta at 289 SEK, and a burger menu where the Makeriets Burger costs 249 SEK. The board outside also listed a kitchen special with a chicken platter and burrata as a starter, and you are encouraged to ask the staff about the dish of the evening and the week's flavour on the drinks.

The children's pasta and the drinks

The children are a little fussy, so although the children's menu offers pasta carbonara, chicken pasta, small pizzas and burgers at 119 SEK, they ended up with the classic: a plate of tagliatelle with butter and a small jug of grated Parmesan on the side. On the receipt it appears as Barn Carbonara, 2 for 218 SEK, and it was exactly what the children fancied.

For the children we got a 7up (39 SEK) and a Pepsi Max (39 SEK), which went down well, and for ourselves we had three glasses of the house white wine for 297 SEK in total.

Service with courtesy and pace

The service was good, very polite and quick, and the food was nicely presented at the table. With two children in tow, it is always a relief when things flow without waiting, and here they did.

Price and value

The bill came to 1.001 SEK for two adults, two children and three glasses of white wine, and it was genuinely worth the money. Just imagine what two gourmet pizzas, two children's dishes, soft drinks and wine would cost in Danish kroner. We hadn't booked a table for lunch, and there was plenty of room.