World City Guide

Restaurants

The selected restaurants have divided into five categories: Gastronomic, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations. The restaurants are listed alphabetically within these different categories, which serve as guidelines rather than absolute definitions of the establishments.

Sales tax of 12% is included in bills; some restaurants also add a 10–15% service charge. If no service charge appears on the bill, a 10% tip is normal and expected. As all wines are imported to Sweden, they are subject to steep price hikes and added tax and therefore tend to be expensive.

The prices quoted below are for an average three-course meal for one person and a bottle of house wine or cheapest equivalent; they include sales tax but do not include service charges.

Gastronomic

Berns
Recently given a makeover by British style guru Sir Terence Conran, this restaurant in the Berns Hotel has a born-again quality. On a busy night, Berns can squeeze in around 250 diners, who come to enjoy the top-rate cooking and the added attraction of the new crustacean bar, which is a must for seafood lovers. There is a wide variety of fresh shellfish served with various sauces and cooked according to the diner’s personal preference. Other Berns specialities are the excellent lobster and the dessert option of delicious armagnac (brandy) ice cream. The restaurant was once a grand theatre hall and the impressive decor, with gilded ceilings and huge chandeliers, creates a remarkable setting for dinner.

Berzelii Park
Tel: (08) 5663 2222. Fax: (08) 5663 2323.
E-mail: info@berns.se
Website: www.berns.se
Price: SKr395 (fixed price). Wine: SKr260.

Bon Lloc
Another fine dining temple that proves how much the Swedes love top-quality cooking, Bon Lloc has a relaxed atmosphere and food with a Spanish influence. In the dining room, the straight-back, upholstered chairs are teal and wine coloured, with crisp white tablecloths for silver service. With arguably the finest chef in all of Sweden at the helm, Bon Lloc cannot really go wrong. Mathias Dahlgren’s ‘nouveau Euro-Latino’ cooking well deserves its one Michelin star and booking well ahead is essential. One of the best dishes is oven-roasted ham with apple cider glaze, while the willingness to experiment is evident in main courses such as roasted pig’s foot. The recent move to a larger, more central location has done nothing to dent the supremacy of Bon Lloc (meaning ‘good luck’ in Catalan).

Regeringsgatan 111
Tel: (08) 660 6060. Fax: (08) 107 635.
Website: www.bonlloc.nu
Price: SKr650. Wine: SKr250.

Gasslingen
This restaurant serves the finest of French high cooking in stylish, although slightly quirky surroundings – rather like an Alsace cottage, with pictures of geese on the walls. For those who like classical French style and cuisine, this is the place to head for. It is a temple to gastronomy, specialising in classic haute cuisine, with such delights as foie gras, duck, lobster and truffles.

Brannkyrkagatan 93
Tel: (08) 669 5495. Fax: (08) 848 990.
E-mail: gasslingen@telia.com
Website: www.gasslingen.se
Price: SKr595. Wine: SKr365.

PA & Co
This used to be one of the undoubted stars of the Stockholm restaurant scene but its most fashionable times are now behind it. Once responsible in many ways for helping to kick-start the city’s culinary renaissance, PA & Co is nevertheless still going strong, despite its detractors. This longevity is largely due to the excellent value of the food on offer. The decor is simple and understated, while the Swedish produce is still as fresh as ever, with well-cooked red-meat dishes including excellent reindeer.

Riddargatan 8
Tel: (08) 611 0845.
Price: SKr300. Wine: SKr230.

Wedholms Fisk
A city that is surrounded by rivers, lakes and the sea, it is no surprise that seafood is very popular in Stockholm. The accolade of best fish restaurant in the city is much fought over, although many locals and discerning visitors agree that the honour goes to Wedholms Fisk, whose freshly prepared seafood has earned the restaurant a Michelin star. The creamy sauces that cover the freshly caught sole, turbot and salmon are legendary on the Stockholm culinary scene. The classical cooking style varies between Swedish and classical French, while the decor tends toward the pale and purely stylish. Closed Sunday.

Nybrokajen 17
Tel: (08) 611 7874. Fax: (08) 678 6011.
Price: SKr550. Wine: SKr280.

Business

Bakfickan
This restaurant is a firm favourite with local businesspeople and is a trusted venue for a business lunch or dinner. This small and stylish counter restaurant – with seating either at the bar or narrow tables – is the least formal of the venues located at the State Opera House, serving up a fresh selection of traditional Swedish dishes including open smorrebrod sandwiches. Diners can choose to eat either at the long counter or at the small tables. Closed Sunday.

Operahuset, Karl XII Torg
Tel: (08) 676 5809. Fax: (08) 209 592.
E-mail: info@operakallaren.se
Website: www.operakallaren.se
Price: SKr300–400. Wine: SKr221.

Franska Matsalen
For unabashed glamour and old-world style, Franska Matsalen at the Grand Hotel is hard to beat. A restaurant first opened in these plush surrounds in 1899; today, the setting is still popular among the local business community, as a classy place for winning over clients and introducing people to the city for the first time. Fresh fish and red meat feature strongly on the menu and main courses include seared turbot with chanterelles and white wine sauce or peppered glazed reindeer with Jerusalem artichoke and Swiss chard. Savvy diners book a window seat with views across to the Royal Palace.

Grand Hotel, S. Blasieholmskajen 8
Tel: (08) 679 3584. Fax: (08) 611 8686.
Website: www.franskamatsalen.nu
Price: SKr700. Wine: SKr330.

Fredsgatan 12
The classical surroundings of this first-rate restaurant are renowned as a great setting for a business lunch or dinner, with top-quality cuisine to match. The interior is unfussy and cool, reflecting the simple Swedish fusion food on the menu. The cooking has earned Fredsgatan 12 a Michelin star and the verandah outside is the business place to be seen on a summer day. All courses are starter sized and the restaurant recommends five dishes be chosen. Samples dishes include shellfish tempura, fillet of beef carapaccio, and venison sauteed with pak choi (an East Asian vegetable). Diners can also try the delicious yellow cloudberries, when in season.

Fredsgatan 12
Tel: (08) 248 052. Fax: (08) 237 605.
E-mail: info@fredsgatan12.com
Website: www.fredsgatan12.com
Price: SKr650 (five dishes). Wine: SKr280.

Marten Trotzig
At the most expensive end of the business market, this restaurant hits the mark for those trying to impress potential clients or thank old ones. During summer, diners can enjoy the sun in the courtyard, while things move inside during winter – to the cosy interior rooms, heated by a roaring fire. Specialities include deer and hare, while the homemade ginger beer is legendary. For those on a tighter budget, there is also a cheaper menu that explores a similar mix of Swedish and international dishes. Closed Sunday.

Vasterlanggatan 79
Tel: (08) 442 2530. Fax: (08) 204 420.
Website: www.martentrotzig.se
Price: SKr550. Wine: SKr300.

Stadhuskallaren
This is where they cook the dinners for the Nobel Prize ceremonies and it is also a good place for rewarding business contacts and cementing new relationships. The restaurant is particularly renowned for the quality of its omelettes, which come with a variety of fillings. Guests can dine in style on white linen tablecloths in the City Hall, under the beauty of the paintings on the ceiling that date back to its opening in 1923.

City Hall, Hantverkargatan 1
Tel: (08) 650 5454. Fax: (08) 650 5776.
E-mail: stadshuskallaren@profilrestauranger.se
Website: www.profilrestauranger.se
Price: SKr400. Wine: SKr300.

Trendy

Buddha Bar
Buddah Bar is a confirmed favourite on the Stockholm restaurant circuit. The decor tends towards the minimalist but any harshness is taken away by the presence of candles on the tables. This buzzy place might not offer the best value in the city but its menu covers many cuisines and most people come mainly for the atmosphere. Swedish highlights include generous smorrebrod and crisp salads, making this a popular venue for a business lunch or for a light meal before heading out for a night on the town. During summer, there are tables outside, which make a great place for one to sit to people-watch.

Biblioteksgatan 9
Tel: (08) 611 8030. Fax: (08) 643 8728.
Price: SKr400. Wine: SKr200.

Folkhemmet
Folkhemmet is an excellent example of the new trend for relaxed restaurants that serve up the best of fresh Swedish produce. A lively crowd occupies the candlelit tables in the main restaurant, which features an open-plan kitchen where the chefs can be seen at work. When the weather allows, there are also tables outside. Menu highlights include starters such as beetroot with goat’s cheese and honey, or asparagus with hollandaise sauce, and mains such as vegetarian cannelloni. The wine list is good value for Stockholm.

Renstiernas Gata 30
Tel: (08) 640 5595. Fax: (08) 643 8728.
Price: SKr200. Wine: SKr200.

Halv Trappa Plus Gard
This trendy newcomer, with its avant-garde Scandinavian decor, serves up inspired cooking in surroundings that recall the glories of the 1970s. Diners can choose between the quirky interior and the tables outside during the warmer months. The menu is not exactly inventive but the fish and meat dishes – such as grilled saddle of lamb or pot au feu – come served with an emphasis and style that reflects the fashionable surroundings.

Lastmakargatan 3
Tel: (08) 611 0277 or 665 9422.
Price: SKr350. Wine: SKr250.

Ristorante Paganini
This is a popular Italian restaurant on one of the most bustling streets of Gamla Stan (Old Town). Inside it is cosy and stylish, with large mirrors, plain walls and starched white tablecloths. The menu is a mix of Italian and Swedish dishes with T-Bone steaks and pasta courses, such as tortelloni with gorgonzola or with beef.

Vaster Langgatan 75
Tel: (08) 406 0607 Fax: (08) 244121
Website: www.paganini.lunchinfo.com
Price: SKr300. Wine: SKr198

Rolfs Kok
One of the trendiest places to eat in Stockholm, Rolfs Kok is where the local cognoscenti head. The sparse interior veers towards minimalism and the food tends towards the style (and often small portions) of nouvelle cuisine. The menu is a collage of Swedish and international influences, which are given innovative reinventions in the Rolfs Kok style. Examples of main dishes are confit of tuna with artichokes, bacon and basil, and leg of rabbit with lentils, dried cherries and vanilla.

1 Tegnergatan 41
Tel: (08) 101 696.
Website: www.rolfskok.se
Price: SKr400. Wine: SKr205.

Budget

Indian Curry House
Laying claim to being the cheapest Indian restaurant in town, this fun place serves up tasty Indian staples – such as samosas and curries – in typically rich Indian interior. During the summer months, the Indian Curry House also has a few tables available outside.

Scheelegatan 6
Tel: (08) 650 2024/5. Fax: (08) 650 2024.
Price: SKr120. Wine: SKr110.

Kungshallen
Located right in the heart of downtown Stockholm, Kungshallen food hall is a great place for the hungry to fill up with cheap goodies, whether diners choose to sit down or take meals away. It offers has a range of international foodstuffs, from Tex-Mex and Indian to Greek and sushi, as well as a range of more esoteric Swedish specialities. There are over a dozen different eateries to choose from here.

Kungsgatan 44
Tel: (08) 218 005.
Website: www.kungshallen.com
Price: SKr160. Unlicensed.

Maharaja
Stockholm has a number of Asian restaurants. Maharaja is notable, as it offers great value and serves good interpretations of all the usual Indian dishes with the sumptuous style and elaborate embellishment that is synonymous with Indian decor. The vegetarian curry and the fresh naan breads are the highlights of the menu. They also prepare a range of very good vegetarian dishes.

Stora Nygatan 20
Tel: (08) 210 404.
Price: SKr175. Wine: SKr160.

Manna Gourmet
This relaxed restaurant offers excellent vegan food in no-nonsense surroundings – the interior is somewhat Spartan, down-to-earth and almost clinical. Dishes are healthy and filling and many think it is the best vegetarian restaurant in the city. Menu items include veggie dishes with pasta, potatoes or unpolished rice. Guests can make up their own mix of the main courses on offer or have some hot soup on a cold day. Closes 2100.

Asogatan 102, Soderhallarna
Tel: (08) 640 5969.
Price: SKr60. Wine: SKr160.

Tranan
This is the type of simple place popular with Swedes who want to dine out without breaking the bank. Not only do few tourists ever make it here but also is the menu written in Swedish only, so adventurous visitors will have to trust the friendly staff and other diners to fill them in on translations of the traditional Swedish dishes. One excellent example of the food on offer here is the fillet of beef served with fried potatoes, horseradish and egg yolk. Tranan also serves several vegetarian dishes, such as goat’s cheese on toast. The decor is that of a typical French bistro, giving it a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere.

Karlbergsvagen 14
Tel: (08) 5272 8100.
E-mail: tranan@tranan.se
Price: SKr360 (fixed price). Wine: SKr230.

Personal Recommendations

Gondolen
Gondolen easily offers the best view of any restaurant in Stockholm. Decor is functional and simple but this purpose-built viewing capsule lends diners panoramic vistas of the Stockholm skyline. The menu mixes French and Swedish cuisine and changes regularly – this probably sounds better than the food actually tastes but any first-time visit to Stockholm would not be complete without a pre-dinner cocktail and a meal at Gondolen. Menu highlights include gravadlax (marinated salmon) with asparagus or the roasted reindeer fillet served in cranberry sauce.

Stadsgarden 6
Tel: (08) 641 7090. Fax: (08) 641 1140.
E-mail: info@eriks.se
Website: www.eriks.se
Price: SKr450. Wine: SKr235.

J Restaurang
This restaurant is a boat ride outside the city centre. Its aquatic locale, on a marina in Stockholm’s Newport district, complements the cooking, which focuses on seafood. Head chef Mark Phonix is at the helm and works culinary wonders with the day’s catch, which often includes turbot and salmon. The menu also includes a range of salads and, in the colder months, hearty soups. The sunbathed terrace is a heavenly place to be on a hot summer day, although the restaurant is also enjoyable for cosy autumnal dinners.

Augustendalsvagen 52, Newport
Tel: (08) 601 3025. Fax: (08) 601 3029.
E-mail: info@restaurantj.com or nackastrand@restaurantj.com
Website: www.restaurantj.com
Price: SKr400. Wine: SKr250.

Nordic Hotel Restaurant
For those either arriving at or leaving from Stockholm’s main international airport, the bright and breezy restaurant at the Nordic Hotel is only a two-minute walk from the airport’s Arlanda Express train terminal. The restaurant is the perfect alternative to the ramble of fast food joints in the railway building itself. Lunches are light and good value, while the evening meals are more interesting, with seafood taking centre stage. One innovative idea for lunch is the ‘Swedish platter’, a one-dish meal that features Swedish sausages, gravadlax and fish roe.

Vastaplan 4–11
Tel: (08) 5056 3000. Fax: (08) 5056 3060.
E-mail: info@nordichotels.se
Website: www.nordichotels.se
Price: SKr400. Wine: SKr220.

Sahara
This big outdoor space on the water is the place to be when the sun shines in Stockholm. Once a seafood restaurant, the owners have now introduced a Lebanese menu featuring dishes such as houmous, tabbouleh (salad with tomato, mint, parsley and bulgur wheat), grilled lamb and desserts such as baklava. The modern surroundings and high-quality food are perfect on a warm day during summer, when the whole evening is bathed in light at this latitude. The bright and friendly staff is another bonus. Closed Sunday.

Norr Malarstrand 75
Tel: (08) 652 4090. Fax: (08) 652 4097.
E-mail: info@restaurangocean.com
Website: www.saharagroup.nu
Price: SKr265 (fixed price). Wine: SKr245.

Salzer Restaurant & Bar
This restaurant is unique in Stockholm for its 1950s interior, which has made it an instant favourite with the city’s stylish set. It might remind some diners too much of Happy Days but the food is fresh, modern and international. The large portions of the Swedish mainstays keep the locals coming back for more, with dishes such as Åseda isterband (a type of smoked sausage) with potatoes in white sauce.

John Ericssons Gate 6
Tel: (08) 650 3028. Fax: (08) 651 3028.
E-mail: info@saltzer.nu
Website: www.salzer.nu
Price: SKr350. Wine: SKr250.