The Best Restaurants in Stockholm

@afar
 on 2022.02.03
9 Places
@afar
Though Gothernburg may get the credit for being the culinary capital of Sweden, Stockholm is a fine city to eat around as well. From restaurants with rising chefs to food halls and food festivals, here's some of the city's top spots for dining around. Credit: Collected by AFAR Editors, AFAR Staff

Restaurant Bakfickan

Restaurant · Norrmalm

"The name translates as "Back Pocket," an apt description for this one-room restaurant tucked into the side of the Royal Opera House. The tiled room is decorated with opera memorabilia, and sometimes you’ll find yourself dining next to tuxedo-clad members of the orchestra between performances. Diners perch at the counter at little tables affixed to the walls or, during the summer, outside in the sun. The food is traditional Swedish cuisine— husmanskost , as it’s known—with particularly good seafood, and best enjoyed with a Swedish beer."

Photo by Renée Kemps

Sturehof

Seafood restaurant · Östermalm

"Sturehof manages to be many things to many people. It’s open every day of the week and almost every day of the year, from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. You can come for an after-work drink in the fresh air at the outside bar at the front, or a late night drink in O-bar in the back, or a business lunch, casual meal, or grand family dinner in the large restaurant. You’ll see grandparents with grandchildren, young couples on a date, and older folks celebrating an anniversary. The place has a somewhat formal look, with red-jacketed waiters buzzing about the place, but there’s nothing stuffy about the atmosphere. It is one of the city’s gems."

Photo by Hakan Elofssson

Mälarpaviljongen

Temporarily Closed

"Swedish summer is usually an idyllic time. Days are long and hot, nights are short and warm. Most Swedes take the whole of July as vacation, and many Stockholmers leave the city for their country houses or boats. Thosewho remain enjoy alfresco dining and drinking, and Mälarpaviljongen is one of the best: an all-day café-bar with several floating pontoons. There’s nowhere nicer to sit with a glass of rosé and views over the water. Mixed during the day, it’s one of the city’s best gay bars by night."

Photo courtesy of Malarpaviljongen

Stockholm Fisk

Seafood restaurant · Norrmalm

"The Fisk Is In A hip seafood joint with some of the freshest platters in town, Stockholm Fisk serves oysters and smoked shrimp in little tin buckets with fresh bread and aioli, and pan-seared fillets with roasted potatoes. If you love seafood, you'll find affordable yet high quality selections at Stockholm Fisk."

Photo courtesy of Stockholm Fisk

Adam/Albin

Restaurant · Östermalm

"Modern Swedish food using locally produced ingredientsand emphasizingsimple, unfussy dishes is all the rage in Stockholm —and few places can beat this 50-seat restaurant opened by Adam Dahlberg and Albin Wessman in 2016. The pair previously worked with Mathias Dahlgren, one of Sweden’s most respected chefs.The five-coursedinnerwill costyou just over $100 (wine pairing extra), or you can perch at the bar and order dishes one by one. Thechefs also run a lunchtime-only restaurant next door called Tvätteriet, which is known for its delicious noodles."

Photo by Magnus Skoglof

Cajsa Warg

Gourmet grocery store · Vasastaden

"Cajsa Warg Located on St Eriksplan, Cajsa Warg is a gourmet food store that sells a ton of organic meats, cheeses, fresh produce, and eco-friendly products as well as fresh bread, muffins, and other pastries which you can sample in store too."

"Smaka På Stockholm While Gothenburg may hold the official title as Sweden’s Culinary Capital (no place does seafood like Gothenburg), Stockholm has a strong foodie scene that comes out in full force during the early summer festival—Smaka På Stockholm, or Taste of Stockholm. The popular food festival, the largest food event in Sweden, draws thousands of revelers (5 million over the last 20 years). It is held the first week of June in Kungsträdgården (Kungsan), or "King’s Garden," with about 300,000 visitors digging in over the festival’s five-day run. Needless to say, Taste of Stockholm remains one of the city’s most beloved events for foodies."

Mathias Dahlgren Matbaren

Swedish restaurant · Skeppsholmen

"Mathias Dahlgren Regarded as one of Stockholm’s leading fine dining restaurants with Michelin stars, Mathias Dahlgren Dining Room is located within the posh Grand Hôtel. Mathias Dahlgren’s creative eight-course Scandinavian menus are centered on different themes and seasons, while its casual Food Bar serves up medium-sized lunch options with the same high quality."

Photo courtesy of Mathias Dahlgren

Ă–stermalms saluhall

Market · Östermalm

"Gourmet Grazing Ă–stermalms Saluhall is one of Stockholm 's most famous markets. While the prices aren't cheap, since 1888 the market has been where those looking for the very best fish, meat, and produce shop. For most travelers in Stockholm , it provides a good lunch option if you want a fish sandwich or snack in an atmospheric Victorian food hall. The Saluhall will be closing for renovation and moving to a temporary building across the street in January 2016, and is scheduled to return to its home in 2020 after it has been refurbished and upgraded, ready to serve discerning Stockholm residents for another 125 years."

Photo by John Newton