The best Swedish meatballs and where to get them

Meatballs are as quintessentially Swedish as it gets. In their most traditional form Swedish meatballs ('köttbullar') are made of ground pork and beef, cream, egg and onion, and are served with creamy mashed potatoes, a thick, brown gravy, lingonberry jam and pickled cucumber. The latter adds bitter sweetness as a perfect complement to the savoury meatball.

While this style of meatballs may be hearty, filling and delightfully decadent, modern chefs are redefining Swedish comfort food, or 'husmanskost' as it is better known in Sweden, making it lighter and more healthy. Restaurant Tradition in Stockholm’s Old Town, has famously removed the lactose from the recipe. Another chef who is creating more modern, less heavy versions of the Swedish classics is Fredrik Eriksson at Långbro Värdshus outside Stockholm.

If you ask a Swede where to get the best meatballs, the answer will probably be his or her grandmother’s house. If you don’t have a Swedish grandma of your own, you can either follow this meatball recipe or pay a visit to one of the many respectable restaurants around the country. The following are among the best restaurants serving Swedish meatballs in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö:

Best Swedish meatballs in Stockholm:

Meatballs for the People

For some unique takes on the classic Swedish meatball, check out Meatballs for the People in trendy Södermalm. The city’s first "meatball boutique" serves up 12 different varieties of organic meatballs, ranging from the classics, to chicken, moose, boar, lamb, reindeer, and vegetable. All the meatballs are handmade from organic, locally sourced produce, and are a sustainable treat for the taste buds.

Best Gothenburg restaurant for meatballs:

Café du Nord

Café Du Nord, also known as 'Köttbullekällaren' (The Meatball Cellar), is known for its traditional and giant meatballs. The restaurant opened in 1875 and its meatball recipe, complete with homemade mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam, is just as old. Served in three different sizes, it may not be the healthiest option on the menu, but what does it matter when they taste so good?

Best meatball restaurant in Malmö:

Bullen

Malmö offers a rich diversity of different food cultures, but fear not, you can still find some good, old-fashioned 'husmanskost' if you look hard enough. For the best meatballs in town, head to Bullen. This historic pub and restaurant looks more like an English or Irish pub but is known to serve the city’s tastiest köttbullar with boiled potatoes and gravy.