Food and drink in Stockholm

Stockholm – one of the world leaders in Nordic cuisine; clean, simple yet sophisticated creative cooking and sometimes, notably novel approaches to service. Sustainability is the leading star for many Stockholm chefs, renowned for their uncompromising approach to quality, taste and climate. In 2023, Stockholm will be the European Capital of Gastronomy, strengthening the city’s innovative food scene and gastronomic destination status even further.

Michelin restaurants

Stockholm has its fair share of fine dining establishments with gastronomic stars.

• Frantzén *** The first restaurant in Sweden to be awarded three stars in Guide Michelin. Frantzén is spread over three floors in a 19th-century building but has a seating capacity for 23 guests only, making its Japanese-infused New Nordic tasting menu an experience lasting over five hours. Frantzén was named the best restaurant in the world 2023 by La Liste.
• Aloë ** Two-starred restaurant with a festive atmosphere in the suburb of Älvsjö. The tasting menu reflects today’s society with no limits in cultures and cuisines, rather than perfectly presented dishes. Engaging encounters are also a signature of Aloë, where guests share tables.
• Aira ** Located by the water on the lush island of Djurgården, nature is key at Aira. Nordic ingredients are prepared with global techniques and can be enjoyed as a tasting menu or a prix fixe menu.
• Operakällaren * Dating back to 1787, Operakällaren is an iconic Stockholm restaurant and appointed Purveyor to H.M. the King. The menus and the interiors are equally traditional – think foie gras, gilded oak panels and chandeliers.
• Ekstedt * At Ekstedt, every meal is cooked over an open fire. The tasting menu is focused on New Nordic Cuisine, with seasonal ingredients and Swedish flavours.
• Sushi Sho * Small sushi bar with traditional Tokyo-style serving. All guests are served the same menu simultaneously and the ingredients are mainly Scandinavian and European.
• Etoile * Relaxed restaurant in an industrial environment. The set menu is creative and playful, focusing on sustainable and seasonal produce. A vegetarian menu is also available.
• Nour * Intimate restaurant in a townhouse building with a homely feeling. The kitchen takes inspiration from Scandinavia and Japan. Choose between five or eight courses.
• Adam/Albin * Sustainability and simplicity are fundamental to the dinner experience created at Adam/Albin. The tasting menu is based on Nordic cuisine with seasonal produce.

Affordable bistros

Stockholm has experienced a culinary boom in the last couple of years and new venues are opening one after another. The trend of excellent gourmet adventures in the setting of casual and highly affordable bistros is scorching hot. The Bib Gourmand award is for establishments noted for excellent, affordable dining. Stockholm’s best restaurants based on those criteria are:

• Allegrine – a fashionable brasserie with French inspiration and Scandinavian influences.
• Babette – a busy bistro serving pizza, quality wine, and everchanging small dishes.
• Bar Agrikultur – a wine bar and mini restaurant focusing on seasonal Swedish produce.
• Kagges – a tiny Scandinavian resto with medium-sized dishes and a relaxed atmosphere.
• Lilla Ego – a long-time local favourite that pays homage to rustic Nordic home cooking.
• Mathias Dahlgren-Matbaren – a modern Scandinavian bistro located inside Grand Hôtel.
• Nook – a contemporary restaurant over two floors, with a café serving Asian street food.
• Triton – a restaurant with a homely feel, serving a fixed menu based on Swedish ingredients.

Classic restaurants

Traditional Swedish comfort food, ‘husmanskost’, includes meatballs with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam, Toast Skagen and potato pancakes. If you’re longing for a hearty, traditional dish, there are several classic Stockholm restaurants to choose from.

Pelikan and Kvarnen beer halls are two institutions, both located in Södermalm. The art nouveau-inspired Pelikan attracts locals and visitors with its affordable menu and laidback atmosphere. Neighbourhood restaurant Kvarnen was featured in Stieg Larsson’s Millennium books and has stayed true to its working-class legacy with price-worthy dishes over the years.

Den Gyldene Freden is more than a Stockholm restaurant serving high-quality traditional food. Dating back to 1722, it is one of the oldest restaurants in the world and has been a favourite among many legendary Swedes over the years.

A young restaurant in comparison, Knut strives to make food from northern Sweden more accessible by having one foot in the wilderness and the other one in civilisation. On Mondays, they serve ‘palt’, a traditional Swedish dumpling, all-you-can-eat-style.

Vegan and vegetarian restaurants

Stockholm’s gastronomy scene constantly evolves, especially in plant-based food and sustainable thinking. The following selection includes both vegan fine dining restaurants and hidden gems where vegetarian dishes are the menu’s highlights.

• Fotografiska – a museum restaurant with circular thinking whose plant-based kitchen was awarded a Michelin Green Star in 2021.
• Hermans – the oldest vegetarian restaurant in Stockholm, serves a vegan buffet daily.
• Matateljén– a hidden gem and local favourite in the suburb of Gamla Enskede. Many of the fresh dishes are entirely vegetarian.
• Växthuset – a fine dining restaurant with an entirely plant-based tasting menu that changes with the seasons.

Hip hangouts

New hip places pop up in Stockholm frequently. At these trendy Stockholm restaurants, locals share dinner and drinks from late evening until the early hours.

Riche Fenix opened in Södermalm in September 2022 and is still the talk of the town. Riche Fenix is a little sister of the iconic Stockholm restaurant Riche. The cuisine is international, serving everything from hotdogs to oysters, and the constantly crowded bar is also an art gallery.

In March 2023, Freyja opened only a six-minute walk from Riche Fenix. With a menu based on seasonal Swedish vegetables, DJs and a huge rooftop terrace with two outdoor bars, Freyja will most likely be the go-to place for trendy Stockholmers this summer.

Over in Östermalm, Brasserie Astoria and Chez Jolie are the hot spots. Brasserie Astoria is a sophisticated international restaurant run by star chef Björn Frantzén. The large dining room and cocktail bar are lively places to see and be seen, while the separate Lilla A offer a more intimate dining experience. Chez Jolie is all about French cuisine, quality wines and white tablecloths. It’s run by Astoria’s former head chef, Mikael Einarsson, just one block away.