Traditional Swedish food in Stockholm

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Classic Swedish food. Fried herring on rye bread, topped with chives, an egg yolk, red onion, dill and roe. There are several good restaurants in Stockholm where you’ll be treated to classic Swedish cuisine.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Swedish government has restricted the sale of alcohol in bars and restaurants, until further notice. No alcohol is to be served after 8 pm (20:00). This might lead to some restaurants and bars closing earlier than usual, or not opening at all.

: A black and white photo of the exterior of the restaurant Den Gyldene Freden. It´s a historic building in Gamla Stan with its characteristic look, a huge white flag with the restaurant´s name hangs down over a row of paned windows.

In a medieval basement in the Old Town, you’ll find this classic restaurant. Owned by the Swedish Academy, which selects the Nobel Prize for literature. Legend has it that many Nobel prizes have been decided at the Academy’s regular table here. The menu offers big names in classic Swedish cooking, nowadays with interesting contemporary touches.

Den Gyldene Freden

The hotel and restaurant Hasselbacken in the central island of Djurgården serves delicious breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks in a historical setting from 1748. Enjoy classic Swedish dishes with a modern touch, such as the famous Hasselback potatoes which are a permanent feature on the menu, since it was created here in 1953 by one of the restaurant’s trainee chefs. In spring and summer you can enjoy a meal in the sun in their terrace and park.

Hasselbacken

Restaurants in Stockholm. Bowls on a table with meatballs, pickled cuecumber and meatballs at Meatballs for the People.

Meatballs for the People is a restaurant, bar, and shop rolled up into one. As the name suggests, the classic Swedish meatball is in focus. The shop offers at least 14 kinds of meatballs made of ingredients like elk, beef, and salmon. Sit down at a rustic wooden table or take your meatballs to go.

Meatballs for the People

Two young men are sitting at a table pouring coffee into cups. They are both wearing black, the room is a huge dining room with tiled floors and wood panelling. Light is shining in from the vaulted windows.

Pelikan provides a glimpse of Stockholm in the old days when there was a beer café on every corner. Classic Swedish home fare is served in a rustic beer hall with high ceilings, where the atmosphere is relaxed, the food is affordable and the crowd is a mix of people. Pelikan is a long-time favorite of many in the city’s culture crowd. For those looking for a livelier mix of people, the sister bar Kristallen is right next door.

Pelikan

A view over a sea of people visiting outdoor museum Skansen in Stockholm. Hot air ballons fill the summer skies. Famous landmarks are visible behind the crowds.

This restaurant at the Skansen open-air museum enjoys spectacular panoramic views of Stockholm. Open through the summer and in December. During summer, you should try a classic Swedish smörgåsbord in Solliden’s classic dining room, served every day from noon to 4 pm.

Sollidens restaurang

The well-worn red leather sofas at one of Stockholms most classic restaurants, Sturehof. Above them is a huge cabinet filled with wine bottles. The tables are set with heavy linen cloths and folded napkins.

Classic brasserie and social stage at Stureplan in the center of Stockholm’s entertainment precinct. Swedish cuisine with international influences. Several bars. In summer the alfresco section is the place to see and be seen.

Sturehof

A traditional Swedish dish from the classic Stockholm restaurant Tennstopet. Meat, small potatoes and sprouts all look very appetizing.

Restaurants come and go, but Tennstopet has endured for decades. Have a taste of Swedish home fare in a neighborhood restaurant with Vasastan charm. Not only does Tennstopet change its menu according to the season, but they also have special dishes that return each year like black soup and crow (yes, crow).

Tennstopet

The bright, spacious restaurant at Grand Hotels veranda, huge windows let in the days light and overlook the boats heading for the Archipelago. Square tables with white tablecloths and royal blue chairs add to the elegant look.

Cosmopolitan, elegant and classic. The Grand Hotel veranda is an international rendezvous that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner 365 days a year. The Veranda is also one of the few restaurants in Stockholm that offer a genuine Swedish smörgåsbord for most of the year. A beautiful view over the water and Gamla Stan is a bonus.

The Veranda

A plate of traditional Swedish meatballs, lingonberry-jam and mashed potatoes.

”Ulla, my Ulla.” This is the opening of a famous Swedish ballad by the eighteenth-century troubadour Bellman. The ballad is about his lover, Ulla Winbladh. The restaurant of the same name, with so much tradition behind it, is centrally located on the beautiful and lush island of Djurgården. Traditional Swedish home fare is served here year-round.

Ulla Winbladh

Villa Godthem in Stockholm’s central Djurgården island was built in 1874 as a private residence for local opera singer Carl Johan Uddman, before it was turned into an inn in 1897. The restaurant is well-known for their Swedish classic cuisine served in fantastic historical settings, and one of their signature dishes is the delicious ’plank steak’.

Villa Godthem

Kvarnen

Legendary restaurant, bar, and waterhole with a century’s history, in the old blue-collar district of Södermalm. Enjoy well-made, classic Swedish fare in a beautiful setting, with high ceilings and plenty of patina.

Traditional Swedish food in Stockholm

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