Weekend guide to Stockholm, Sweden: where to eat and drink

Looking to visit Stockholm? Read our expert foodie guide and find the best places to eat and drink in Stockholm, Sweden’s capital city. From stylish Stockholm restaurants to the best Stockholm cafe for a cinnamon bun and fika. Here you’ll find local craft beers and classic Nordic dishes such as reindeer, plus glögg (mulled wine) served in a stylish townhouse Stockholm hotel, Ett Hem. 

Niklas Ekstedt revives old Swedish cooking traditions at his Michelin-starred restaurant, Ekstedt. Watch the chefs use birch in open fire pits and wood-fired ovens to create stunning New Nordic dishes such as reindeer baked in embers, birch-fired pork and wood-fired almond cake. ekstedt.nu

We chatted to Niklas on our foodie podcast about Nordic breakfasts, Swedish baking and cooking over fire. Listen here to find out more about his unique technique:

In the heart of Södermalm, Stockholm’s central island, Il Caffé is where locals flock for fika (coffee and cake). Snuggle up in one of the nooks in this warren of a café with a cinnamon or cardamom bun and a filter coffee. ilcaffe.se

Brasserie Riche has been around for over 100 years, welcoming everyone from Stockholm’s high society to bright young things. Sit at the bar beneath champagne-glass chandeliers and knock back a ‘hot shot’ (a tiny glass filled with coffee, liqueur and whipped cream), or set up camp in the conservatory for a shellfish brunch or beef fillet rydberg with sautéed potatoes. riche.se

Take a tip from the city’s top chefs and head to Bageri Petrus for fresh rye loaves in all shapes and sizes. Or grab a pastry to enjoy on the bench in the window and watch Stockholmers go by. facebook.com/Bageripetrus

Those in the know head to tiny deli-café Katarina and order the reuben sandwich on rye bread, packed with home-cured pastrami, Swiss cheese and gherkins. The bar is lined with colourful cans and bottles of craft beers; take your pick, perch on one of the high banquettes and tuck in. katarinaolkafe.se

The focus at Adam/Albin is on simple, seasonal Swedish flavours served in a contemporary space. Diners gather around sharing tables for five-course menus, or sit at the bar to order à la carte. Try porcini mushroom dumplings, caramelised langoustines with Iberian pork cheeks, and rye sourdough and beer pancakes. adamalbin.se

Join the party at spruced-up dive bar Omnipollos Hatt, a hip spot where the Omnipollo brewery showcases everything from small-batch pale ales on tap to ice cream stouts. Pair with a pizza slice, popped between gigantic purple lips into the pizza oven (unique toppings include Korean beef, juniper-smoked sausage, and chorizo with padrón peppers). omnipolloshatt.com

Snuggle under blankets with a warm glass of glögg (mulled wine) in the lantern-lit courtyard of stylish townhouse hotel, Ett Hem. Or make yourself at home in its farmhouse-style kitchen, then order from a three-course menu to eat in front of the open fire – guinea fowl with chanterelles, perhaps, or steamed cod with roast cauliflower. etthem.se

Opulent Operakällaren restaurant sits within Stockholm’s grand Royal Opera House. Dress up to visit this famous wood-panelled dining room, or choose the building’s more laidback counter bar, The Hip Pocket, and tuck into traditional meatballs or herring gratin from the archipelago. operakallaren.se

Hall of fame Since 1888, Östermalms Saluhall market hall has been a thriving foodie hub. Browse the traditional wooden market stalls packed with fresh fish and cured meats, then stop off for a fish soup at fisherman’s daughter Lisa Elmqvist’s seafood restaurant, or pick up a healthy wrap and fresh juice to go from Mesh. ostermalmshallen.se 

The best Stockholm hotel for your trip

Double rooms at Ett Hem cost from £330, b&b (etthem.se).

For more info see visitstockholm.com

TRUST olive

Alex Crossley is acting web and commissioning editor at olive. She has family in Stockholm, and a passion for cardamom buns.

Our local Swedish-British friend Tatty Good also has some fab tips for Stockholm, here…

Meatballs for the People

At recently opened deli/restaurant Meatballs for the People,we’re talking moose, dill and fennel seed or rooster, ginger, chilli and coriander meatballs, all made using impeccably sourced meat, game, fish and fowl. (Nytorgsgatan 30, meatball.se)

Lilla Ego

Book at least three months in advance for Lilla Ego, Stockholm’s most coveted ticket since it opened last winter. Star chefs Daniel Räms and Tom Sjöstedt’s unpretentious bistro (the chefs painted the walls themselves) is at the forefront of the city’s current trend for serious cooking in laid-back surroundings. Vegetables take centre stage – one of the most popular dishes, grönsakskärlek (literally ‘vegetable love’), is a culinary poem to all things green and good. (Västmannagatan 69, lillaego.com)

Café Pascal

Coffee aficionados flock to Café Pascal. Lightly roasted and hand-dripped through ceramic filters, its coffee is the best in town. Don’t miss the heavenly chokladbiskvi (a rich chocolate, buttercream and almond pastry).(Norrtullsgatan 4, cafepascal.se)

Nystekt Strömming

For classic Swedish fast food, you can’t beat Nystekt Strömming, a permanent food truck based on Södermalmstorg. Snack on a ‘knäckis’ (freshly-fried herring on crisp bread) or herring with proper mash.

David at Home supper club

Every Friday evening, passionate cook David Enmark turns his home on a magical little island in Stockholm’s inner archipelago into a dining room called David at Home. The menu is based around whatever David feels like cooking that day, always made with the best seasonal produce. (Transtigen 14, davidathome.se)

Green Rabbit

Much lauded and awarded chef Mathias Dahlgren is on a mission to bring back Sweden’s traditional grain – rye. His new Green Rabbit bakery uses only organic rye flour from small Swedish mills. Try the Svedjeråg, which uses an ancient type of rye with a unique flavour. (Tegnérgatan 17, greenrabbit.se)

Rosendals Trädgård

There can be few lovelier ways to spend an afternoon than under the apple trees at Rosendals Trädgård café enjoying a kardemummabulle – more subtly spiced than the ubiquitous kanelbullar (cinnamon pinwheel rolls). (Rosendalsterrassen 12, rosendalstradgard.se)