Sweden Restaurant Tips by Sjalen Top 5 Page for this destination

Bishops Arms: A good pub chain

If you miss a good pub in Sweden, look no further. Bishops Arms is a whole chain of pubs which look as English as you will find in Sweden. This is because the interiors are bought from various places in England and imported. For instance the Malmö pub has an interior from a victorian church...Apart from this, the pubs have a very good selection of beers from all over Europe and of whiskies. Just look for the blue door which is their sign. They are attached to the Elite hotel chain and you find them in Stockholm, Göteborg, Malmö, Växjö, Västerås, Norrköping, Lund, Helsingborg, Örebro, Sundsvall, Karlstad, Jönköping and Luleå.

Favorite Dish: Any good English ale.

Comparison: about average

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 0

Theme: Pub/Brewery

s/s Storskär and s/s Norrskär: s/s Storskär and s/s Norrskär

An expensive experience but worth every penny. I've already mentioned this one on my Stockholm page but it is one of the best in Sweden! Where else can you sit and eat in a wonderful wooden restaurant whilst admiring an archipelago with constantly changing views? The food served are mostly Swedish specialities of a high class. An idea is to catch the boat to Vaxholm and then as you leave the boat to explore, reserve a table for the return sailing back to Stockholm when you've walked around and got hungry.

Favorite Dish: Ångbåtsbiff - mince beef cooked on the steam ship's boiler and served with loads of fried onion.

Comparison: more expensive than average

Directions: Catch one of the two steamships from outside the Grand Hotel. Go to for instance Vaxholm (a picturesque archipelago town) and reserve a table for the return journey.

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 0

Theme: Local

Website: http://www.waxholmsbolaget.se

various: Swedish sandwiches

Swedish bread is a love-hate thing for many people. We lack a lot of the German-Danish rye bread culture even if those are available in good supermarkets, and most bread is white or varieties thereof. Many are also quite sweet as sirup is used in the doughs. If you go for sandwiches in a Swedish cafe, you might find inspiration from all over the world today and hummus, sun dried tomatoes and so on are common. But if you want something typically Swedish, you might well find either cod caviar paste with eggs on top, prawns, egg and mayo or the famous meatballs with a creamy beetroot salad as in the picture.

Comparison: less expensive than average

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Local

various: Husmanskost

"Husmanskost" simply means the sort of food served at home. Nowadays not always homecooked neither at home nor in restaurants but good Swedish restaurants take pride in having at least one typical Swedish homecooked dish on the menu and you often find international restaurants serving something to get more sceptical Swedes in, the way English curry houses have fish & chips at the bottom of their menus.

My picture shows "raggmunk med fläsk" which is a Swedish rösti with fried salty pork. Other specialities include the famous meatballs, Falu sausage, Småland isterband, kroppkaka from Öland, pölsa in the north of Sweden, beef mince with lots of fried onion, pike with horseradish or veal in dill ("Dillkött") to name a few. Most are rather heavy as they are based on a society where people did much more manual labour than today.

Favorite Dish: There's lots...Salty pork with a white onion sauce and potatoes is a favourite as is the raggmunk in the picture :)))

Comparison: less expensive than average

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Local

various: Plank steak

A very typical Swedish dish is the plank steak. It can come as a "fish plank" but usually involves a steak instead. Famous chef Tore Wretman has the claim to fame for inventing it some decades ago but these days you get all sorts of varieties and qualities in the smallest village pizza place. It is simply a steak put on a wooden plank and served with sprinkled potato mash around the edges. Should be served with sauce bearnaise and is usually accompanied by bacon wrapped beans or asparagus and a grilled tomato. This dish is often sold as a "special offer" in average restaurants and if the meat is of a good cut it is then good value for money if you're really hungry.

Comparison: less expensive than average

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 3

Theme: Local

various: A box of prawns

A very typical thing in Swedish restaurants is a small wooden box of prawns. Of course to remind you of fishing boxes, these are not only full of prawns but of all things to go with it such as bread and butter and mayonnaise or aioli, as well as a wipe for afters of course :) For natural reasons, these gorgeous things are at their best in Göteborg and the province north of it, where the prawns can even be local and fresh rather than frozen from the Arctic Sea.

Comparison: about average

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 5

Theme: Seafood

Utö värdshus: Archipelago gourmet

Award winning, yet relaxed restaurant on the island of Utö in Stockholm's southern archipelago (get here by boat from Strömkajen or Årsta/Dalarö). A mix of Swedish archipelago dishes and international things and in a great setting (see my Utö page).

Favorite Dish: Home made veggie lasagna with chilli tzatziki and a cool blueberry cider!

Address: Utö

Comparison: about average

Directions: Boat from Stockholm.

Other Contact: www.waxholmsbolaget.se

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 5

Theme: Local

Website: http://www.utovardshus.se

various: Fishy fast food

Fried Baltic herring ("strömming" on the east coast, "sill" in the south). Served on crispy bread or with mashed potato and lingonberries if you are hungrier. In the far south you get it with raw onion while you get varieties with parsley or dill in the rest of eastern Sweden. Found in harbour areas everywhere - try Strandvägen in Stockholm.

Comparison: less expensive than average

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 0

Theme: Local

Bryggeriet: House brewery and good food

With the huge copper vats of the brewery as the centrepiece of the restaurant, its hard to resist their beer (especially the dark one!) but the food is also good (and they have at least one proper veggie meal cooked with flair). Summertime you can enjoy the food in the cosy courtyard with barbecue.

Favorite Dish: Local "egg cake" with diced pork.

Address: Långgatan 20

Comparison: about average

Directions: Leave the waterfront at the theatre and walk up the small street.

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 0

Theme: Eclectic/International

Website: http://www.ystadbryggeriet.com/