Stockholm

I spent four days in Stockholm and could have easily stayed longer. Aside from the magnificent food and the friendly (and rather beautiful) people, the atmosphere is what really makes this place – one that I could only best describe as part industrial revolution, part eclectic artistic charm and part vibrant and historical.

Here were some of my favourite eateries and cafes around Stockholm!

Verandan 

If you’re going to do a Swedish smorgasbord, you need to do it properly, and Verandan is the place to do it! (seen my blog on How to Smorgasbord like a Svesk!). The food is sublime and the service is outstanding. My advice is to do the smorgasbord the traditional way. Rather than treat it like your stock standard hotel buffet, follow the hotel’s suggestion card and start with a course of herring with cheese tasting and vodka, followed by tastings of the cold fish (salmon done 5 ways at least!), then eggs, salads and cold meats, then the hot dishes and then dessert. The smorgasbord bar is even helpfully arranged to assist you with this! Use restraint and avoid piling the plate, and instead go back 4-6 times for small samples of everything. Over the course of 3.5 hours I managed to try one of pretty much everything. It was such an incredible experience that I’d highly recommend and for 545 SEK / $82 AUD, the smorgasbord done the traditional way involves a volume and quality of food that is definitely the price!

Kajas Fisk 

Home to my favourite fish soup EVER!

For 110SEK / $16.50AUD, you can have the amazing and densely seafood laden fish soup (with free refill) as well as a self-serving of salad and fresh bread. Incredible, both in value and in flavour!

 

 

 

 

Pelikan

  

Pelikan is a definite winner in my books. Sure, it’s incredibly noisy thanks to its high ceilings and large number of guests, but it has all the markings of a traditional Swedish dining hall, with authentic Swedish food to match. For starters you MUST try the pickled herring done four ways – traditional, mustard, red onion with sour cream, and a cheese based sauce. They were all so full of flavour that I had a hard time picking which was my favourite, I would happily eat this again!

For mains, the pork knuckle that’s bigger than your face and the huge piles of Swedish meatballs seemed to be a hit with my fellow diners. This wasn’t as appetising for someone like myself who doesn’t eat much meat and who was craving vegetable matter after three days in Norway. I instead opted for the potato dumplings with mushrooms and spinach. I was rewarded with three gloriously huge potato dumplings (with a slightly more sticky consistency than gnocchi), filled with a tasty mushroom mince, topped with spinach and mushrooms in a divine brown butter sauce with a side of tart lingonberries. Unbelievably good!! My entree, main and an overflowing bread basket of brown bread and rye crackers was 360kr / $54AUD. While it may seem expensive, I left happy with the Swedish dining hall experience and uncomfortably full with beautiful food – worth it!

Chokladfabiken 

I found this place by accident and tried some of the best caramel chocolate fudge I’ve ever tasted. The chocolates are not cheap but you certainly get what you pay for, an incredibly high quality with luxurious texture on the palate. They also have a cabinet full of beautiful cakes and an ice cream cart out the front. I also picked up a jar of orange marmalade with dark chocolate to take back home. A great find!

Brod and Salt 

 

A great spot to grab a smashed avo and cheese sandwich (their bread is divine!) and a smoothie for brunch on the go while I was en route to Fotografiska. Their pastries also look and smell beautiful!

 

 

 

 

Cykelcafe le Mond

 I arrived just after 10am so unfortunately missed breakfast. I was able to order early off the lunch menu though and the kitchen even altered one of their salads to accomodate for my food allergies. 100 SEK / $15AUD for a huge haloumi and avocado salad with coffee included seems like a very reasonable deal to me!

 

 

 

Holy Greens
Whoever says you can’t get affordable food in Stockholm obviously hasn’t found this place yet! Their amazing salad bowls start from 85 SEK / $12.50 AUD and are absolutely massive and overflowing with fresh produce. They’re big enough to share if you’re not a big eater, and make for a substantial meal if you have an appetite. Plenty of proteins, grains, dressings / toppings and foliage to choose from, with none of the boring bits!

 

Chokladkoppen

After reading plenty of other reviews on Trip Advisor, I decided I had to try their hot chocolate. I can see why people love it, the vessel is more of a bowl than a mug and it’s served alongside some incredible traditional and non traditional Swedish cakes. The location makes for a lovely spot to people watch in the sun and I’d highly recommend a table outside if you can. There’s something very tranquil about drinking hot chocolate while surrounded by the beautiful old charming buildings of the Gamla Stan!