Stockholm is one of my favorite cities in Europe - especially in summer. It's small, it's cool and it's hip and on the way to get one of the major citybreak hubs. I will not focus in this Blog on all the amazing tourist sights, the walks and cruises that you can do over here as you will find them in any travel guide or just get the Stockholm brochure at the tourist information in which you can find a listing of all these activities.
This Blog is mainly supposed to give you a short listing of my favorite Stockholm eateries and hotels - as food is always amazing in this city and the vibe of all the bars and nightlife spots is just addictive. If you thought the Nordics are cold and reserved people - you are so wrong and for sure you will change this opinion after a visit to there. Swedes are fun, especially with some alcohol around :-) - well, it might take them some icebreaker in the beginning, but let some time pass by and you can make friends for life! If you have read my Norway Blog that might sound familiar to you!
So the nominees for my favorite restaurants and hotels are:
- Kottmastarn (www.kottmastarn.se) - has the look of a butcher shop and well that comes without a surprise now - does amazing steaks, also with some very nice sauces and sides. Their wine recommendations are always great as well.
- Grill (www.grill.se) just around the corner is another institution that does meat really well. Located in a former furniture shop the additional plus of this place beside the great food is the fun decor and ambiance. You can sit here in differently themed rooms, enjoying a real lively atmosphere and not only the chef de cuisine knows his job here, but so does also the bar chef.
- Rolfs Kok (www.rolfskok.se) also in the same area as the previous two at the upper end of the pedestrian street of Drottninggatan comes my favorite lunch spot. They always have delicious menus and the place is super crowded over lunch time - yes also other people know what is good :-)
- The Old Town called Gamla Stan is a real nice place for a walk and a coffee in one of the many cafes around - displaying huge cakes and other sweet treats already in their windows. There are also many restaurants for a proper meal in the Old Town, but most of them are too touristic for my taste. However one place on the outer street of Gamla Stan is popular among locals and foreigners alike and one of my favorite places for waterside lunches and dinners - Mr. French (www.mrfrench.se), which calls itself a social dining place. So the food concept here is smaller plates on sharing basis and you have a wide variety of fresh fish and seafood. As the name reveals food is inspired from France and you can come here for lunch, brunch, dinner or just a drink at their fantastic open-air bar enjoying the view over the water.
- Staying at the waterfront the terrace of the Lydmar Hotel (www.lydmar.com) is the place to enjoy a chilled summer drink. Very good looking hipster crowd!
- Moving over to the district of Ostermalm now. If I am in the area during lunch time I always enjoyed going to Saluhallen - the nice looking Market Halls. Unfortunately this historic building is currently under renovation and all the market stands and restaurants have been relocated in a temporary makeshift hall just beside. So the nice ambiance of the market halls itself is missing now, however the food stands are still the same and I love to pass through and try some fingerfood here and there. For super fresh fish cooked to perfection I can recommend a lunch at the restaurant Lisa Elmqvist (www.lisaelmqvist.se).
- If I am in Ostermalm in the evening I usually start my night at Sturegallerian (www.sturegallerian.se), which is a small Shopping Mall and has some nice bars inside on the ground and first floor. After I move over to one of the many restaurants in the area - sometimes I just take a walk and stop by somewhere as you have such a large choice there. My all time favorites are:
* Pontus (www.pontusfrithiof.se) - for trendy international cross-over food.
* Sturehof (www.sturehof.com) - for high end classic fish and seafood dishes.
* Ekstedt (www.ekstedt.nu) - for authentic Scandinavian classics as reindeer.
* Miss Voon (www.missvoon.se) - for modern Asian food.
* Taverna Brillo (www.tavernabrillo.se) - for social Italian dining in a super lively place.
* Jamie's Italian (www.jamieoliver.com) - well the good old Jamie - you can't go wrong with that one. I love the oven baked salmon there!
- Reaching further into the night Ostermalm is also the place to be for nice bars and a good dance:
* Riche (www.riche.se) - is also a restaurant, but I like the bar in the front to have some nice wine or longdrinks.
* Hotellet (www.hotelletsthlm.se) - for real good cocktails and afterwards you can proceed to the nightclub downstairs.
* Sturecompagniet (www.sturecompagniet.se) - one of the oldest bars over there and a mix of bars and a nightclub stretched out over different rooms and floors.
* Spybar (www.stureplansgruppen.se) - one of Stockholm's most famous nightclubs for the later hours and to dance the night away.
- Then a new find during my last visit in search for some Latino vibes is the Paladar de Cuba (www.paladar.se) which is well of course a Cuban Bar, but also a restaurant where you can taste all the famous dishes from the island. It's not a place to dance as I thought initially, but nice for a drink and some special food.
- In Stockholm the number of hip Boutique Hotels is increasing steadily and some of them have real interesting concepts. Not exactly a Boutique Hotel as it is quite big, but one of my favorite hotels at the moment is the Haymarket (www.scandichotels.se) located in a former department store in the middle of the city. The rooms are quite small as in most of the hotels in the Nordics, but they have a cosy design and the main hit of the hotel is their F&B - the breakfast selection is huge and great in quality as well. For lunch and dinner you have various options and the bar beside the reception area is one of the main hotspots in the city these days. Only the service could be better here.
Further new Stockholm hotels with a twist:
* At Six (www.hotelatsix.com) - super stylish design hotel located in a former bank with interiors done by Universal Design Studio. Also their restaurants are top notch, plus the rooftop-bar is the talk of the town.
* Miss Clara (www.missclarahotel.com) another add to the list of chic urban city hotels, which combines the hotel and food experience into one unique journey. Located in one of the best preserved Art Noveau buildings of Stockholm
* Story Hotel Riddargatan (www.storyhotels.com) - small and cosy Boutique Hotel with a very good Asian restaurant in house.
* Hotel with Urban Deli (www.hotelwith.se) - something really different and not for claustrophobic people as all design rooms are below ground level. Means no sunlight, but also no noise disturbance from the street. For sure this is not for everybody, but if a room without a window is fine for you, you can enjoys some "lean luxury" as they call it here. On the ground level above the rooms you have of course an urban deli, what else :-) but also a chic restaurant, bar and coffee shop. Very trendy and very up-to-date for the needs of a young urban traveler.
* Bankhotel (www.bankhotel.se) - a brand new Boutique Hotel opening in August 2018.