Like many other things in Stockholm, eating out can be expensive. So if you’re going out for food, it’s good to pick a place you know will be good! Living here for nearly a year now, I’ve had the chance to discover some of the best restaurants around town. Here are 5 that I think are definitely worth the visit.

1. Herman’s (https://hermans.se/) – this is an amazing vegetarian restaurant with even better views! When you come here you pay a fixed price for an all you can eat buffet, which includes free coffee and teas. They also have a student price where, if you have a studentkort (showing you’re at a Swedish university), you can get a discounted buffet price for 130 SEK. This discounted price also includes a drink of your choosing, which can be anything from a soft drink to one of Herman’s home-made organic ales!

Herman’s is the perfect place to go during the summer as, in addition to its 110 indoor seats Herman has 200 seats on its outdoor terrace. On a warm evening, sitting outdoors here offers some unparalleled views of the city and a great chance to relax and enjoy the long hours of sunlight.
Herman’s is very centrally located and is near to Slussen subway station. For more detailed directions, you can check out their website linked in this blog.

Lilla Gatuköket (Little Street Kitchen) – Gamla Stan is the tourist hotspot of the city and, because of this, it’s often really expensive to eat here. However, Lilla Gatuköket is surprisingly cheap and is in a great location on Stora Nygatan right by the Gamla Stan metro station. This place is small but has a varied menu (including burgers and vegetarian options), and the people working there are really friendly, making every visit a pleasant one!

There is seating inside and a small outdoor area too, but it’s easier to have your food takeaway-style and travel elsewhere to enjoy it. I would personally recommend walking over to the nearby island of Riddarholmen, a quiet island in the Gamla Stan area, that offers some great panoramic views over the city.

3. Aifur (http://www.aifur.se/) – this Viking inspired restaurant is definitely an experience and can be found along Västerlånggatan in Gamla Stan. I would definitely recommend a visit here if you’re interested in a themed night out, but try to book at least a few weeks in advance and bear in mind it can be a little expensive!

The great atmosphere of Aifur starts before you even enter the door, with a gated entrance and themed banners with runic inscriptions. Once you arrive inside the restaurant you are announced to the present diners (by your name and where you are from) before being seated. The tables here resemble long picnic benches and mean you will be sat alongside other groups of diners and get the opportunity to converse with people from all over the world.

Picking out your meal is an enjoyable event, as the menu gives a brief description or story about each of the food items listed. The menu is quite restricted, but there should be enough choices to please everyone, including a vegetarian option that I can personally recommend. While you wait for your meal you’ll be entertained by live music (played from Viking-styled instruments) and can join in on clapping for new guests as they arrive and are announced to the room.

The food you’re served is delicious and well presented in clay pots and old-style cutlery, and is great in combination with a glass of mead (of which Aifur has an expansive selection).

4. Den Gyldene Freden (http://www.gyldenefreden.se/) – this restaurant is very well known within Stockholm as it’s said to be the oldest existing restaurant in the world. The restaurant was founded in 1722 and has remained relatively unchanged since then, giving the place a historic and enjoyable atmosphere.

The menu focuses on offering traditional Swedish food, with items on the menu including Swedish meatballs and a tender pork belly. If you don’t want to have a full-blown meal, this could be a great place to grab a Fika instead. Having a Fika in Sweden is a well-established tradition and entails getting a coffee, a sweet treat and enjoying a good conversation with a friend. Definitely worth a try!

Because it is such a unique venue, this restaurant is quite pricey. Nonetheless, it’s a really fun one to visit and shouldn’t be missed during your time in Stockholm.

5. Omnipollos Hatt (http://www.omnipolloshatt.com/) – offering a selection of great beers and incredible pizzas, this restaurant is a must visit! This restaurant is also very central and is just a short walk from the Slussen metro station, down Hökens gata.

The inside of this restaurant is small but cosy and the staff are friendly, giving an informal and relaxed atmosphere. The pizzas there are freshly prepared then baked in a stone oven and highly renowned by Stockholmers and tourists alike.

The pizzas here are reasonably priced, with dishes starting from just 100 SEK. On the other hand, the beers offered are a little expensive but are selected from the world-famous Omnipollo brewery (http://www.omnipollo.com/about/) and definitely worth the purchase.

So there we have it - after nearly a year of living here these are the top 5 restaurants I’d recommend visiting in Stockholm. Treasure this list, use it wisely, and I hope that you will enjoy eating out at these places as much as I have!

If you complete this list (congratulations!) or have a particular cuisine in mind there are hundreds of restaurants around the city and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed with where you end up! The cost of eating out in Stockholm can vary a lot, but you will often find the prices decrease as you move further from the city centre. A good way to know whether your prospective restaurant will be worth it is to check https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ to see if other people have enjoyed their experiences there before.

See you again next week for my final blog post this summer!

Hannah