We joined two friends for dinner at this Scandinavian restaurant in Old Town and as others noted it…read moreis expen$ive for what you get ($2,000 swedish krona for our share ). What was ordered: arctic char, salted smoked salmon, Swedish meatballs, a bottle of wine and 2 desserts (carrot cake and cheesecake). Service is not attentive but ok. We did wait FOREVER for dessert because the server forgot to put the order in! The restaurant has a nice feel but does feel a bit crowded with adjoining tables being very close. All in all it was a fine meal but comparable food can be had for a lower price point outside the old town.

This was some of the best food we've eaten. We quickly started to think about where we rank this in…read moreour favorite of all time. Sam the manager was really great to us, and many servers would come and check in frequently. We sat outside which was nice, and when it got a little chilly they had heat lamps above the whole patio. Overall great experience. We thought the Skaden was amazing and having tried many other meatballs, these were definitely the best ones we have had!

Found this place while touring Stockholm. Wanted to try some traditional favorites and Tranan did…read morenit disappoint. It was pretty busy but we were able to get a table outside without a reservation. We could have been sat inside as well as the hostesses told us she has one table available in 5 minutes possible but inside was busy and loud so keep that in mind. The place is relative small, cozy, tables close together, very warm ambiance. Waitress was nice and gave us recommendations and they did not disappoint. Meatballs are not on the menu but she said they always have them. Biff Rydberg was my favorite, its a nice beef (maybe tenderloin) cut up with grilled onions and some kind of horseradish on the side, comes with diced potatoes. Other items we tried were the hash browns, and the Wallenbergare (Veal cutlet). Everything was good but for me the meatballs and the Biff Rydberg were standouts Check this place out for some traditional food, they also have some good beers on tap, if you're visiting Id recommend giving them a try.

To Black/African nationals BEWARE of the race discrimination by the Head Waitress…read more I am of African-American descent. On August 11, 2024, on my last day touring Stockholm, I approached the restaurant at 6:50 pm after a brief rain shower. The weather was hot prior to the rain shower. After the rain shower, the temperature became slightly chilly. I chose to eat inside. Upon arrival, a young, (20ish) Turkish/Muslim, waiter greeted me. He offered me a table outside. I declined for a table inside. I was instructed to see the Head Waitress "Oosa" [pronunciation] of her first name-spelling unclear]. "Oosa," late 40's, early 50 ish, appeared to be of Muslim descent, approached me. "Oosa" said she was too busy to serve me despite seeing several, single, tables available and open. "Oosa" turned me away. The restaurant inside was busy with open single table. I went across the street to the park. I watched white and Asian patrons approach and enter the restaurant after me. At approx. 7:05pm, I decided to book a table on the restaurant's website. My table was booked at 7:15pm on the same day. The restaurant's online booking had many open slots that day. I reapproached the male waiter. "Oosa" came outside to serve a group of white diners. I then approached "Oosa" showing her my online confirmed reservation. At this point, "Oosa" conceded to let me into the restaurant without incident. I was professionally served by a white, male, waiter who was working inside the restaurant. "Oosa" had 2 white, male, waiters working inside the restaurant. She wasn't over burdened as she tried to proclaim. The Swedish cuisine was excellent. The treatment I received from both male waiters was professional and non-discriminatory. Fast forward: September 14, 2024 I contacted the restaurant. I spoke to "Oosa." She explained she was born in Turkey. She would never discriminate against black people. "Oosa" then said I was turned away because they had too many online reservations. The restaurant was fully booked. I told "Oosa" this is NOT true. I told her I booked an open, online, reservation in order to enter the restaurant shortly after she decline me entry. She could not explain why she admitted white and Asian diners after me with many single tables open and available during the entire 90 minutes I dined in the restaurant. I have formally filed a Race Discrimination complaint against this restaurant and "Oosa" to the Equality Ombudsman (DO) of Sweden who investigate complaints of discrimination. BEWARE Black and African descent people (ethnic people of color) BEWARE of the Head Waitress ("Oosa's") reverse-racist, discriminatory practices. If you are turned away, do an ONLINE booking. She can not turn you away. If she does, refer to https://www.do.se/choose-language/english or call the local police for assistance. Put "Oosa" on public display in front of diners demanding the exercise of your civil rights.

Absolutely loved our meal here. The taste, portion, price, and ambiance were all excellent. We had…read morethe Wallenbergare served with clarified butter, mashed potatoes and green peas for 145SEK and the fried herring served with lingonberries, clarified butter and mashed potatoes for 160kr. Loved them both and would come back for sure. There is a small self serve buffet for salad, bread, lingonberry juice and coffee. As an aside, this may be the best drip coffee we've ever had, anywhere. Smooth, caramel, complex, with no bitterness. No reservations during lunches which occur 11am-3pm. We were lucky to only wait a few minutes, but there was generally a line the entire time. Service was friendly. Thanks and see you next time!!

We are creatures of habit. You find a good place with more natives than tourists, fantastic food…read moreand good lunch prices, and you keep returning. It is 18 degrees and my body says it is 4AM but I WANT THIS FOOD. I am really hoping today's selection will be swedish hash or this fish soup. Nope, but swedish meatballs and salmon will nicely fill our bellies. Your lunch comes with a small salad bar, bread, coffee, tea, lingonberry juice and I see cookies hiding. Grab your tableware here. The 5 Swedish meatballs came with mashed potatoes, pickled cucumbers,lingonberries,and brown gravy. A nice chunk of salmon came with baby potatoes, grilled asparagus and bernaise sauce. Both meals delicious.Hubby and i tend to share our meals so we each get to taste each other's. I dont think it is customary to leave a tip in Sweden but the machine asks if you want to leave one. I went with 10%. Total cost out the door for 2 delicious and filling meals was just under $40. That is $20 each for you non math people:) We will return. I am still on the hunt for that fish soup. The menu is posted outside. Those are your choices for the day which includes a vegetarian choice. Staff is very welcoming and speaks English. I HAVE BEEN COMING HERE FOR YEARS.

Great ambience, yummy food and excellent service. I would highly recommend this restaurant.read more

One of my favorite meals in Stockholm!…read more Small plates, elevated food in an elegant but casual setting, with an emphasis on seafood. Our table ordered a bunch of plates to share. Everything we had was fabulous. Everyone was incredibly friendly and helpful as well in terms of recommendations, and we received attentive service throughout the night. For those coming from NYC, it reminds me a lot of Contra. We came with a reservation, but had a brief stay at the bar because they were running a little behind which was totally fine by us (recommend a res). Definitely coming back whenever I am back in the city.

Amazing food and quality serving, in a true Scandinavian ambience restaurant, we enjoyed everything…read more Potatoe dumbing, salmon, meatballs, tomato salads, green salads

This is one of those Stockholm institutions that feels like it should be part of the itinerary if…read moreyou're trying to experience traditional Swedish food. Unfortunately, for most of the meal, the food itself didn't fully live up to the reputation. We ordered a pretty broad range of dishes. The herring was a bit of a miss for us and felt messy rather than memorable. The girls had the meatballs and a mushroom dumpling dish, but neither one really enjoyed their meal. Both dishes leaned very salty, to the point where it took away from the overall experience. I ordered the venison, which was fine, but not particularly special. It was one of those dishes that was technically okay, but didn't make me want to keep eating. I honestly didn't finish it. Mia ordered the cod, which looked good, but again, it didn't feel like anything spectacular or especially memorable. What completely changed the tone of the experience was the service. Toward the end of the meal, our server noticed that I hadn't eaten much. Without making a big deal out of it and without me asking for anything, he brought over a steak with potatoes and fries. That dish was excellent, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. More importantly, the gesture itself was incredibly thoughtful. That kind of hospitality is rare. He didn't have to do it. I wasn't complaining, and I wasn't expecting anything. I was prepared to leave the meal as-is. But the fact that he noticed and cared enough to make the experience better says a lot about the service and the professionalism of the staff. So while the original food we ordered was hit-or-miss, the service elevated the evening in a major way. The meal itself may not have been excellent across the board, but the hospitality was. For me, this ends up being a four-star experience: not because every dish landed, but because the staff turned what could have been a disappointing dinner into something memorable.

Was tasked to find a cool, intimate Scandinavian restaurant for a big family dinner while in…read moreStockholm last week and did what I always do--took to Yelp! We were all staying in Gamla Stan and I was able to find this little gem less than a block from our hotel. With solid reviews and photos and an easy reservation system on their website, this was a win-win-win for sleepy, hungry travelers. We made our way to dinner at 7 pm and had almost the whole restaurant to ourselves. They had reserved a lovely, long table for our group of six that gave us ample room to spread out, even in this fairly small restaurant. The ambiance here is totally on point--modern yet cozy with gorgeous Swedish touches. The menu is simple, which I like while traveling. It featured a handful of small plates, six mains, and two desserts--between all six of us, we tried almost everything they had to offer. We started out with the pickled herring three ways, because, well, Sweden. This portion is big enough for 2-3 people depending on how hungry you are--we got two orders for the table. Even if you're not a huge pickled fish fan (I am), I definitely suggest giving this a go since it's such a staple in Stockholm. The plate comes with some crackers, butter, and cream for topping your herring, although I was a fan of the fish by itself as well. For my main dish I ordered the ox cheek, which I'm not sure I've ever tried up until now. This was surprisingly so tender and delicious--I gave my fiancé's meatball dish a try and was super happy with my choice. The meal paired with great company, yummy wine, and killer ambiance made for an incredible evening. Definitely suggest giving Brinken a try!

We loved this place! Small, well decorated, great service, wonderful food and very affordable…read more I would highly recommend this place for dinner, we had the reindeer stew and steak. Both were outstanding! The beer menu is great, and the staff are friendly, engaging, speak excellent English and made the meal even more enjoyable!

We had a truly outstanding dining experience at Operakallaren. The food was excellent and the…read moreservice was friendly and impeccable. All this in a classic and elegant atmosphere. The night started in their lounge area where we had drinks and they served us a few wonderful amuse-bouche items. We were then moved to the impressive main dining room. We ordered a three course meal from the a la carte menu (the tasting/la grand menu looked great but we didn't think we had enough time for it) and we all had the Foie Gras Terrine, Grilled Lamb and Soufflé - all were excellent. The Foie Gras Terrine especially stood out for its preparation (partially done tableside) and combination of flavors. The staff was very friendly (all spoke English) and worked extremely well as a team. Everything was well coordinated. Arguably, Operakallaren compares favorably to some of the restaurants that we have been to in the U.S. with two or three Michelin stars. Will definitely be back the next time we are in Stockholm!

This was the best meal we have had in ages! Lynn helped us when we had messed up our reservations,…read moresmoothly welcoming us and making our evening truly spectacular. Every dish was a work of art, with flavors and textures to match. The Opera Menu gave us an amazing array of dishes, with each course a magnificent, luxurious treat. The ambience was formal but not stuffy, with a sense of true grace and hospitality provided by the very professional staff.

Fun, interesting, excellent, and amazing experience in a Michelin one star restaurant that uses…read moreonly wood fires to bake and cook all the food. Dinner starts in a lounge area near the host stand with small bites and cocktails, wine, or water. Next, you go to the dining room and order a drink pairing or drink choice before you are brought to the kitchen and shown the wood fires and see the heat and heat resistant aprons by the chefs and try delicious appetizers with a flaming show as the chef pours the reindeer fat over the oyster, then you are brought back to the dining room to enjoy the rest of your diner. There were 12 courses listed on our menu. My husband chose the non-alcohol drink pairing which featured unique and delicious flavors to go with the food. Like the food, to create the non-alcohol pairings and all the time it can take is truly artistic craftsmanship. I have a limited stomach capacity, so I drank water and enjoyed a sip or two of my husband's non-alcohol drink pairings. Before coming, I was worried based on a few negative reviews that the food would taste smokey and there would be smoke in the air. Happy to say, food did not have a smokey flavor although there was an item like juniper smoked reindeer (tastes like steak). Also, sensitive to air quality, I did not smell or see any smoke in the restaurant and never coughed or had a problem breathing. The kitchen has an amazing exhaust system. Also, hats off to the chefs working all night on open fires; strong and dedicated! Service was on point and explanations were mostly at a good volume to hear what was being described. At the end, you might be asked what your favorites were. Mine were: - Roasted hay, dry aged beef tartar and lumpfish roe - served in the lounge - Flambadau oyster and beurre blanc - for the wow factor of seeing it prepared - Ember baked scallop, spruce shoots and onion - seaweed fired langoustine, celeriac and solaris - sweeter, more tender than a small lobster - Wood oven fired cep mushroom souffle, woodruff and blueberries - dessert and didn't taste like mushrooms which I normally don't like so very interesting - Ember baked almond potato and spun sugar - mini volcano Fascinating, surprising, interesting, fun, and tasty sensory experience. For me, Michelin level cooking is about the layers of flavors they infuse into the food. Ekstedt had that plus in the non-alcohol drink pairing. Definitely worth booking!

Wonderful spot that we were introduced to. Higher quality service, food and ambiance. Would…read morerecommend