The best restaurants in Stockholm

The self-proclaimed capital of Scandinavia has long stood in the gastronomical shadow of its grittier and more continental Nordic sibling Copenhagen. ut in recent years, Stockholm’s restaurant scene has gone through a metamorphosis. Small basement bistros like Prospero and Bambi are serving creative cuisine in unassuming spaces, while star chefs at Franzén and Aira are raising the bar for exceptional fine dining. Picking out Stockholm's best restaurants is a difficult task these days, and there are many more worthy of mention, but this list covers a lot of ground on your next visit to the Swedish capital.

Operakällaren/Bakfickan

Dish to order: Råraka with bleak roe and sour cream

The grand dame of Stockholm fine dining, located in the opera house, is still a favourite among locals and a patron of traditional Swedish cuisine. Nowadays led by chef Viktor Westerlind, the menu changes several times a year to match the season. For Christmas, it serves the city’s best “julbord” – the traditional Swedish holiday buffet, featuring all sorts of pickled herring, salmon and meatballs – a must-try if you visit Stockholm in December. Bakfickan (the back pocket) is the restaurant’s smaller bistro with 28 bar seats that cannot be reserved in advance. A great choice for a spontaneous tête-a-tête at the beautifully tiled bar.

Address: Restaurant Operakällaren, Operahuset, Karl XII:s torg, 103 22 Stockholm
Website: operakallarensbakficka.se

Ambar

Dish to order: Gyozas with Damon’s choice of sherry

A hidden gem in Vasastan. Here’s where Stockholm chefs go on their days off. Come here on a Sunday or Monday night, and it will be packed with restaurant workers enjoying a well-rounded glass of sherry. It’s the wide selection of natural wine and amber-coloured spirits (hence its name) that draws the crowds. The owners, legendary duo Sakiko Jin och Damon Young, would not call it a restaurant, but the excellent Japanese street food prepared by Sakiko in the small kitchen is well worth a visit in itself.

Address: Ambar, Tomtebogatan 22, 113 38 Stockholm
Website: ambarvinbar.se

Frantzén

Dish to order: tasting menu changes frequently

A list like this is incomplete without Frantzén. Stockholm's first and only restaurant with three Michelin stars. Located in a three-story building on a shabby back street just off Stockholm central station, this restaurant offers a unique experience without the stiff awkwardness that fine dining can be. 23 guests sit together while the tasting menu is rolled out – the whole thing has a touch of Japan, and is slow-cooked on wood-fired ovens. Book ahead or be lucky with the waiting list – last minute cancellations do occur.

Address: Frantzén, Klara Norra kyrkogata 26, 111 22 Stockholm
Website: restaurantfrantzen.com

Café Nizza

Dish to order: Fermented pasta cacio e pepe

Nizza, the Italian name for Nice, this neighbourhood bistro serves just that, a mix of French and Italian cuisine. Portions are pretty small but oh so delicate. The owner and chef Fredrik Lundberg is the mastermind behind a handful of successful Stockholm restaurant, like Schmaltz, Babette (hands down the best pizza in town) and ramen place Tengu. All of them are worth a visit, but Café Nizza has that very special touch, plus a long wine list where more than 30 per cent is natural wines.

Address: Café Nizza, Åsögatan 171, 116 32 Stockholm
Website: cafenizza.se

Gazza

Dish to order: Tiramisu with dried olives

When Italian restaurant Gazza opened its doors in 2022, it was an instant hit with Södermalm locals as well as out-of-town visitors. Some even call it the best pasta you can get this far north. Every main course has some form of homemade pasta in it, for example ravioli with rabbit, gnoccetti with caviar or raviolo all’uovo with ricotta and ramson. The observant guest will notice photos of the restaurant’s patron saint Paul “Gazza” Gascoigne, the legendary Lazio striker. Don’t walk out without trying the superb tiramisu.

Address: Gazza, Hornsgatan 66, 118 21 Stockholm
Website: gazzasthlm.se

Prospero

Dish to order: The bread! And do the tasting menu

Good bread is always a good sign, and Prospero is no exception. The warm sourdough bread with a thick crust served with lacto-fermented greens is just one of many reasons to seek out this hard-to-find basement restaurant. In fact, most of what you eat here has been fermented in one way or another. Probably the most affordable tasting menu in the city, with four courses priced at around 500 SEK per person. The elegantly balanced dishes are based on vegetables, with meat as a flavour enhancer or more as a supporting cast to the main act.

Address: Prospero, Roslagsgatan 21, 113 55 Stockholm
Website: prospero-restaurant.com

Bambi

Dish to order: Turbot, if it's on the menu, and the side salad

This is how Stockholm establishments like Tennstopet or Wasahof must have looked back in the days. A crowded party restaurant where a group of opera singers in the back share space with the hip 20-somethings in the bar up front. A bit shabby the whole thing, yet you love it. Food is based on the French kitchen: a mustardy salad, cheese and wine, simple and elegant and one of the best turbot in town. The whole thing turns into a nightclub once the kitchen is closed.

Address: Bambi, Bjurholmsgatan 18, 116 63 Stockholm
Website: bambi.nu

Solen

Dish to order: Grilled iberico pork chops

Proudly located in Stockholm’s (not yet gentrified) meatpacking district, this large Mediterranean restaurant was recently opened by the chef duo behind the superb (and more centrally located) fine-dining restaurant Adam/Albin. The experiment of housing a bustling Mediterranean town square inside a brutalist concrete warehouse has played out well and made Solen an instant classic among locals, with its own take on Neapolitan pizza, with sage, lemon and San Marzano tomatoes, meat from local farmers, and homemade linguini and pita bread.

Address: Solen, Hallgränd 45, 121 62 Johanneshov
Website: solen.se

Restaurang Hantverket

Dish to order: Hasselbackspotato with bleak roe and soured cream

“Husmanskost”, traditional Swedish everyday food, dominate the menu at Hantverket (the Swedish word for craft). Sit in the bar and watch the chefs elegantly do just that, craft elegant open servings right in front of you. Chef Stefan Ekengren is obsessed with potatoes – he has even published a cookbook named “potato”, and the ingredient is naturally the main character at Hantverket. You can also have a whole menu paired with cocktails if you wish, such as the Boomslang – a green bloody mary made with green tomato, cucumber, jalapeno and thyme.

Address: Restaurang Hantverket, Sturegatan 15a, 114 36 Stockholm
Website: restauranghantverket.se

Bar Agrikultur

Dish to order: ​​Salt-brined cucumber topped with smetana and honey

An intimate bar and eatery on Södermalm’s most bustling street, with its own distilled gin. 24 seats, no reservations. Ingredients sourced from Swedish farmers, served up on small plates. It was founded as the little sister of the excellent restaurant Agrikultur, which sadly closed a few years ago. Small tables and sharing plates like point cabbage with caramelised buttermilk, lingonberry and roasted buckwheat make this a perfect date-night spot. The highly Instagramable serving of cucumber and smetana became a viral hit, and now people travel here for it.

Address: Bar Agrikultur, Skånegatan 79, 116 35 Stockholm
Website: baragrikultur.com