General Restaurant Recommendations, Stockholm

Hi Milo,
I am also going to Stockholm this summer, so I've been collecting recommendations from various threads. I'll mention a few and provide the threads where I've found those, with the caveat that I've not tried any of them.

"Citysallad on Skeppsbron is still open according to their website. If you're willing to spend a bit more on lunch, Slingerbulten on Stora Nygatan is a good place for lunch. They serve traditional Swedish food at a reasonable price. The lunch menu varies, but they usually have meatballs every day."

From https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/sweden/2-days-in-stockholm-f89faf1b-50d5-42cb-89f9-c6173025ab40

"When I meet Swedish relatives, we go to Vettekatten, a Stockholm bakery / fika / lunch institution, about a 7-min walk from the central train station. Try to get there before or after the lunchtime rush."

https://vetekatten.se/en/
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/sweden/visiting-stockholm

I have a reservation at Prinsen, which is described as "classic Swedish cuisine in a venerable restaurant with a wood-paneled interior & ornate chandeliers." I can't recall where I found that one.

And I've heard good things about Grand Hotel Veranda, offering "a smörgåsbord with all the trimmings."

I just found this older thread, which also recommends Grand Veranda. Hard to say whether some of the other restaurants mentioned may have closed in the 5 years since the post.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/sweden/looking-for-a-good-swedish-restaurant-in-stockholm

Hopefully, others who know Stockholm will give you some additional (perhaps newer) ideas.

I went to Vetekatten, mentioned above, before joining the Scandinavia tour last August.
It was the perfect place to get lunch and have a slice of Princess Cake, which was my main objective.

One of the most memorable meals I had on the RS Best of Scandinavia tour was at this place in Stockholm: Restaurant Kvarnen.
https://www.kvarnen.com/en/

If it looks a bit familiar to you, it's where the bar scene in Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was filmed.

If you're a Stieg Larsson fan, this might be of interest -- Stieg Larsson's Stockholm: 14 Essential Stops. It includes a few food locations besides Kvarnen.

Buried in my TR mentioned by CWSocial above, is my fav hidden gem, the Middle Eastern Museum cafe, open reasonably late. The Middle Eastern fare with lots of vegetarian options and a lovely old style cafe is a nice break with great views out overlooking the Opera House & water across to the palace. Very few people visit, no need to pay to enter museum. And BakFicka, also in TR, is said to be great but we decided to skip it because it looked quite 'meaty', & only had one salmon dish featured at the time, my SIL loved it for Nordic cuisine at reasonable prices. Her advice was to get there right at opening for good seating. https://www.operakallarensbakficka.se/en. And be sure to check out the food halls!

OMG @Lo, am going to check out Kvarnen on next visit!!

Hötorgshallen is not a bad option close to the central station, the food hall there has many options from all over the world. Slingerbulten in Gamla stan is a great option for Swedish food. Especially for lunch when they serve classics like raggmunk, isterband or kalops. For dinner their menu tends to be a bit more international. Speaking about Gamla stan, you can also try Den Gyldene Freden, the oldest restaurant in Sweden (founded in 1722).

And if you just want something quick and easy, there is a Max close to the central station. Don't underestimate them. Or Strömmingsvagnen on Kornhamnstorg that serve baltic herring.

I enjoyed dinner and the evening here:
Aifur - "Welcome to the world’s best .. and only Viking Tavern."
https://aifur.se/en-GB/aifur-en/
In Gamla Stan, not far from the metro stop

Just a bit of a warning about Aifur, it's one of those places that you'll probably either love or hate. So make sure you know what kind of restaurant it is before going there, because it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

We had a fantastic meal at Portal last week. I highly recommend it.

We recently visited Animo, and I can really recommend them in the “hidden gem” category. Fine dining with innovative dishes in a relaxed atmosphere and surprisingly affordable (relatively).

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g189852-d23914423-Reviews-Animo-Stockholm.html

We’ve also enjoyed Smak, which has an interesting concept and is very centrally located. It’s been a while since we visited so I’m not sure if they’ve kept up their high standards: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g189852-d1496187-Reviews-Smak-Stockholm.html