Bars & cafes – All our local tips

You’re walking down Fleminggatan one afternoon. You think you could really do with a drink, but got no idea where to go. After all, you are not in the most exciting part of town. Fear not. Allmänna Galleriet is just a stone’s throw away at Kronobergsgatan. It is not signposted, so you need to look out for it. This spacious urban venue is a reconstructed printing house that hosts a bar section and a restaurant along with a gallery.

The bar has a fairly good selection of beers and wine and you can eat some light dishes such as oysters, olives or sandwiches. The lounge section with its chesterfield sofas is perfect for an afternoon drink.

The restaurant occupies a separate part of the venue, and offers a Swedish/European style menu of good quality at moderate prices. On Friday nights Allmänna Galleriet is overcrowded and the atmosphere almost a bit boorish. A far better option is to go here on a weeknight.

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Allmänna Galleriet | Art & culture, Bars, Restaurants (Swedish)
Kronobergsgatan 37 | Kungsholmen
Tue 17:00 – 23:00, Wed – Sat 17:00 – 01:00

The bar Babs is sort of hidden away – behind the lobby of cultural movie theatre Zita. Zita doesn’t show the average Hollywood blockbusters but more alternative films that appeal to smaller audiences, like documentaries. And even if you can go to Babs without seeing a movie first, the type of customers is similar.

Babs is quite grown up and relaxed. It’s a place to come and chat with friends or with colleges after work. The music is there, but not important since this is a place for conversation, not party. They do serve food but the atmosphere is more of that in a bar.

The thing that best mirrors the alternative of the movie theatre is the bathroom – you have to take a look! 70’s wall paper, odd pictures on the walls and an old radio playing elevator music.

It’s location is on the street that divides the areas of Östermalm and Norrmalm but since most people walk up here coming from Stureplan on Spotted by locals it belongs to Östermalm.

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Babs Kök & Bar | Bars, Restaurants (Fancier bar food) | Main meal from SEK 194
Birger Jarlsgatan 37 | Östermalm | +468236101
Mon – Tue 17:00 – 00:00, Wed – Sat 17:00 – 01:00, Sun 16:00 – 22:00

What the interior decorators were on when they started designing Bauer is probably something we don’t want to know.

“Should we make it look like a children’s room with big colourful cartoons? Or like a fancy living-room with a lot of white and stucco in the ceiling? Or why not a shed with photos from someone’s holiday? I know, let’s combine all these three ideas! Yeah, great idea!” And therefore, Bauer is a big white room with stucco, colourful cartoons and a wooden panel. In some strange way it actually works.

Bauer is one of the few places that has a big lounge area where you can sit down without having to order food. It’s spacious with a lot of seats to hang out at for a couple of hours.

If you want something to eat with your drink they have a bar menu with some tapas and a few bigger dishes. The tapas are quite small, they are more about taste than being full, according to the waiter. So if you’re hungry make sure you order at least two to three because they do taste really good. Or go for one of the main dishes on the bar menu.

The prices are more on a Stureplan-level than Södermalm-level. Which means that it is quite expensive for being in this part of the city. But the setting is good, the food is good and the people friendly so it is definitely worth a visit.

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Bauer | Bars, Restaurants (Spanish) | Glass of wine SEK 82.00
Götgatan 15 | Södermalm | +4686400820
Mon – Fri 16:00 – 01:00, Sat 13:00 – 01:00, Sun 18:00 – 00:00

I have to be honest. The only reason I went inside Berlin STHLM the first time was because I was going with a few friends to my favourite bar Snotty (see the Snotty article) and it was just too packed. Berlin is just on the other side of the street and we thought “hey, why not try it out?” That turned out to be a lucky move.

Berlin STHLM is tiny (just like Snotty). It works both as a bar and as a restaurant even if there are just a handful of tables where you can sit down. On the menu are a few full dishes but most people just get one or a couple of very cool tapas with their beer. On the menu they are called “gaffelbitar”, meaning fork bites but they are a tad bigger than that and they can definitely fill you up if you order a few. There is also a regular menu with items from 105-145 SEK, like dijon burger, gratinated green muscles or Swedish “lapskojs” (mashed potatoes with some salty meat in it, here it comes with reindeer) served with fried egg and beetroot. They also have some really good beers, wines and cocktails.

One of the owners has worked in Berlin and wanted to create the same kind of mish-mash of people of different style and age hanging out together. He succeeded!

You can not reserve a table and there is no phone number to the restaurant so just drop by.

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Berlin STHLM | Bars, Restaurants (Unique tapas) | Gaffelbit (tapas) SEK 35.00
Skånegatan 71 | Södermalm
17:00 – 01:00 daily

There are not that many places in Stockholm where you feel just as comfortable taking a glass of wine as a cup of coffee. Most places it is either way. Of course you can have a coffee at most places that serve wine, not so much the other way around. Café Tabac is one of the exceptions.

Located in Gamla Stan near Kornhamnstorg it has a great (?) view over Slussen (maybe one of the ugliest places in Stockholm). This is the place you go to for a drink or coffee after work on a weekday. Or maybe a meal with friends.

It’s divided in a café area and a restaurant area. You can have hot meals in the café too, but I would recommend the bruschetta with tomatoes and prawns. Delicious. They also have cakes and cookies if that’s more what you want with your coffee. Or wine or bear.

The food in the restaurant is fairly price worthy. I prefer the pasta before the tapas though. Not that the tapas aren’t good, but they are very small and for that quite expensive.

It can be quite crowded, so if you come on a weekend you might want to make a reservation. But most of the times you would get a table and that’s what so good about this place. You can actually be spontaneous and just drop by.

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Café Tabac | Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Restaurants (Spanish) | Glass of wine SEK 45.00
Stora Nygatan 46 | Gamla Stan
Mon – Thu 10:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 10:00 – 01:00, Sun 12:00 – 00:00

This is one of my favourite places to dance for sure! They have many different clubs and they’re usually for free if you come before 22:00. They also have lots of concerts, check their homepage for dates!

One night that was particularly wonderful was during Debaser Medis “Berlin night” where one of my favourite artists Apparat performed. It was an excellent night, packed with different electronic music which made us dance for at least 6 hours.

The first floor has two rooms. The larger room gives me a feeling of prom-night or something. The ceiling is really high, the stage is large and the floor spacious. There’s lots of room to dance, though it does get pretty packed during the night. Losing your friends in the crowd is not unusual, which is okay, you always find someone else to chat or dance with.

The smaller room is more chilled out with a bar, seats and you can order food. They also have a nice bar and a small cinema on the second floor.

Bring earplugs!

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Debaser Medis | Bars, Cinemas, Music, Snacks | Entrance SEK 100.00
Medborgarplatsen 8 | Södermalm | +4686947900
Fri – Sat 17:00 – 03:00 (concerts 19:00) | Check their website

East is a japanese restaurant/bar in the heart of Östermalm. Although this spot feels a bit like another I like going to in Stureplan (Riche), it as some important differences.

The first has to do with time. Lilla Baren at Riche has an earlier time span than East, complementing each other rather well if one wants to go to both places in the same night. But East used to be almost my second home for another very important reason: it has an extraordinarily large mix of people for a place lying in the heart of Stureplan. It results in a bar in which one can just start talking with the person near by.

There is also some dancing going on, but everyone tends to gather outside even under the winter time as the heaters are turned on.

I’d recommend to go to East on Friday and Saturday, but this is one of the few places in town where there is actually something going on every day of the week.

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East | Bars | Beer SEK 62.00
Stureplan 13 | Östermalm | +4686114959
Mon – Fri 11:30 – 03:00, Sat – Sun 17:00 – 03:00

This part of fancy Östermalm is sort of quiet in the evenings. There are not many people roaming the streets and not heaps of places to choose from. But people in the know still find their way to the bar/restaurant Elverket.

It’s a relaxed place to have a beer after work – since it’s the closest, decent bar to the public service radio and tv stations it’s become a bit of a media hang out. Later on weekend nights it can get quite busy with people who like Södermalm but just find themselves in this area instead.

And of course there are also theatre goers in the crowd. The Elverket stage usually has alternative performances and they are very popular. When I went to see the amazing Romeo and Juliet with acrobatic Circus Cirkör part of the ensemble the tickets had to be booked months ahead. You can find out what’s on, on the Dramaten website, but most info is in Swedish.

The bar and restaurant area is spacy and there are lots of places to sit, both on cosy cushions and on tall bar stools. Also nice that they have an open kitchen so you can watch the chefs at work.

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Elverket | Bars, Theaters | Brooklyn Lager beer SEK 55.00
Linnégatan 69 | Östermalm | +4686612562
Bar: Tue – Thu 11:00 – 23:00, Fri – Sat 11:00 – 01:00
Restaurant Fri – Sat 11:00 – 01:00, Sun 11:00 – 15:00 & 17:00 – 21:00

Saturday night is Soul night!

The atmosphere at Fasching’s Club Soul stands out from most clubs in Stockholm. It’s like going back in time entering a beautiful old theatre where the floor is smacked with dancing people. Yeah, people dance like crazy here.

People are not here to get drunk or to flirt (okay maybe some, but it’s not as obvious as at other places), they’re all here to dance their shoes off and that’s very liberating.

Fasching has different clubs but is mainly known for their Jazz concerts. So if you’re into Jazz, this is certainly your spot!

If you’re into Hiphop you should check out their club Spiderdogs, said to be Stockholm’s best hiphop club right now! Spiderdogs is on once every month, check their website for dates. Some crazy dancing as well!

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Fasching’s Club Soul | Bars, Music | Entrance & wardrobe SEK 120.00
Kungsgatan 63 | City/Norrmalm | +4670783049
Sat 23:30 – 04:00

This is my favourite café, newly opened and perfectly situated next to small shops and nice parks in the south of Stockholm. I introduce everyone I know to this new pearl.

The interior is very welcoming and inspiring with wallpaper tricking your eye, making you think the place is packed with shelves of books; a very creative and fun atmosphere.

The tiles covering the floor are very beautiful and contribute to the creativity as well. Dostojevskij’s red cushions and chandelier meets Middle Eastern patterns and colours! I love the imaginary bookshelves and the corner with that light green armchair that is placed there just for you, waiting patiently for your books and your thoughts.

But what I love the most is the laidback service and cosy, homely feeling. The people working here are really sweet, their sandwiches delicious and their caffe lattes a piece of art.

If you only have time for one café during your stay in Stockholm – this is your café! I’m sure you’ll love it.

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Gildas rum | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Caffe latte SEK 32.00
Skånegatan 79 | Södermalm
Mon – Thu 08:00 – 23:00, Fri 08:00 – 20:00, Sat 09:00 – 20:00, Sun 09:00 – 21:00

After the fire that consumed the restaurant about one year ago, Grill is back in business and with more faces than before.

Grill belongs to the F12 group of fine restaurants and opposite to most of the others, minimalism doesn’t rule here. This is the first thing one notices when getting into Grill. There are 10 different divisions with a decoration ranging from the hunting cabin to the Mary Poppins’ style and to my favorite, the brothel. And all of them look nothing short of stunning.

But when I mentioned that Grill has different faces I also mean more than the amazing interior design. At lunch time one can usually taste great traditional Swedish food with a twist. And my thoughts about traditional food is that they are a good base for really good food, as long as you either spice things up or use high quality ingredients. Grill manages to deliver both!

At dinner time the menus are divided in a combination of flavors from all over the world, which are cooked over open fire. And if you feel like hanging around for a while after the dinner, just hit the South Beach style bar for some of the best drinks in town.

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Grill | Bars, Restaurants (Crossover) | Lunch SEK 110.00
Drottninggatan 89 | City/Norrmalm | +468314530
Mon – Fri 11:15 – 14:00 & 17:00 – 01:00, Sat 16:00 – 01:00, Sun 15:00 – 22:00

Until recently this place was called Street and although changes have been made, the crowd is similar. Street was part of the new “Hornstull” with a weekend street market, fancy but cool restaurant and bar/club in the big garage looking local. Strand has taken over and reformed both the restaurant and the club, but sadly there is no market.

On the other hand they have worked a lot to make the club a great one. There are constantly cool things going on, like interesting bands and well known DJ:s. For the ones who have been to the club Ugglan over on the other side of Södermalm it comes as no surprise that it’s the same people who are behind Strand.

The Ugglan concept with boule courts in the basement and completely new bands playing in the tiniest of rooms is present, but since Strand is a much bigger place they can welcome bigger artists, both on stage and in the DJ-booth. For example internationally well known Peter, Bjorn And John had their release party here. More regular things is that P3, the young radio channel with all the new music, have their monthly bar here. And a thing called Cinemat, which is movie and soup is also here every month. Check the calendar (only in Swedish) for exact dates.

Strand still feels like a living room away from home with many sofas spread about and pingpong tables hidden in alcoves. You can’t help to feel relaxed.

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Hornstull Strand Etabl | Bars, Music, Restaurants (Crossover) | Entrance club SEK 60.00
Hornstulls Strand 4 | Södermalm | +4686586350
Tue 17:00 – 00:00, Wed – Fri 17:00 – 02:00, Sat 11:00 – 02:00, Sun 16:00 – 22:00

Sometimes a bar is just a bar and that’s the only reason why you like hanging out there. Imperiet is one of these bars.

Imperiet is placed on the ground and second floor in Skrapan. Skrapan used to be the building where the tax authorities had their offices. Now it’s housing a shopping center and student flats.

The first floor is a café daytime and a bar at night. Upstairs there is a restaurant and a bar. Bars with this kind of lounge area are still quite rare in this part of the town so those chairs and tables are greatly appreciated. The colour setting is in the brownish to beige scale and quite discreet. Not overly trendy, but nice and pleasant.

Like the colours, most guests are not overly trendy either, but nice and pleasant. Could sound boring, but quite the opposite. It’s a laid back and friendly atmosphere here. Most people are around 30, some older, some younger. Not too trendy, but still a bit aware of the trends of today. And a few locals celebrities. The people at Imperiet seem to fit the place. An average bar with average people. But in a positive way. I never get the feeling that I’m not trendy enough here. They welcome everybody.

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Imperiet | Bars, Coffee & tea, Restaurants (International) | Beer SEK 50.00
Götgatan 78 | Södermalm | +4686606065
Restaurant: Mon – Wed 17:00 – 23:00, Thu – Sat 17:00 – 02:00
Kafé: Mon – Thu 11:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sat 11:00 – 03:00, Sun 11:00 – 01:00

Götgatsbacken – the hill of Götgatan between Slussen and Medborgarplatsen – is one of the busiest bar areas in Stockholm and any Friday or Saturday evening you have tons of people slipping in and out of bars, smoking on the footpath outside or just passing on there way for some more fun.

Out of all the places here Indigo is the most stylish with the coolest people. It is very tiny so you have to be here early if you want to sit, but this is not the kind of bar where I spend the whole evening. I go here for one or two drinks in between other places.The colourful and very unusual design and decoration works as an energy injection and so does the music – always new cool beats of indie, rock and electro. The only downside is that the music tend to be loud so it can be tricky to have any serious conversations for any amount of time.

And as for the cool people – yes, some “cred” celebrities can be spotted at times, last time I was there so was Pelle from the Hives and Moneybrother. If you like their type of music, this is also the place for you.

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Indigo Bar | Bars, Music | Draft beer SEK 44.00
Götgatan 19 | Södermalm | +4686435859
Mon – Fri 17:00 – 01:00, Sat 15:00 – 01:00

Knast is raw! Anyone fits in this bar: the young hip Stockholm crowd, Billy Idol impressions, business people, artists, hetero-, homo-, or bisexual, young and old; everyone is sharing the same space, having a great time.

Knast is a small alternative bar that hosts various clubs. Even though you can fall into a special organized party (check Facebook for events there), the typical music comes from the 80s. In fact that influence is easily noticed when passing the arcade cabinets (5kr to play) in the way to the bar that holds a giant graffiti from the science-fiction movie Tron on one wall, just above the red sofas.

The bar is popular from Wednesday to Saturday, but Friday is probably the best night to go there as it hosts club Blondie. Then it is usually packed, the beer is cheap and everyone is starting their weekend partying having lots of fun.

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Knast | Bars | Beer SEK 37.00
Upplandsgatan 7 | City/Norrmalm
Mon – Sat 17:00 – 01:00

When again the autumn chill come crashing in over our lovely city many, many Swedes get on the first plane to Thailand. For those who lack the money or the time for that sort of trip, the restaurant Koh Phangan on Skånegatan has been able to act as a substitute for several years.

As soon as you set your foot in the door it’s like entering a new world – Southeast Asia. The interior – floors, tables, the bar – is all bamboo style. There is no other light than strings of tiny blues, greens and reds. The main area is filled with tropical plants and you can hear the sound of crickets. Choose if you want to have your dinner in a hut or a tuk tuk. And if there is a rain storm in the middle of your meal – don’t worry, you won’t get wet.

The food is authentic too. All the important dishes are here, like the coconut soup with chicken, Tom Ka Gai, and the spicy and sour shrimp soup, Tom Yam Koong. Dishes are marked “no hot”, “little hot” and “very hot” and at times the spiciest has made the hot weather in Thailand fade in comparison to the fire in your mouth.

Everybody who’s lived in Stockholm has been to Koh Phangan and marvelled over it ages ago. But the food is still great and for a first time visitor it’s an experience not to miss.

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Koh Phangan | Bars, Restaurants (Thai) | Pat Thai Pak SEK 139.00
Skånegatan 57 | Södermalm | +4686425040
Mon -Tue 11:00 – 00:00, Wed – Fri 11:00 – 01:00, Sat – Sun 14:00 – 01:00

The building that now hosts landet, used to be a post office. Even though people go there nowadays to grab a mushroom soup with pesto or a beer instead of a package, the concept is pretty much the same. And it’s not only the students from konstfack and people living and working in the area that come here. Landet manages to have followers from all over town, something that not many places in the Stockholm surroundings can brag about.

This spot is mainly divided in a restaurant and a bar, and both of them are extremely popular. In the restaurant, one can get excellent crossover food with clear Swedish influences and the personnel working here is both professional as well as very kind.

In the club arena there’s a lot going on. From Wednesday to Saturday there are many fun live concerts and DJ gigs that probably make Landet the best place outside town for a night out…and one of the best in Stockholm too!

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Landet | Bars, Music, Restaurants (Crossover) | Lunch SEK 95.00
LM Ericssons väg 27 | Outside South/East | +46841019320
Mon – Thu 11:00 – 13:30 & 17:00 – 00:00, Fri 11:00 – 13:30 & 16:00 – 01:00, Sat 17:00 – 01:00

Stockholm is supposed to be a trendy city. People in this city are supposed to be very aware of what is trendy. But sometimes we let our hair out and forget all about trends. That’s when we go to Lemon Bar.

Lemon Bar is small, crowded, sweaty and the music is not the best of the newest club music. But that’s why it’s so much fun. I would think that this is one of the happiest bars in town. There is no room for snobs and pretentious people here. Just happy and dancing people.

There is a bar and a dance floor in the basement too so people don’t have to dance on the tables any more. Like they did a couple of years ago. But everybody is still very happy.

So, what’s the deal with the music? There are a lot of Eurovision song contest-music, old Bon Jovi-songs and some Bryan Adams. You get the picture. But everybody sings a long and pretend (or not) that they love it. Even me. There is no room for being a music snob here. Which is great fun at some occasions.

If this is not what you are looking for, but you are in the area, you can always turn to Lokal. A nice, more “mature” bar next door.

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Lemon Bar | Bars, Music | Beer SEK 50.00
Scheelegatan 8 | Kungsholmen | +4686501778
Mon – Wed 17:00 – 01:00, Thu – Sat 17:00 – 03:00

Ljunggrens is divided in to two areas. One that is attached to the restaurant. To get to this part you use the glass door. And one that is attached to the shopping mall. To get to this you use the big wooden door. This caused me some confusion my first visits here. Now I’m proud to say that I know how to use each entry.

The shopping mall is Bruno gallerian on Götgatan and the bar is in the middle. It’s a weird and funny feeling to sit in a closed shopping mall and have a few drinks in the evening. But I like sitting on the big cushions they have and look at the dark shop-windows. It feels like you have broken in to the place and are not supposed to be there. Daytime this part works as a café. Still with the big cushions.

The other section is a more regular bar next to the restaurant. It’s a nice place with a good lounge area. It’s usually very crowded during the weekends, but it’s worth elbowing yourself to the bar, the drinks are great here.

Usually the bar in the shopping area is open until 1, but on a few odd occasions they have special events that leave the place open til 3. Check the local newspaper, or their website what’s going on the Saturday you’re visiting the place.

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Ljunggrens bar | Bars | Beer SEK 56.00
Götgatan 36 | Södermalm | +4686407565
Mon – Tue 17:00 – 00:00, Wed – Sat 17:00 – 01:00

Marie Laveau is both a restaurant, a bar and a club. Even though the restaurant is highly praised by the critics, it is because of the bar and the club that I usually go there.

Some time ago, the club stopped running during the weekdays as the neighbors complained about the noise. During working days there are always people here, but nothing compared with the crowded Fridays and Saturdays.

At the bar, where excellent drinks are made, the place is full of young alternative people with the typical laid-back and hip Södermalm style. The music played also has the same alternative vibe both at the bar as well as at the club in the basement.

The club typically has younger people but a similar atmosphere . It is dark, feels like a sauna in an urban environment, but it is well worth to go!

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Marie Laveau | Bars | Entrance fee on Weekends SEK 100
Hornsgatan 66 | Södermalm | +4686688500
Mon – Tue 17:00 – 01:00, Wed – Sat 17:00 – 03:00

Don’t be fooled by the name. Monks is no café, but the only brewery in Stockholm city. Yeah, you guessed it – this is a place for beer lovers.

You can visit the brewery, they even organise courses to teach you more. But most people just come to the bar/restaurant to enjoy one of the already made beverages. Monks don’t only sell their own brand, in total they have more than 1400 different types of beer.

The “Monks” part of the name comes from the inspiration and knowledge gathered from the history of the European convents. They say themselves that they serve traditional food, that they have every trappiste beer there is and that they also keep many cloister beers and wines with traditions from convents. If you are a novice but want to learn more, try their beer tasting evenings.

Now, the only catch is that really good quality beer is not cheap. Their own Monks Orange Ale cost 77 SEK for 33 cl and many more than that (be sure to ask before you order if money is an issue).

Most of these beers should be enjoyed more like a good wine than like something you gulp down while watching sports on tv. But if you are from Holland or Belgium it might be stupid to buy the beer from your own country here. Try one of the Swedish ones instead, they are hard to find abroad. Ask the staff for recommendations.

The main dishes are 150-230 SEK.

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Monks Café | Bars, Restaurants (European) | Monks Bavarian Pils 40 cl SEK 47
Wallingatan 38 | City/Norrmalm | +468230030
Mon – Thu 16:00 – 23:00, Fri – Sat 15:00 – 01:00, Sun 17:00 – 23:00

Nada is one of many small bars in this neighbourhood but it might be the one with the best party vibe. Outside there is a sign saying BAR and a beautifully vaulted window. You see straight into the main area with the bar to the left, the DJ booth in the middle and the rest of the space crushed with people.

A small passageway leads into the next room called Göteborg (Swedens second biggest city). It’s equally packed here but there are a few more seats and tables. If you are here early and lucky enough to get a table you can have nice tapas with your beers.

The music has a lot to do with the mood of the place and Nada gets really good DJ’s even though they are still only paid with beer and food. They have “Live-Sundays” with live bands which gets a nice crowd. Other types of music that get played here is indie, electro and German madness.

The food is good but you come here more for a snack with drinks than a quiet meal. On the upside of the drinks is that you can get a glass of tasty cava for SEK 55, something quite rare in Stockholm. On the downside is that the draft beer doesn’t always taste so great – stick to the bottles.

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Nada Bar | Bars, Music | Bottle beer SEK 45.00
Åsögatan 140 | Södermalm | +4686429020
17:00 – 01:00 daily

Many visitors who come to Stockholm ask the same question. Where can we find a restaurant that serves Swedish food? It’s not easy, but now you need to look no further.

Pelikan is an establishment that has been around forever – or to be more exact for 104 years. 1904 when it opened it was named Port Arthur and the clients were all men mostly there to drink the allowed amount of hard liquor at the time – two white and one brown.

You can still order the very strong Swedish snaps at Pelikan but nowadays the place is more famous for the food and beer. The main restaurant area is a big “beer hall”-style room with high ceilings and lots of noice. The food is traditional Swedish stuff, which means lots of meat, fish and potatoe dishes and not so heavy on the vegetables. The most popular Swedish meatballs comes with mashed or boiled potatoes, creamy sauce and lingonberries – and it’s delicious (see pic). Pelikan is also a typical beer place, they got a few good ones on draft and even more on bottle, including some nice Chezch and great local beers from small breweries like Nils Oscar.

Most of the people who come here are the after work crowd of all ages. A couple of pints with colleges on the way home or a bite to eat is the thing. There is also a bar next door “Kristallen”, with a slightly younger crowd. It’s a cool place too but it lacks the history of Pelikan.

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Pelikan | Bars, Restaurants (Swedish) | meatballs SEK 162.00
Blekingegatan 40 | Södermalm | +46855609090
Sun – Thu 16:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 13:00 – 01:00

It is no surprise that Pet Sounds Bar is such a success among the indie crowd of Södermalm. The fairytale started with the record shop Pet Sounds on Skånegatan 53, an institution for music lovers in the times when everybody still bought their sounds in the shops instead of using Internet. Pet Sounds was (and still is) the place to come and just browse for the latest indie band or the odd copy of the classics. And you could always get great tips from the staff.

So when Pet Sounds decided to open a bar they already had a given crowd – and that crowd quickly turned out to be too big for the place, on Skånegatan 90, that they had chosen. It was not many months however before they found the perfect location. Not only is it just opposite the record shop but it was here that all the indie kids of the 90’s had their beer and music fix on what was then called Hannas.

The crowd now is a mix of new enthusiasts and the 10 year older regulars of Hannas. Upstairs is a bit more grownup, here you hang in the bar or eat at one of the restaurant tables. Downstairs is all about music. There is a small bar, a tiny stage and a DJ booth where everything and anything is played – as long as it’s good! The basement is also the place for book releases, private parties and other events. The Stockholm Spotted by Locals release party was held here in December 2008!

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Pet Sounds Bar | Bars, Music | Wine SEK 68.00
Skånegatan 80 | Södermalm | +4686438225
Tue 17:00 – 00:00, Wed – Sat 17:00 – 01:00, Sun 12:00 – 00:00

Pleasant is a small place with dimmed lighting and an interesting interior that is best described as a hybrid of the Amazon and Star Trek.

It is pretty much a local bar, frequented mostly by people who live or work nearby. It is one of those really good places that aren’t listed in DN PåStan.

If you want to pop in for a drink in the early evening or go for a snack after work this is a good option in an area that doesn’t have too many bars.

The prices at Pleasant are modest, service is friendly and the food is really good; the Szechuan style chicken drumsticks are lush.

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Pleasant | Bars, Restaurants (Intern.) | Food from SEK 70.00
Kammakargatan 9 | City/Norrmalm
Mon – Thu 11:00 – 01:00, Fri – Sun 11:00 – 03:00

Ramblas, over in the Södermalm corner of Hornstull, used to be a so called “sunkhak”. It is kind of hard to translate, maybe dive bar would be the closest but generally people went there for the cheap beer and no other reason. No effort was put into decoration, sevice or anything else. But that was then.

Now you’ll be smart and reserve a table before you come here because it is very often full. The reason is that the prices are still good and the tapas are great – filling and tasty. Among my favourites are chorizo riojano, made hot in the oven with tomato and onion and the queso frito. The beer can still be had at 30 kr and a glass of wine is 46 kr, which is not bad at all in Sweden, and worth remembering if you are on a budget but still like to eat out.

The place is dark and cosy and all sorts of people come here – from the “poor” student who were here before when the beer was even cheaper to older couples and families. And if you forget to book ahead and are left without a table there are plenty of other good budget places just around the corner, like Indian Garden (check the Indian garden article) and Därmedpasta.

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Ramblas | Bars, Restaurants (Spanish tapas) | Patatas con aioli SEK 38.00
Långholmsgatan 3 | Södermalm | +4686692536
15:00 – 01:00 daily

Stureplan is meant to be very posh, and Riche is supposed to be in the middle of it but this spot still manages to stand out of the pack. It has a restaurant, a bar next to it and Lilla baren. The first two are usually inhabited by business people that drop by Riche for dinner and/or an after work drink.

Lilla baren typically has clients on their thirties from the creative backgrounds such as art, fashion or design. In fact, there are quite frequently art exhibitions that take place at Lilla Baren. The DJ’s usually play alternative music accompanied by visual effects or even the image of a movie.

The space on itself gives the feeling of being inside a Parisian bistro with lots of mirrors and white romantic details and at the bar one can get superb drinks and very interesting food. The best days to go to this spot are probably between Tuesday and Thursday as it usually gets way too crowded on Fridays and Saturdays.

Overall Riche is a sophisticated place that I love going to because of the laid-back atmosphere and the interesting and easy to talk people.

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Riche | Bars | Beer SEK 62.00
Birger Jarlsgatan 4 | Östermalm | +46854503560
Mon 11:30 – 00:00, Tue – Fri 11:30 – 02:00, Sat 12:00 – 02:00

I really do like this place. Mostly visiting the bar during the weekdays I had forgotten how crowded it gets during weekends. Crowded in a good way. When a place is this small it can get quite claustrophobic with a lot of people, but Snottys seems to manage that perfectly.

Located on Skånegatan, near Nytorget, it really is the kind bar you just pop in to if you’re in the neighbourhood. It is definitely the kind of bar I just slip down to in the middle of the week for a couple of drinks with my friends in the neighbourhood.

But the small and friendly atmosphere is not all to this place. The music here is so good too. They sometimes have their own dj in the bar and have decorated the walls with old album-covers, posters and magazine articles. So the music is serious business for these people.

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Snotty Sounds Bar | Bars, Music | Beer SEK 45.00
Skånegatan 90 | Södermalm
16:00 – 01:00 daily

Svejk has always been popular – and the reason? Czech beer, Czech food and almost Czech prices does the trick. They have several tasty beers on draft like Bernard, Primator and of course the classical Krusovice and Pilsner Urquell. And even though they have increased the prices to 56-57 it’s still a good deal since you get a full 0,5 liter instead of 0,4 like in most other places. And at Svejk they know how to pour it – it can take 10 minutes and has great foam on top. The food is tasty and you get big portions of meaty dishes like gulasch and schnitzel. And nothing on the menu is over 128 kr.

People of all ages, styles and nationalities also come here for the atmosphere with a dark bar area and a slightly more lit up dining room. If you don’t fill up a table with your group you might get to share – a great way to strike up conversations with new people.

The only downside is that you can’t reserve a table and between 18.00 and 20.00 there might be a 60-90 minute wait. My tip is to arrive at 17.00 when they open, many people do. There can even be a small line outside at 16.55 but everybody gets a table then. You can also pass by about an hour before you will get hungry, put your name on the list and then take a stroll until the table is ready for you.

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Soldaten Svejk | Bars, Restaurants | Draft beer SEK 56.00
Östgötagatan 35 | Södermalm | +4686413366
Mon – Thu 17:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 17:00 – 01:00, Sun 17:00 – 23:00

Sturehof is probably the kind of bar you will find in a Stockholm guidebook. But there is a risk that you won’t get any further than to the first bar if you are not familiar with the place. I know I would probably get stuck there. Luckily I was accompanied by a regular at my first visit here and she took me past the first bar, through the restaurant to the middle bar.

In my opinion this middle bar is more pleasant than the first bar. There is something about the green ballerina skirts they cover the lamps in the ceiling with that appeals to me. The crowd in this bar is also slightly younger than in the first bar. Even if Sturehof is located at Stureplan, the posh area in the city, you don’t get that snotty feeling other bars in this area can give you.

Coming here hungry shouldn’t be a problem since you find the restaurant between the divorce bar and the middle bar. The food is a good mix of Swedish and French dishes. Not cheap-cheap, but they do have a few dishes that won’t leave a too big hole in your pocket. If you want the bar feeling you can still order food at the bar too.

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Sturehof | Bars, Restaurants (Swedish-French) | Glass of wine SEK 85.00
Sturegallerian 42, Stureplan 2 | Östermalm | +46084405730
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 02:00, Sat 12:00 – 02:00, Sun 13:00 – 02:00

Fancy a drink with a vampire? This is one of the coolest bars in Stockholm, for sure! Pass the door, go down the stairs and enter a very different atmosphere set in a cave.

The drinks really make this place, most of them have vampire-names and are delicious as hell! You have to try a Milkshake drink, they’re like candy. My favourite is Vlad the Impaler and yeah, Monday is the day to come here since it’s much cheaper. There’s a new DJ playing records every night and if you’re not into alcohol it’s alright, all drinks can be ordered alcohol-free!

Sit down on a comfy, red sofa with your drink, red wine or beer and enjoy the atmosphere with candle lights and interesting ornaments. The toilet is also quite interesting…

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Vampire Lounge | Bars, Music, Snacks | Drink SEK 60.00
Östgötagatan 41 | Södermalm | +4686432240
Mon – Fri 17:00 – 01:00, Sat 19:00 – 01:00