Just the other day I took the boat to an island named Grinda, it’s situated outside of Vaxholm which is a spot I’ve been talking about before in these articles. There are two greats benefits to visiting Grinda. First of all you get to experience a genuine archipelago relatively close to Stockholm. Secondly it’s a nature preserve which makes the whole island accessible for all visitors. You can hang around and sunbathe wherever you ike!

The island has two ports and most of the activities are situated around “Södra Grinda”. There you’ll find the most departures from, a restaurant, a bar, hotel and more. The restaurant is established inside of an old, magnificent summerhouse. Go there, and enjoy their classic fish soup and a nice wine on a sunny day!

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Grinda | Relaxing, Restaurants (Classic Swedish) | Main meal +/- SEK 195
Södra Grinda | City/Norrmalm | +46854249491
Check website

Have you ever thought about what Stockholmers might do on weekends when having a couple of days off? I´ll tell you…

We hang out along with our family and friends in the archipelago. Either we stay overnights or we head of on a daytrip.

If you’re interested in spending some time along with us locals I warmly recommend you to go visiting an island named Utö. Rent a bicycle, grab a map and head south to a tiny island named Ålö that´s connected to Utö with a small wooden bridge. On Ålö you will find a genuine restaurant in an old boathouse namned “Båtshaket”.

Båtshaket is genuine and authentic. All the locals sit together, eating classic Swedish seafood, having a snaps and a beer and simply just enjoying life. They do their own fishing and preparing. Try some Swedish Lax or their “Silltallrik” if your up for having traditional Swedish food!

To visit Carina at Ålö , take the train from Stockholm central station towards Västerhaninge, at “Handen” change to bus towards “Årsta havsbad” and take the boat from there to “Gruvbryggan” at a island named Utö.

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Ålö | Relaxing, Restaurants (Swedish seafood) | Main meal from SEK 60
Ålö (start trip from central station) | Outside South/East | +4685057463
Opens 23 of june!

What I love about cooking is the experimental part. Trying out new methods, mixing common ingredients in unusual ways and most importantly finding out about new ingredients. It is with no surprise that this is a spot I love going to! Mostly because they dare, thus making this an inspirational place for my home cooking.

Matkultur is a multicultural restaurant where food and ingredients from opposite parts of the world are combined in order to create a new experience. Things that I never thought would make sense together result in simply extraordinary dishes. The menu is very short, but it is modified regularly and even with these (positive) changes I find the food to be consistently excellent.

This is a small place that aims to have a slow tempo but it is always full and one must book a table for the weekend, although I’d also recommend doing the same during the week. Just go there, Matkultur has some of the coolest food in town.

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Matkultur | Restaurants (Multicultural) | Main meal SEK 200
Erstagatan 21 | Södermalm | +4686420353
Mon – Sat 17:00 – 00:00

In a town where sushi bars can be found in every corner, it is hard to define which one is the best. But Ki-Mama certainly places itself among the top ones side-by-side with others such as Råkultur and that tiny one on the folkungagatan/götgatan crossing.

This spot drags sushi lovers from all over town willing to take a typical cold winter walk between the Odenplan subway station all the way up to Observatoriegatan to get there. In fact, many Japanese also do the same as it is common to find some here.

Ki-Mama is a small place with very simple decoration except for the giant cool whale on one of the walls. The sushi price is similar to many other sushi-bars, but expect to get very fresh fish divided into nicely sized pieces. Besides sushi and miso soup (served with mussels) there are also warm dishes such as the excellent yakiniku and eby-gyoza. Worth trying!

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Ki-Mama | Restaurants (Japanese) | Sushi SEK 100.00
Observatoriegatan 13 | Vasastan | +468333482
Mon – Fri 11:30 – 21:00, Sun 15:00 – 21:00

I love Indian food. For me, this is the perfect comfort food, and even though I love cooking, I stopped making Indian food at home as it usually takes a big effort and one can enjoy great indian meals out for very affordable prices.

There are many good indian restaurants in Stockholm but Shanti is one of my favorites, along with Indian Garden. It is typically full even during the week and I’d recommend everyone who is going there on weekends either not to show up during dinner rush hour or to just book a table in advance.

Shanti has the typical indian dishes such as tandoori, tikka masala and palak paneer which are consistently excellent. Food is usually served on traditional indian metal dishes and during these global warming times it is important to notice that this spot mostly uses ecological products in its very warm atmosphere. Ah, and the naan bread is worth trying too, but don’t even waste your time trying to get it before your meal, as the chef has some Gordon Ramsays tendencies…

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Shanti | Restaurants (Indian) | Tikka Masala SEK 130.00
Katarina Bangata 58 | Södermalm | +4686426722
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 23:00, Sat – Sun 13:00 – 00:00

Some time ago, Shanti (see the Shanti article) was by far my favorite Indian restaurant in town. I had been in many of them, including Indian Garden. In fact I had been there several times and they always had good food. But Shanti too, plus a great location and atmosphere. So I had forgotten about Indian Garden…

That was until a friend of mine decided to gather a small group of friends for his 30 year old party on a Monday, just before people got their salaries. If you know Stockholm well enough, then you know that this is the perfect combination an empty restaurant. When I arrived, the place was packed. The tables where not only fully occupied, but there where people waiting for a table! I was mesmerized! Had Stockholmers changed or had the place changed?

Well, after passing through the crowd at the door and looking for my table I noticed that the place had a much better decoration. The music also helped making a rather cozy atmosphere. Then food came to remind me how much I love Indian food: perfect! We all stayed until the spot closed down, and that’s when I noticed that the people working there are extremely friendly and kind. Well, Shanti is much closer to where I live, but Indian Garden is well worth the extra 15 minutes ride. Just need to remember to book in advance.

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Indian Garden | Restaurants (Indian) | Chicken Tikka Masala SEK 115.00
Heleneborgsgatan 15 | Södermalm | +4686407430
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 23:00, Sat 12:00 – 23:00, Sun 13:00 – 22:00

One of the best dishes to warm yourself right down to your bones during Stockholm’s seriously cold winters is a piping hot bowl of one of Stockholm’s most popular fish soups located in Hotorgshallen (my article about Hotorgshallen here).

Its a ‘restaurant’ hugely popular with tourists and locals alike, one for its location in the middle of the city and for its affordability. 85kr gets you a scrumptious bowl of their fish soup (including mussels, shrimps and a generous spoonful of garlic aoili), dark and white bread with butter and a small salad. Apart from their famous fish soups, their menu is comprised of traditional Swedish seafood dishes like ‘nystektstromming’ and salmon.

Its a definite must-try when you come to Stockholm. The restaurants tables quickly fill to maximum capacity during lunch hours with suits and ties, backpackers and hungry students tired from a day of hardcore H&M shopping.

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Kajsas Fisk | Restaurants (Swedish/Seafood) | Fish soup SEK 85
Hötorgshallen, 11157 | City/Norrmalm | +468207262
Mon – Thu 10:00 – 18:00, Fri 10:00 – 18:30, Sat 10:00 – 16:00

Total package. Thats how I would describe Samba Sushi. Located on the busy shopping street of Götgatan in Slussen, it serves some of the tastiest made-before-your-eyes sushi in Stockholm.

Not only is the food great but its location is ideal. The street on which it’s located, is the shopping hub for the hipsters and indie fashionistas. Samba Sushi is located smack in the middle of that scene so you’ve basically got front row seats to the Stockholm’s never ending fashion show while stuffing your face with amazing sushi.

The restaurant itself is small and the decor, simple with bar-like seating all around (so make sure to beat the lunch crowd!). The prices are slightly higher than average but for what you get (location and great taste) it’s worth it. Try it out the next time you’re town. You can thank me later

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Samba Sushi | Restaurants (Japanese) | Main course from SEK 90
Götgatan 28 | Södermalm
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 20:00, Sat 12:00 – 17:00

An authentic, affordable and delicious Mexican restaurant hidden away on a small street in downtown Stockholm makes La Neta the best taco restaurant in Stockholm period. Its a unique local favorite where everything thats served on the brightly colored plates are freshly made by the Mexican chefs: the soft taco fillings, guacamole and even the tortilla breads, which are made by the machines specially brought in from Mexico!

After a tiresome day of shopping on the main high street of Stockholm, La Neta is my number one restaurant that comes to mind when I wanna tug into some fast and tasty comfort food and destress. It’s my favorite place to introduce to friends and family because no one suspects to find such a refreshing Mexican restaurant right in the city center and to top it off its cheap and has great Mexican beers that can only be found here.

Its often always full of locals, international students and occasionally tourists, but seating has never been a problem for me. The restaurant feels really lively and fun, you can even get shots of tequila with your tacos! La Neta is located below street level and you sit close to the other guests on the picnic-like tables and get your grub on. Friendly, fun and delicious!

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La Neta | Bars, Restaurants (Mexican) | Taco Grande SEK 45
Barnhusgatan 2 | City/Norrmalm | +4684115880
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 21:00, Sat – Sun 12:00 – 21:00

Ramblas is by far the best tapas restaurant here in Stockholm. I come here at least twice every month and they are pleasantly consistent with the taste of food and their prices. The prices for tapas are relatively cheap compared to other tapas restaurants in Stockholm and trust me on the food. It’s delicious. Some dishes worth trying are the gamba’s in garlic, the fried potatoes with mojo rojo and the paella. From my many visits there, I haven’t seen a lot of customers order it, I’m guessing it’s to do with the fact that Swedes in general are not so keen on deviating from the conventional and it’s a shame because its so good!

The restaurant is very small, with a little bar at the front of the kitchen where the waitresses run around to keep up with the constant flow of customers, food and drinks to be served. That being said, when dining at Ramblas during the evenings and especially on the weekend, you gotta have patience. Ramblas is actually very well known with the locals and it’s constantly full of diners, its not uncommon to see two to three parties waiting at the front door for their table because they weren’t smart enough to book ahead!

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Ramblas | Bars, Restaurants (Tapas) | Per tapas SEK 53
Långholmsgatan 3 | Södermalm | +4686692536
15:00 – till late daily