Image by Mona Sedghi

Obaren is a great place to come to chill with a few friends and listen to a good live band. It’s pretty unique and special in the fact that its actually located right at the back of one of Stockholm’s most famous and swankiest restaurants called Sturehof (check Anna’s Sturehof article), where they serve oysters and lobsters which you wash down with a bottle of Bolli… you get the idea.

Obaren is best described as a mullet: as it’s business in the front and party in the back. It’s got a great chilled out vibe and the people who frequent this place is quite different from the clientele who dine at Sturehof. I would say its a younger crowd, creative professionals and those who would best identify with the indie/alternative scene.

Music is a huge focus at Obaren and you’ll always hear something different each time you come in. Hip hop, 80′s new wave and if you pressure them enough…some light yodeling is possible too. Its a great place to come listen to some local or international acts and meet some of Stockholm’s best looking locals as well.

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Obaren | Bars, Music
Stureplan 2 | Östermalm | +4684405730
Sat – Thu 19:00 – 02:00, Fri 17:00 – 02:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm

Image by Vasco Castro

Sweden is very famous for their fashion designers with brands such as Filippa K, Acne, Cheap Monday (see the Weekday – Cheap Monday article) and H&M achieving international status. I believe that this results from the fact that most Swedes give a long thought about what they wear, thus creating a widespread knowledge and interest in their image. And as an haircut is also part of every-one’s image, it’s no surprise that Swedish hairdressers are also popular. In fact there are around 500 hair salons just inside the small Stockholm Municipality.

And even though there are many good ones, Noir is the spot I pick when it’s time to cut the hair. This is a fairly new place in Stockholm with plenty of extraordinarily talented, fun and young people working there making this salon a relaxed hip place. Also, if you are eager to go out for some drinks or even more serious partying just ask your hairdresser about the hot events for the coming days as they are very updated on Stockholm’s nightlife.

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Noir | Relaxing | Haircut SEK 720.00
Regeringsgatan 80 | Östermalm | +468238090
Tue – Wed 09:00 – 18:00, Thu 09:00 – 19:00, Fri 09:00 – 18:00, Sat 09:00 – 17:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm

Image by Vasco Castro

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 – check out the Riche article), 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 nearby.

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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm

Image by Vasco Castro

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 hosts the alternative crowd. 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 combination of interesting and easy to talk people.

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Riche | Art & culture, Bars, Music | 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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm

Image by Vasco Castro

Going to concerts isn’t usually cheap in Stockholm! In fact, most of the times one must even decide well in advance! Well, that was until I found the Royal College of Music in Stockholm a couple of years ago.

The students from this college are among the best music students in the country. They have been practicing for many years and holding a concert is nothing new for them. In short, they are good! Concerts are held frequently and even last year examination concerts are opened for public.

I typically enjoy going to the small jazzy ones on Tuesdays in lilla salen, but check out also for the folk and classical music concerts. I always have a great time there… and it’s free!

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Musikhögskolan | Music | Free
Valhallavägen 105 | Östermalm | +468161800
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Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm

Image by Suzanna Schwarz

In the 90′s Saturnus was one of the most popular hangout for teenagers. Massive cinnamon rolls and the vintage atmosphere were the main attraction. While the furnishings and clientèle has changed since, Saturnus has retained the nice atmosphere and the cinnamon rolls.

Apart from those rolls you can get French style salads, hot sandwiches like croque monsieur and soup. The massive cakes bring the US to mind, as does the striped wallpapers and kitschy gold framed menu board. So rather than being a French café, Saturnus of 2011 feels more like North America doing French than anything else. However, Saturnus is still a good spot for coffee.

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Saturnus | Coffee & tea, Snacks
Eriksbergsgatan 6 | Östermalm | +466117700
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 20:00, Sat – Sun 09:00 – 19:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm

Image by Anna Östman

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.

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Sturehof | Bars, Restaurants (Swedish-French) | Glass of wine SEK 85.00
Sturegallerian 42, Stureplan 2 | Östermalm | +4684405730
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 02:00, Sat 12:00 – 02:00, Sun 13:00 – 02:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm