Södermalm – Local tips (restaurants)

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

In the heart of Södermalm is this classic bohemian restaurant with no meat on the menu. During lunch hour you get veggie stews, bami goreng and lasagna for 75 kr. In the evenings there is an à la carte menu with more well prepared dishes of filling quorn filé with mashed potatoes, sauteed tofu with roasted sweet potatoes, halloumi cheese with grilled vegetables and much more.

It is a very simple place and there is no table service – day and evening you order at the counter. The furniture has been the same for many, many years but then again Chutney is in no way trying to be a fancy place. The place is very comfortable with the laid back atmosphere and customers. It’s popular with students – you see more than one table in the afternoon filled with thick books and uni students discussing some project or other.

You can come in here for just a caffe latte as well and even if there are no sandwiches or salads like in the cafés there are plenty of freshly made pies and cakes. Just take a look in the glass front counter and take your pick.

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Chutney | Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Vegetarian) | Quornfilé SEK 130.00
Katarina Bangata 19 | Södermalm | +4686403010
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 22:00, Sat – Sun 12:00 – 22:00

Greek food is more than tzatziki and souvlaki and if you want the best of whatever you prefer when it comes to the Greek cuisine you should go straight to Faros. Faros is a family run, small and great restaurant in the middle of Södermalm. The tables are close to each other and the atmosphere is friendly and intimate. There are two sections with a bar in the middle. But the bar is not really the kind of bar you hang out at for drinks. More a waiting area to pick up your take-away food at.

The food at Faros is excellent. Tasty, well prepared and lots. If you’re not full after dinner here, you eat too much. One of my favourite dishes is the lamb filet. So nice and tender. Just perfect. I like Greek food because it’s quite uncomplicated, but still so tasteful. And that is what this place is too. Uncomplicated and therefore very good.

At the moment they are doing some construction work on the building where the restaurant is placed. Don’t let the scaffolds scare you off though. Faros is still there. It’s actually easier to find it now since they have put up a huge Faros-sign on the corner of the building.

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Faros | Restaurants (Greek ) | Main dishes from SEK 150.00
Sofiagatan 1 | Södermalm | +4684421414
Mon – Fri 16:00 – 00:00, Sat 13:00 – 00:00, Sun 13:00 – 23:00

This is a great place for dinner or just dessert, or both! The buffet is delicious and the pastries are very tasty, especially the carrot-cake. The atmosphere is very cosy and warm.

You always get two buffets for the price of one! And students eat half price every Monday.

It’s situated on a hill, with a great view over the water. It’s cosy both inside and outside. You can sit on the terrace and enjoy the view during colder seasons as well thanks to heaters. During summer they place hammocks outside, best place for relaxing

Instead of a soyalatte you should have tea, the tea is great! The lattes are unfortunately not so great.

They only use organic ingredients and the tea and coffee are fair-trade. Every weekend they set the table with new and different buffets from all over the world. A very inventive and aware restaurant you shouldn’t miss out on!

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Hermans | Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Vegetarian) | Buffet from SEK 68.00
Fjällgatan 23 | Södermalm | +4686439480
11:00 – 21:00 daily

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

When I wrote about Shanti (see the Shanti article) a couple of months back, it 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… until a couple of weeks ago!

Martin, 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 for having 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. Thanks, Martin!

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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

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

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 year the menu is divided by continent and it’s exciting just to read it!

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.

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Matkultur | Restaurants (Multicultural) | Main meal SEK 200.00
Erstagatan 21 | Södermalm | +4686420353
Mon – Sat 17:00 – 00:00

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

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

The first time I visited Roxy I was amazed by the great food and fantastic service. It was love at first sight. And the love is still there. I really cannot find a bad word to say about this place.

Whenever I come here I cannot understand why I don’t eat here every day. Maybe because that would ruin me. But I would be happy every day. Finding gold so close to home is always a sweet, sweet feeling. What’s really the use of using my own kitchen then?

The last time I was here I brought some friends from my home town. I knew they would be impressed, and I wasn’t wrong. Even one friend who is quite pecky with her food was more than happy with what she ordered. The tuna I had was to die for. It’s a fairly small place and you cannot really bring a big company to this restaurant. We were six people and occupied the largest table then. But I guess that’s what makes it so nice too. The small intimate feeling.

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Roxy | Restaurants (International) | Main courses from SEK 200
Nytorget 6 | Södermalm | +4686409655
Tue – Thu & Sun 17:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 17:00 – 01:00

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

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

You will not have a problem finding a Greek restaurant on Södermalm. They can almost be found on every street. So which one to pick?

One good choice is picking Sonjas grek on Sundays. On Sundays all main courses cost 100 sek. The same food as every other day, but a little cheaper. Appetiser, desserts and drinks cost the same though.

The food always taste really good here. The meat dishes come with potatoes, tzatziki and roasted vegetables. All very delicious. I can personally especially recommend the lamb chops.

The Sunday crowd are all different kinds of people. The cheap lunch / dinner is just as appreciated by families with kids as by the hung-over 20 or 30 something from the neighbourhood.

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Sonjas grek | Restaurants (Greek) | Main courses on Sunday SEK 100.00
Bondegatan 54 | Södermalm | +4687022229
Mon – Fri 10:30 – 14:30 & 16:00 – 23:00, Sat 16:00 – 23:00, Sun 13:00 – 22:00