29 Best Restaurants in Sweden

AIRA's dark and moody exterior, tucked away on the island of Djurgården, belies its light, airy interior, scattered with white-clothed tables and seats and banquettes of chocolate-brown velvet. The cuisine from one of Sweden's best known chefs, Tommy Myllymäki, skews toward local ingredients infused with international flavors, offering the best of land and sea, all prepared in an open kitchen alongside the high-ceilinged dining space.

Don't let the concrete exterior of this small restaurant fool you: Bleck is a light, airy oasis in one corner of Blecktornspark, with an extensive summer terrace and a cozy, intimate atmosphere in the cooler months, enhanced by a wood-burning stove and faux fur rugs. The evening menu of small dishes satisfies vegetarians and meat lovers both, offering modern Swedish cuisine in a charming setting.

Situated 7 km (4½ miles) south of Visby in the midst of farmland, Lilla Bjers prides itself on creating seasonal menus largely from its own-grown produce, complimented with locally sourced organic ingredients. Meals are served in light, airy repurposed greenhouses in the shade of the olive trees interspersed between the wooden tables, and heated in the winter months by a wood-burning stove. In the summer months, meals can be enjoyed outside on the terrace. The farm shop, alongside the restaurant, also sells Lilla Bjers' produce.

Step down from the street into this former wine-and-cheese cellar to find an elegant restaurant owned by two of the best chefs in Göteborg. Italian and Asian flavors blend their way into the impeccable Swedish dishes; choose a five- or eight-course meal, or take your pick à la carte. Finely set tables, flickering candles, and country-style artwork evoke the mood of a rustic French bistro. Note that one of the best wine cellars in Sweden is at your disposal.

This cozy, atmospheric restaurant occupies a series of interconnected cellar vaults in one of Malmö’s best-preserved 16th-century buildings. Traditional Swedish dishes, often centered on beef, game, and seafood, are given a contemporary twist. Like the food, the wine list is excellent.

The idea for this old wooden harborside restaurant came from similar cafés in Brittany, France. Simple local dishes, mostly of fish, are served up in an informal wooden-table dining area. Originally just catering to local divers, Dykarbaren is now open to the general public. In the late evenings, the bustling bar is a popular gathering spot for locals and visitors alike.

Familjen's trendy, warm, red-and-green minimalist interior, along with friendly staff who manage its often-packed house with grace, both help make it one of the best restaurants in town for sampling rustic west-coast-style cooking. Menus are dictated by the availability of fresh seasonal ingredients and change regularly. Try one of the four-course menus for a complete meal of well-matched flavors.

On cooler days, a crackling fire on the hearth in the bar area welcomes the sailors who frequent this laid-back restaurant, while the terrace offers the perfect spot to enjoy the summer days. In case you haven't traveled with your own sailboat, you can time your dinner to end before the last ferry returns to the mainland. The food is self-consciously Swedish: fresh, light, and beautifully presented. The service is professional; it's a great choice for a special night out.

Chef Björn Frantzén creates exquisite dishes using imagination, passion, and a little science—a combination that has earned his restaurant Sweden’s first (and so far only) Michelin three-star rating. The extensive tasting menu, which changes daily, is the only option, so eating here is extremely expensive but also unforgettable. Every meal begins in the lounge bar with appetizers, then moves to the downstairs dining room, where chefs present every dish personally. The experience concludes with dessert back in the lounge bar. Wine and non-alcoholic pairing menus are available, though you can also order separately off the huge wine list. Note that reservations for the following month are released at 10 am local time on the first day of each month, and you need to be quick to snatch one up.

Located in the center of Leksand, GC (Gårdscafeet) Bar and Lounge offers breakfast (weekdays), lunch, and dinner in an informal setting, decorated with photographs and contemporary graphics, and with a choice of seating options—regular tables, bar tables, and cozy armchairs.

Grill specializes in high-quality meat cuts grilled according to your taste. Create a family-style dinner, including five appetizers and a choice of various steak cuts, or select from the à la carte grilled steaks, Wagyu beef, lamb asado, tuna teppanyaki, or grilled vegetarian meal. The restaurant is divided into several dining rooms, each decorated according to a specific theme such as carnival, hunting cabin, library, tropical beach, Moulin Rouge, and Orient Express.

A family-run institution, Güntherska's history dates back to 1887, serving cakes, pastries, lunches, and now pizzas, to locals and visitors alike. Find a spot in one of the cozy rooms inside, or take a seat outdoors to watch the world go by.

From the outside, this place couldn't be more Swedish, housed as it is in a beautiful, centuries-old house opposite Uppsala's grand university building. Inside, though, a little bit of Italy takes over, with scrubbed-wood furniture, red-check tablecloths, and exposed brick and whitewashed walls. The food wins no awards for surprises—it's mostly trusted Italian staples—but the service and the quality of what's on the plate are extremely good.

This extremely popular restaurant specializes in seafood and shellfish prepared in Swedish and Continental styles. The white walls, tiled floor, and crisp white tablecloths give this airy space an elegance that contrasts with the generally casual dress of the customers. An outdoor section is open in summer.

Calling itself a "neo-bistro," this restaurant located down a short flight of steps is anything but gloomy, with cream-colored walls, sage-green paintwork, and contemporary art and photography gracing the walls. The menu takes its influence from France but applies a Swedish twist with choices of meat, fish, and vegetarian dishes alike. Guests are seated at marble-topped tables or at seats by the bar under green bistro-style lamps.

Just around the corner from Lunds Domkyrka, this art deco–style dining spot—which takes its inspiration from the archetypal French bistro—offers classics such as beef tartare, cod in shrimp sauce, and duck breast, prepared with seasonal Swedish ingredients to add a twist to the brasserie fare. A monthly rotating dinner menu, with accompanying wine servings, is also available. The focus in the bar is on European beers and wines, many of the latter available by the glass. The lunch menu changes daily.

Decorated in light-colored wood with red accents, Koka provides a cozy setting for a special night out. It prides itself on offering seasonal, local, and organic produce alongside organic and biodiverse wine pairings. The fixed menus offer the best of seasonal plant-based produce, accented with flavors from the forests and waters of West Sweden. Preselected wine packages are designed to accompany the menu, but the knowledgeable staff will gladly suggest other options if you prefer. 

On the island of Lilla Essingen, just off the western end of Kungsholmen, this former Electrolux household appliance factory (hence the name) is now a farm-to-table bistro serving delicious Swedish cuisine. Chef-owner Henrik Norström and his team use seasonal Swedish produce (listing its source wherever possible), which they then prepare with creative, modern twists to produce outstanding dishes. The decor is simple yet elegant, with light flooding the restaurant through enormous windows during the day. In fine weather, meals are also served on the outdoor terrace overlooking the water.

Located inside the Grand Hôtel, this informal bistro has large windows, colorful floor tiles, and a horseshoe-shaped bar that together create an atmosphere of casual elegance. The menu changes frequently and focuses on Swedish and international dishes such as salted cod, lamb, seared beef, and arctic char, beautifully prepared using fresh Scandinavian ingredients. Portion sizes are moderate, so guests typically order more than one dish.

Inside a lovely cross-timbered inn, this restaurant brews its own beer—there are two large copper boilers near the bar. It has a pleasant garden, and the brick vaulting of the dimly lighted interior gives it the appearance of an underground cavern. Juicy steaks are a specialty.

This popular spot on Nynäshamn’s waterfront is part fish shop, part casual restaurant, with seafood sourced from local fishermen. The shop sells smoked and pickled fish, shrimp, and sauces. Around the corner is the restaurant, which is simple and casual. Order from the takeout window and grab a seat at one of the outdoor tables with a view of the harbor—perfect for soaking up the sun and the atmosphere. Rökeriet ("The Smokery"), as it’s popularly known, draws big crowds in the summer, so it’s best not to be in a hurry.

This Gamla Stan favorite avoids the tourist-trap label, attracting both visitors and locals, with its broad and reliably good menu of small sharing dishes, burgers, and classics. In the summer, meals can be enjoyed outside on the terrace while watching the world pass by along the cobblestone streets.

The thoroughly modern Pinchos takes into account the country's love for mobile technology by taking all orders through an app that diners can download onto their mobile phones. The tapas-style dishes include marinated chicken skewers, beef tenderloin, fish-and-chips, Caribbean fish tacos, fried prawns, mushroom risotto, and other international selections.

Arguably one of the best seafood restaurants in Sweden, this icon remains a leading champion of west-coast fish. In the delightful oak-beamed dining room, part of a 200-year-old renovated shipping warehouse, you can eat carefully presented, delicious fish dishes with a classical local touch. In summer, you can enjoy the sea air while dining on the outdoor terrace.

The connection between people and food is at the heart of this stylish yet intimate restaurant where you can watch your meals being prepared in the completely open kitchen—in fact, chefs often bring dishes to the tables themselves. The focus is on seasonal Scandinavian cuisine expertly prepared and complemented by an extensive wine list. Order à la carte or choose from four- and six-course tasting menus.

This massive restaurant with two huge bars is a complete social, architectural, and dining experience that surrounds you with wood paneling, leather chairs and sofas, and distinctive lighting fixtures. In the elegant dining room, fine Swedish cuisine is served, but the scene is as much social as culinary. There's a bar directly facing Stureplan, where you can sit on a summer night and watch Stockholmers gather at the nearby Svampen (the mushroom-like concrete structure that has been the city's meeting point for years). Upstairs are two bars that fill well into the night with young people and loud music.

Sitting right on the edge of the pink sandy shores of Lake Siljan, the wood-clad and glass restaurant commands views of Långbryggan (the Great Pier), a 628-meter (2,000-foot) long pier, and across toward the southwestern fringes of the lake. In the summer, meals and drinks can be enjoyed on the waterfront terrace. The evening menu focuses on fish, classic Swedish dishes, and a handful of international flavors, while the rotating lunch menu offers a different meat, a fish, and a vegetarian option on weekdays.

Opened in 2012, VRÅ mixes Japan and Sweden in both its decor and its food. The highly refined menus and à la carte dishes set a west-coast Swedish slant to the Japanese kitchen, using seasonal and organic seafood and other local ingredients, including vegetables grown up on the roof. Be sure to reserve one of its coveted tables well in advance.

On the Nybroviken waterfront in central Stockholm, Wedholms Fisk serves almost exclusively seafood that is simply but beautifully prepared. The menu is divided by fish type, with a number of options for each type of fish. Shellfish dishes are also available but require at least two days' advance notice (send an email). High ceilings, large windows, and tasteful modern paintings by featured artists create an airy, sophisticated space to match the elegance of the cuisine.