Stockholm: Three meals to remember, with photos!
Last week I spent several days in Stockholm visiting museums and palaces, walking on rooftops and boating about the photogenic harbor. But more than any of these activities, eating just might have been the most memorable experience.
We’ve written before about yummy cheap eats in Stockholm, including delicious “dagens lunches”, lunch specials offered around the city for about 100 SEK (about $14) or less, and cheapo-friendly fried herring sandwiches. Thus, I arrived in Stockholm anticipating a lot of fish for lunch and dinner. Imagine my surprise, then, to have meals take a meaty, and often “elk-y” turn!
Here’s a quick recap of three very memorable and delicious meals enjoyed last week in summery Stockholm:
1. Elk “burgers”
Pictured at top, this was no ordinary burger. This fine plate, served in the restaurant at the delightful Hotel Hellsten (a EuroCheapo pick!), was billed as an “elk burger.” But I think the “b” word undersells it.
This, um, “patty” is made of fresh elk (from northern Sweden), mixed with onions, garlic, coriander and other herbs. It’s served with a wild truffle sauce that was almost decadent, roasted root vegetables, and fresh lingonberries.
Cost: 119 SEK (about $17 — a bargain for dinner in Stockholm).
Go for the heart…
2. Reindeer heart!
I thought that might grab your attention. This incredible plate was actually only my first course at the Viking-themed Aifur Restaurang in Gamla Stan. This was the “Plate from Trögden,” a Swedish peninsula where, according to the restaurant, the residents “eat only the best sausages and cold cuts.”
Pictured, clockwise from top left: Cheddar cheese, flat-smoked pork, crusty bread, reindeer heart (under the knife), apple slices, lamb steak, reindeer sausage, smoked elk. In middle: assorted crackers and honey mustard.
The meats were quite tasty, and several chalices of mead (honey wine) made everything go down easily. This, naturally, is not an everyday kind of meal. It was, however, an experience that will go down in his-tory.
Cost: At 164 SEK (about $23), this isn’t really a cheap way to start a meal. However, I could have eaten only this for dinner, or happily split this as a starter.
The real deal. (Sorry IKEA!)
3. Swedish meatballs
I clearly wasn’t going to leave town without tackling a plate of Swedish meatballs. I’d been waiting years to sample the dish in Sweden so that I could compare it to versions back home at IKEA, family reunions, church potlucks, etc.
This plate was served in the restaurant at the Vasa Museum, an incredible museum devoted to the Vasa, a 17th-century warship whose career lasted about 20 minutes before sinking on her maiden voyage. Fitting, as this plate of meatballs disappeared even faster.
With just a touch of crunch and covered in a cream-sauce gravy, the savory meatballs were probably the best I’ve ever tasted, and were accompanied by boiled potatoes, lingonberries, cucumber salad and a bit of fresh greens.
Cost: 100 SEK for adults (about $14), 58 SEK for a children’s plate (about $8). A good deal in Stockholm!
Your favorite meals in Stockholm?
Have you experienced a meal to remember in Stockholm? Share every mouth-watering moment with us in our comments section!
Note: This post is part of a series sponsored by airberlin, which is promoting its flights from New York to Stockholm. For more information, including schedules and special rates, visit airberlin.com.
About the author
Thanks for these eating in Stockholm tips. We will be there later this summer, so your suggestions are appreciated, although I will not be eating any reindeer heart!