Norrmalm Restaurants

At chef Bjorn Frantzén’s eponymous restaurant—it’s mostly rooted in Nordic food, with pan-Asian influences—every bite is flawless. First thing is their signature pillowy macarons—just one of several canapés. Then, the milk bread that comes to four croissant-like peaks. And whatever fabulous surprise they have in store for the main. People with really good taste say it’s one of their favorite restaurants ever. If you can’t get the dinner reservation you’re probably after, do lunch—it’s the same.

Chef Matthias Dahlgren has been one of Stockholm’s culinary forces for over twenty years. Matbaren, situated in the Grand Hôtel, is self-described as "casual fine dining," which doesn’t do justice to the Ilse Crawford-designed, wood-paneled, red-accented dining room. While the food is Nordic bistro-style fare, inventive vegetable dishes often take center stage. Dahlgren grows much of the restaurant's produce himself on his plot at the beautiful Rosendals Garden.

A partner property to the Berns Hotel, which is only a short walk away, Nosh and Chow occupies a four-story townhouse that includes a restaurant and a speakeasy-style bar called Bernie's. The interiors were famously handled by Catalán designer Lázaro Rosa Violán, who decked the place out in velvet banquettes, leather stools, and deep-blue tiles that contrast with white walls and wide windows in a way a friend described as "industrial meets colonial." While it's a lively place for lunch or dinner, it really comes alive at night, when you'll find locals drinking cocktails by the bar well into the late hours.

This is Stockholm's third restaurant from Henrik Norström, Peter Johansson, and Daniel Frick—three decorated chefs who've been an important part of the past decade's Nordic food renaissance. B.A.R. is seafood-focused, with a market at the front of the restaurant where fresh fish (delivered daily) is displayed for visitors as they make their way through. The chefs curate the menu based on what you see out front, but guests can also buy fish to take home, or pick something out and have it prepared to-order. P.S. There's a solid selection of digestifs and Swedish-made schnapps on the menu for those who prefer a stiff drink over a sweet dessert.

Mathias Dahlgren first became famous for his restaurant Matsalen in Grand Hôtel, which earned him two Michelin stars; now, he's opening restaurants all over the city. Rutabaga is his stab at vegetarian cuisine, though the restaurant is quick to clarify that they're serving lacto-ovo-vegetarian, which means that cheese, butter, and eggs are still very much in play. Though Dahlgren's creative takes on veggie-forward dishes are the real draw, the light, calming interior, with floor-to-ceiling arched windows looking out over the city, is a definite part of the appeal.

Nordic-Japanese fusion sounds strange but Tak has us convinced. Located on the rooftop of the design-conscious Hobo hotel, Tak is really four individual spaces—a restaurant, raw bar, booze bar, and terrace. Charcoal is the order of the day with many of the entrees and appetizers coming off the grill (the josper grilled bread is particularly good, especially paired with the miso butter). Skip the wine and go straight for sake, taken very seriously at Tak—Sweden's only two sake sommeliers both happen to work here.