Stockholm, Sweden: where locals eat and drink

The bakery: Svedjan Bageri

The tour worth booking: Moveat

The classic brasserie: Sturehof

Where the locals really eat: Bar Montan

The over-fire stalwart: Ekstedt

The tasting menu: Adam/Albin

Pizza by the slice: 800 Grader

The food hall: Östermalms Saluhall

Fast food fix: Strömmingsvagnen

The craft beer spot: Omnipollos Hatt

Foodie neighbourhood spotlight: Slakthusområdet

Hop off the metro at Globen, skirt the huge golf ball shaped shopping centre and discover the first murmurings of a foodie hub in the city's former meatpacking district. Stockholm Roast keeps punters fuelled with coffee, snacks and sweet treats during the day, and has recently opened cosy wine bar and Swedish small plates restaurant, Bar Montan round the corner; already proving popular with trendy Swedes on the food scene. Solen is apparently the place to be... it's a beautiful space boasting a large outdoor area strung with fairy lights, while inside the restaurant opens out into a stunning, light-filled concrete room. The focus is on open-fire cooking, with dishes including red shell prawns in harissa butter, flank steaks in pistachio spice butter and oyster mushroom kebabs with pickled chilli. After dinner, head to trendy listening bar, Hosoi, its contemporary space home to a selection of wines on tap and beers from Omnipollo brewery. Through the back you’ll find the hidden speakeasy cocktail bar, clad with soft furnishings in block colours, where cocktails are stirred rather than shaken, so as not to disrupt the music. We’ll be keeping an eye out for more openings in this up-and-coming area, so watch this space.

Where to stay in Stockholm

Hotel Skeppsholmen

This design-led hotel is set in lush grounds by the water on Skeppsholmen island, connected to the city by a small bridge, making it a peaceful bolthole after a day of eating, drinking and site seeing. The historic yellow building was built in 1699 for the king's soldiers and has been restored with a commitment to Swedish furnishings, details and local produce. Peruse the breakfast buffet selection that includes likes of cured salmon, holey cheese and cinnamon buns from Dalarö Bageri out in the archipelago. Enjoy on the awning-covered terrace and look over delicate pink flowers in planters to the water, also an idyllic spot for lunch. Choose from Swedish classics such as meatballs with creamy mash and lingonberries or cured salmon folded into a rose tower with dill potatoes. Over a footbridge on the water is a terracotta skating pavilion that the king had built as a shelter to enjoy hot chocolate after skating in the winter, now available to book for private events.

Doubles from £132, check availability at booking.com

Hellstens Malmgård

This 18th century mansion turned hotel provides a tucked-away, peaceful contrast to all the trendiness in Stockhom's Södermalm. Wake up to its classic Scandi breakfast buffet (best eaten out in the garden in good weather).

Doubles from £71, check availability at booking.com

Foodie day trips in Stockholm's archipelago

Ingmarsö Bageri – for a hike to a bakery cottage

Take the ferry from Stockholm harbour or hire a boat with friends to Ingmarsö island. Hike the Båtuffarleden trail winding through forests, taking dips in the water and rowing a wooden boat between granite rock stations. Stable-turned-bakery, Ingmarsö Bageri, emerges from the forest like a mirage for a well-deserved fika of heavenly cinnamon buns, chocolate espresso balls and apple cream-filled pastries beneath pretty parasols. Owners Victor and Lina met in a Swedish ski resort, worked in Stockholm's hospitality industry then upped sticks to take part in island life in 2020. The result is a thriving archipelago hub during the summer months. Lunch and dinner menus include shrimp skagen, smorrebrods and shellfish pizza with a special emulsion sauce. A bun boat hops around selling fresh bakes and strawberries to locals on their boats, and there's an onsite shop that stocks Swedish cookery implements, homemade preserves, apple juice and salt made with herbs picked on the island. Stay overnight in the quintessential red wooden baker's cottage, set back in the trees with a view of the water, to wake up to the gentle aroma of fresh bread and buns for breakfast. ingmarsöbageri.com

Harö Natur – for a unique night of Swedish hospitality

Take the ferry to this restaurant and hotel, where your bed for the night is a unique choice between a floating greenhouse, boujie boathouse or glass-fronted treehouse. In the summer months, two Italians take residence on the pizza ovens, or opt for the tasting menu sitting; a succession of contemporary Swedish dishes that might include roe with dill oil and horseradish cream, smoked char with celeriac and cucumber celery jus and woodfire oven lobster with jalapaño cream. Take a dip in the clear waters and warm up in the hot tub and dinky sauna, perched on its own pier, while sunset casts a pink and orange glow over the archipelago. 59north18east.com

Get Out Kayak tours – for a nature-filled archipelago adventure

Get Out Kayak rents out kayaks and puts together adventure itineraries on the Stockholm Kayak Trail. Bespoke tours include transfers from the city and a full kit for camping, including food packages so you can cook your own Swedish meatballs with mash and lingonberries or creamy chanterelles pasta over a stove in the wild. The pack even includes a kåsa, a drinking vessel originally crafted by Lapland's Sámi community, so you can sip on Swedish beer or cloudberry juice while on the move. getoutkayak.se

Our pick of the best restaurants, cafés and bars in Stockholm

Sturehof – for classic seafood

Opened in 1897, this brasserie is an institution amongst Stockholm foodies. The warren of dining rooms vary in décor, including a library-themed room upstairs, but there’s an unstuffy sophisticated feel throughout. The restaurant works with local fishermen to encourage sustainable fishing practices, and highlights of the seafood-focused menu include fish gratin topped with creamy pommes duchesse swirls and Våsterbotten cheese, and grilled turbot head with shoestring fries and bearnaise sauce. Meatballs in a rich, bubbling gravy is served with creamy mash and bowls of lingonberries. Stock up in the mini food hall before you leave on fresh seafood, chanterelles and lingonberries as well as pretty tinned souvenirs. sturehof.com

Svedjan Bageri – for artisan bakes

Those in the know flock to this trendy Södermalm hang out for its traditional grain bread and pastries. Highlights include classic cinnamon buns, a laminated cinnamon swirl and saffron buns filled with sea buckthorn cream. We also love the dinky ‘fralla’ bread rolls, a Swedish favourite, filled simply with a slice of Västerbotten cheese (the bakery is an offshoot of the acclaimed Svedjan dairy farm in Västerbotten region). instagram.com/svedjanbagerisoder/

Moveat

If you want to try a variety of restaurants and dining experiences while you’re in Stockholm, join locals and friends on one of Moveat’s self-guided restaurant hopping afternoons. Locations rotate each time, but you might find yourself savouring plates of seasonal ferments at upmarket bistros, chatting in the queue for fresh-from-the-oven pizza slices and tucking into seafood tacos, learning about traditional chocolate making techniques at 100-year-old confectioners on the way. Book your place and make some new Swedish friends while you’re at it. moveat.co

Bar Montan

The folks behind Stockholm Roast collaborated with chef friend Max Duhs to open this cosy bistro, round the corner from its roastery in meatpacking district Slakthusområdet. Next-level hunks of sourdough are charred and slathered in whipped butter, setting the bar high for Swedish small plates to follow. Cured arctic char is dressed with pickled cucumber, fresh peas, dill and punchy horseradish; slivers of filet mignon carpaccio lie atop creamy fried chanterelles, and grilled cabbage is dressed with whipped goats cheese, croutons and fragrant tarragon. Wines come by the glass or bottle, and recommendations from the staff are informed yet approachable. This, combined with the simple décor of vintage rugs, soft lighting and rich painted walls create a cosy at-home vibe. Get there early to nab one of the handful of tables, as you can’t book and it’s a popular spot. barmontan.com

Ekstedt

Niklas Ekstedt revives old Swedish cooking traditions at his Michelin-starred restaurant. Watch the chefs use birch in open fire pits and wood-fired ovens to create stunning New Nordic dishes such as reindeer baked in embers, birch-fired pork and wood-fired almond cake. ekstedt.nu

Östermalms Saluhall

Since 1888, this market hall has been a thriving foodie hub. Browse the traditional wooden market stalls packed with fresh fish and cured meats, then stop off for a fish soup at fisherman’s daughter Lisa Elmqvist’s seafood restaurant, or pick up a healthy wrap and fresh juice to go from Mesh. ostermalmshallen.se

Brasserie Riche

Brasserie Riche has been around for over 100 years, welcoming everyone from Stockholm’s high society to bright young things. Sit at the bar beneath champagne-glass chandeliers and knock back a ‘hot shot’ (a tiny glass filled with coffee, liqueur and whipped cream), or set up camp in the conservatory for a shellfish brunch or beef fillet rydberg with sautéed potatoes. riche.se

Katarina

Those in the know head to this tiny deli-café and order the reuben sandwich on rye bread, packed with home-cured pastrami, Swiss cheese and gherkins. The bar is lined with colourful cans and bottles of craft beers; take your pick, perch on one of the high banquettes and tuck in. katarinaolkafe.se

Adam/Albin

The focus at this restaurant is on simple, seasonal Swedish flavours served in a contemporary space. Diners gather around sharing tables for five-course menus, or sit at the bar to order à la carte. Try porcini mushroom dumplings, caramelised langoustines with Iberian pork cheeks, and rye sourdough and beer pancakes. adamalbin.se

Omnipollos Hatt

Join the party at this spruced-up dive bar, a hip spot where the Omnipollo brewery showcases everything from small-batch pale ales on tap to ice cream stouts. Pair with a pizza slice, popped between gigantic purple lips into the pizza oven (unique toppings include Korean beef, juniper-smoked sausage, and chorizo with padrón peppers). omnipolloshatt.com

Ett Hem

Snuggle under blankets with a warm glass of glögg (mulled wine) in the lantern-lit courtyard of this stylish townhouse hotel. Or make yourself at home in its farmhouse-style kitchen, then order from a three-course menu to eat in front of the open fire – guinea fowl with chanterelles, perhaps, or steamed cod with roast cauliflower. etthem.se

Operakällaren

This opulent restaurant sits within Stockholm’s grand Royal Opera House. Dress up to visit this famous wood-panelled dining room, or choose the building’s more laidback counter bar, The Hip Pocket, and tuck into traditional meatballs or herring gratin from the archipelago. operakallaren.se

Lilla Ego

Star chefs Daniel Räms and Tom Sjöstedt’s unpretentious bistro (the chefs painted the walls themselves) is at the forefront of the city’s current trend for serious cooking in laid-back surroundings. Vegetables take centre stage – one of the most popular dishes, grönsakskärlek (literally ‘vegetable love’), is a culinary poem to all things green and good. lillaego.com

Café Pascal

Coffee aficionados flock for speciality coffee, lightly roasted and hand-dripped through ceramic filters. Don't miss the heavenly chokladbiskvi (a rich chocolate, buttercream and almond pastry). cafepascal.se

Nystekt Strömming

For classic Swedish fast food, you can’t beat this permanent food truck based on Södermalmstorg. Snack on a ‘knäckis’ (freshly-fried herring on crisp bread) or herring with proper mash.

Green Rabbit

Much lauded and awarded chef Mathias Dahlgren is on a mission to bring back Sweden’s traditional grain – rye. His bakery uses only organic rye flour from small Swedish mills. Try the Svedjeråg, which uses an ancient type of rye with a unique flavour. greenrabbit.se

Rosendals Trädgård

There can be few lovelier ways to spend an afternoon than under the apple trees at this café enjoying a kardemummabulle – more subtly spiced than the ubiquitous kanelbullar (cinnamon pinwheel rolls). rosendalstradgard.se

Meatballs for the People

A deli/restaurant that specialises in moose, dill and fennel seed or rooster, ginger, chilli and coriander meatballs, all made using impeccably sourced meat, game, fish and fowl. meatball.se