Top 10 Swedish and International Dishes to Try in Stockholm

Smörgåstårta is a classic Scandinavian cake made of sandwiches. Swedes enjoy it in every season, however, it’s especially popular during holidays like Midsommar. It can also be a great addition to birthday parties and weddings.

First of all, try the traditional smörgåstårta. Mayonnaise and eggs make up the base for the sandwich; additional ingredients may vary greatly but, as a rule, the cake’s main ingredient is smoked salmon. The Italian version of this dish can also be layered with bread slices, egg salad, German ham and pickle salad. Smörgåstårta can be purely vegetarian or can represent a take on the classic Swedish seafood salad called skagenröra. The Swedish entree is often topped with sliced vegetables, fresh herbs and lemon slices or, as pictured above, can be accompanied by a pineapple slice.

Smörgåstårta is a popular option for catering and can be found in traditional restaurants and coffee shops. Café Schweizer is one of Stockholm's oldest restaurants where you can enjoy this delicious sandwich cake for lunch.

Swedish food is packed with textures and flavors. Traditional meatballs are probably the world’s most famous Swedish recipe and the ultimate Sweden’s national dish. In fact, they became even more popular as the popularity of IKEA soared. Köttbullar are smaller and have a different flavor compared to Italian meatballs. Additionally, they are nearly always served with a cream sauce.

Flavored with nutmeg and cardamom, these little beef-and-pork meatballs taste the best if accompanied by the rich Swedish meatball sauce, which mainly consists of beef stock gravy, spiked with sour cream and a little lingonberry jelly. It's not strictly traditional to add sauce to your meatballs in Sweden, however, the European way of serving reached even the original place where this dish was born. 

Köttbullar are usually served with creamy mashed potatoes or simply hot boiled potatoes. Swedish meatballs can be made of different sorts of meat, and the widest choice can be found at Meatballs for the People, a traditional Swedish restaurant located in Södermalm, one of the city’s art districts. As the name suggests, the concept of the restaurant is based on the classic Swedish meatballs with a twist. The restaurant offers at least 14 varieties of meatballs made from a number of ingredients such as elk, beef, and even salmon – all readily available for takeaway.

The so-called Semla is a round bun made of wheat and flavored with cardamom. It is traditionally filled with almond paste and whipped cream. This classic Swedish sweet dish originated during fettisdag (Fat Tuesday): Swedes used to consume this dessert before the fasting period. 

When it comes to Swedish delights, there’s a number of traditional desserts that come to mind. One of them is Semla – a sweet wheat bun with whipped cream plus almond paste, with its top dusted with icing sugar. If you're allergic to nuts, there are many bakeries offering a vanilla custard filling instead of almond paste. Moreover, you can find gluten-free Semla, vegan Semla, and the list goes on.

Semla represents just one aspect of the bigger picture – fika, a social phenomenon that is uniquely Swedish. Fika means going out on a coffee break with colleagues and ordering something sweet to eat. In Sweden, fika is essentially a sacred ritual and tradition.

One of the best places to order your Semla would be Gunnarsons Specialkonditori, one of the oldest coffee shops in the heart of Södermalm.

Every year, Swedes begin eating crayfish on Aug. 7th – it’s the tradition known as the crayfish party. Even though eating crayfish was banned until 1994 and messed up the calendar, most Swedes choose to start eating crayfish at the beginning of August. Kräftor are best eaten boiled.

Kräftor is a popular party food in Sweden and can be found in a variety of restaurants without any limits to the season. To Swedish people, kräftor is a separate dish in itself; they arrange parties and celebrations during the crayfish season. However, Swedes cook it slightly differently than the rest of the world. They boil kräftor and add fresh dill to the dish to highlight its flavor and taste.

One of the most well-known places in Stockholm where you can find freshly boiled crayfish is Kajsas Fisk, a seafood restaurant located in the center of Norrmalm, the luxurious northern district.

Ärtsoppa: Swedish pea soup is a traditional dish originally cherished by poor Swedish students. However, today, this Swedish lunch recipe is also well-loved by the whole nation.

Ärtsoppa is a culinary classic that has been popular in Sweden since the Middle Ages. It is a gratifying, fattening and warming soup traditionally made from dried yellow peas and served on Thursdays in Sweden, followed by crepe-like pancakes with whipped cream (pannkakor). Onions and spices are an essential part of the dish.

The soup can be served in a number of variations. You can omit ingredients like ham hock which is present in the original, or swap out the chicken stock for vegetable stock to get a vegetarian variation of ärtsoppa. In addition, there’s a more sophisticated version of this traditional soup that’s made with lobster. You can try this exotic soup variation at Wedholms Fisk, a luxurious seafood restaurant in the center of Stockholm.

Jansson’s Temptation is a traditional Swedish casserole made of potatoes, onions, pickled sprats, bread crumbs, and cream. The dish is said to have been named after Pelle Janzon, a food-loving Swedish opera singer of the early 1900s. It is commonly included in the Swedish Christmas dinner, and the Easter feast.

Janssons Frestelse is a Swedish potato gratin that’s made with julienne potatoes, a creamy sauce base, and anchovies (or pickled sprats). It's often served with pickled beetroot. After a long time in the oven, most of the fish texture deteriorates, leaving the salty taste that enhances the flavor of potatoes.

You can try this delicious Swedish staple dish at Stockholm's Gästabud, one of the most versatile restaurants in the heart of the city, Gamla Stan, the famous Old Town.

Gravad Lax: One of Sweden's most popular motives is seafood and dill. Swedish cuisine is rich with fish, especially salmon, and it’s featured in a number of dishes and sandwiches. Flavorful dill brings a fresh twist to many traditional Swedish recipes.

Gravad lax or grav lax is a piece of tasty salmon that can be enjoyed on toast, bagels, with potatoes, or by itself. Gravlax is a staple dish for a traditional smörgåsbord. You can find it almost anywhere, but one of the best places to enjoy your salmon is the popular Lisa Elmqvist restaurant that’s located in Östermalm.

Sushi: It’s no secret that Swedes enjoy exotic foods. That’s why Stockholm is a Mecca of high-quality exotic restaurants. Although sushi is a Japanese dish, Swedes love it just as much as the rest of the world.

Sushi is a popular Japanese dish made of rice with a large number of ingredients including fish, vegetables, and seafood. Stockholm is full of excellent sushi restaurants for all tastes and wallets.

Sushi Isaki is owned by a Japanese family and has been around for over a decade. It’s a small lovely place off the busy Ringvägen road that offers takeaway.

Curry Bowl is one of the most traditional Indian dishes you could think of. It’s made of chicken meat, potato, onions and spices and contains all the flavor of the traditional butter chicken.

Curry bowls are very popular not only in India, but all around the world. It's the distinct spices that give this dish such a unique and rich taste. Up to this day, it remains one of the most traditional recipes for an Indian-style dinner.

The famous Drottninggatan, or the Queen’s street, is where you can find the most exotic restaurants from all over the world, and Indian Street Food is popular with tourists and locals alike.

Pappardelle is a type of broad flat pasta. It became popular all over the world, but initially was traditional for Tuscany. Any type of Italian pasta is a great choice for a satisfying meal, and pappardelle that can be topped with crispy mushrooms, slices of Parmesan cheese, and lemon is no exception.

Pappardelle can be served with meat or seafood, just like any pasta. It’s a classic choice for bolognese. The only vital ingredient here is Parmesan. Pappardelle can be served alongside bright, flavourful greens like kale or broccoli rabe. Stockholmers love Italian cuisine and can often be seen in chic restaurants like L’Avventura with its modern decor and lovely atmosphere. L’Avventura is located not far away from Stockholms Stadsbibliotek, a famous library near Odenplan.

As you can see, Stockholm is both an attractive modern capital and a place for gourmet journeys. This unique city with its bustling nightlife and a variety of restaurants remains one of the most popular destinations. Make sure to discover the Swedish capital both as an eager tourist and a food lover!