Lunch spots worth a detour

Just a short stroll from Vasastan and the city, K4 in Pampas marina boasts a waterfront location and beautiful views. Satisfy your lunchtime hunger pangs with well-prepared Swedish classics (meat, fish or vegetarian), including a salad buffet, freshly-baked bread, coffee and cake, all year round. Don't miss the large outdoor seating area in the warmer months.

This Newport-influenced seaside restaurant in Nacka Strand draws in both local office workers and families and groups of friends from the city. You can get there by boat for a summery session on the jetty, but it's equally cosy in the colder months in front of the open fire. The lunch menu includes traditional Swedish dishes, with meat and fish options as well as a weekly vegetarian dish and a set menu business lunch.

In the charming Gamla Enskede neighbourhood, right next to Triangel park, this local restaurant serves Swedish dishes with French cooking techniques. For lunch, you can choose between the week's meat, fish or veggie dish, or pick and choose a starter, main course and dessert to create a three-course menu.

Asplund is housed in a listed Thirties building in Solna and is run by Fredrik Eriksson from Långbro Värdshus. Lunch options include the restaurant's signature pizzas, alongside modern takes on traditional Swedish dishes and dishes such as burgers that are always on the menu. And it's not far from the city centre.

Boulebar Liljeholmen is housed in a former printworks which has been transformed into a leafy southern European park. Have something to eat and play a game of boules on the indoor lanes. During the day they serve French lunch dishes which include salad and baguette.

Get yourself along to cosy Jungfrusund and eat lunch right on Lake Mälaren. Fill your belly with Swedish homecooking and more continental dishes, as you take in the views of the harbour. The restaurant is open all year round and can be reached by car and public transport.

The perfect spot for an outing just half an hour outside the city by car. Steninge Bruk is housed in a beautifully renovated old barn in the grounds of an historic castle on the shores of lake Mälaren. Nordic lunch dishes are cooked on the largest wood-fired grill in Sweden. After lunch, take a walk in the grounds or browse in the barn's interiors shop.

Right next to Sickla shopping centre, five minutes from Slussen, you'll find this sister restaurant to the popular Urban Delis on Nytorget and in the city centre. The same concept applies here: restaurant meets food hall in a contemporary setting. Lunch of the day, a vegan dish of the week and salad, as well as other classic dishes, are always on the menu. Combine lunch with a little shopping just outside town.

The castle restaurant at Åkeshofs Slott in Bromma is a leafy oasis where top-quality ingredients take centre stage. Come and eat lunch on Thursdays and Fridays; there's always a daily vegetarian dish to choose from. Don't miss the castle terrace, where you can enjoy views over the castle gardens in during the summer months.

Just outside the city centre you'll find Vår Pizza, which serves popular posh pizzas inspired by Brooklyn and Naples. Everyone's welcome here to take a seat and hang out with friends and family and there are pizzas for both large and small diners. 

In the middle of Bergianska botanic gardens, Gamla Orangeriet serves organic homemade food and cakes and pastries. Come for something to eat, a coffee or a glass of wine with nature as your backdrop. Combine your lunch with a long walk or just make a short detour from town or Stockholm university. Open in winter and summer.

Take a trip out to Årsta and eat Danish-style open sandwiches just like the ones you get in Copenhagen! At Två små svin they come with every imaginable topping, from herring to roast beef and vegetarian options. Just mix and match a few to suit your taste.

It's not just the art exhibitions that make Artipelag a popular place to visit. The modern art centre also houses a café and restaurant with beautiful views and fantastic food. Choose the café on the ground floor for coffee, cakes and sandwiches or the restaurant on the third floor for their ambitious lunch and brunch buffets.  

In the old Saltsjöqvarn building, a former mill, the Elite Hotel Marina Tower houses a rustic restaurant and bar that's open from breakfast to dinner and drinks. The lunch menu is updated weekly and consists of dishes from different parts of the world. During the summer months you can enjoy lunch on the outdoor terrace overlooking the water.

Have lunch at Kringelgården in Midsommarkansen, a historic bakery originally from Saltsjöbaden that's been around for over 100 years. They serve soup, salad, and grilled sandwiches on levain, among other things. While you're there, don't forget to buy some fresh bread and rolls from their well-stocked bread counter.

If you find yourself in Nacka Strand, you can enjoy lunch at the Italian delicatessen Claudio Kitchen & Friends. Choose from grilled focaccia, Italian salads, and a generous coffee menu. Don't forget to pick up something from the shelves to take home with you while you're here.

There are Pita i Parken restaurants in both Midsommarkransen and Sundbyberg, and this is the place to come to eat various kinds of shawarma and kebabs with exciting flavours and combinations. There's something for everyone here as they also offer 100 percent vegan options. Eat in a pita bread or on a plate, on site or takeaway. In the summer months, the outdoor serving area at the Midsommarkransen branch is a great place to sit and enjoy a beer or a glass of wine or cava.

O'Learys Tolv is one of Europe's largest sports bars and, in addition to an activities paradise with bowling and adventure golf, it also includes a restaurant serving lunch with international flavours on weekdays. Choose between meat, fish and vegetarian prepared by the on-site chef, and tuck into a buffet of potatoes, pasta, rice, vegetables and freshly-baked bread

Visit the garden café at Ulriksdal Castle gardens for a locally-produced lunch in leafy surroundings. Their daily lunch buffet consists of seasonal, mainly organic, ingredients, with hot and cold dishes, soup, fruit and bread.

Pizza enthusiasts of all ages find their way to this old water tower in Sundbyberg to eat organic flatbread pizzas topped with locally produced ingredients. At lunchtime they serve a buffet with three different flatbreads, as well as salad and soup. The raw, industrial feel of the place and colourful paintings on the walls alone are worth a detour.   

The trend for burgers isn't confined to the city centre - you'll also find plenty of top-notch hamburger joints a little further afield but well worth the effort. Don't be surprised if you find your new favourite burger restaurant beyond your usual geographical comfort zone.