Stockholm restaurants with signature dishes

This popular regulars' haunt just off Drottninggatan is all about simplicity and quality. They're not swayed by the latest trends and concepts; instead, the open kitchen sends out perfectly cooked classics such as their signature dish red wine-braised beef cheeks with truffle and potato puree. Johan Jureskog from AG is behind the helm.

Stockholm's most luxurious Asian restaurant is an impressive combination of innovative cuisine and cool industrial-chic surroundings. You'll be taken on a gastronomic journey to Southeast Asia, with small dishes such as crispy fried pork with palm sugar caramel - probably the restaurant's best-known dish. Naturally, there's also a vegetarian tasting menu for anyone who prefers to eat a plant-based diet.

This Asian restaurant is part of hip Story Hotel on Riddargatan. At lunchtime they serve a seriously popular vegan menu - it's often fully booked with queues to get in. Dishes consist of various salads, stews and their famous Bang Bang Oumph, served with rice, coriander and pickled cucumber.

The city's most decadent fine dining restaurant has a uniquely playful concept which has won over countless Stockholmers and foodies. They create innovative dishes such as "foie gras falukorv sausage", which are served at relatively reasonable prices considering the exclusive ingredients they use.

The Östermalm restaurant Hantverket ("Craftsmanship") embodies exactly that - craftsmanship when it comes to both food and decor. The kitchen creates elegant dishes with both Swedish and international flavours, two of which have secured a permanent spot on the menu. Most notably is their hasselback potatoes with löjrom, smetana, and spring onion, but the bread service with freshly fried “tuttul” flatbread, slow-cooked pork, and homemade butter is also a dish not to be missed. 

Nowadays, Bar Agrikultur is far from alone in serving the simple yet oh-so popular combination of pickled cucumber, sour cream, and honey, but it's largely thanks to this food bar that the dish has established itself on menus across Stockholm. Today, it's their signature dish and a must-order when visiting here.

Steak cooked and served on a wooden plank with piped duchess potatoes was something of a classic dish in Sweden in the Seventies and it's recently made a bit of a revival. If you fancy trying it, get yourself out to Djurgården where the Villa Godthem has had plankstek as their signature dish for decades. The wonderfully old-fashioned restaurant serves different variations on the iconic dish: vegetarian, with fish, striploin or lamb shank.

Right next door to its sister restaurant Strandvägen 1, Milles has a lively, intimate atmosphere and walls hung with interesting art. Take in the atmosphere over a bite to eat and a glass of wine. Their signature dish, Korean steak tartare with kimchi mayonnaise, can be ordered as a full or half portion.

L'Avventura became an instant favourite when it opened up its doors in spectacular premises on Sveavägen, near Odenplan. The menu and the atmosphere are both authentically Italian. Don't miss the vodka pasta if you want to try a dish that really sets the restaurant apart. Their truffle pasta's also extremely popular.

Scandwich quickly made a name for themselves for their "divinely delicious sandwiches"; their vegan sandwich even won the Swedish Sandwich Championships. Think Danish open sandwiches, but slightly larger and with international flavours and innovative combinations - served with crispy French fries and homemade bearnaise sauce. Order natural wines and unusual beers to go with. The menu has something for everyone: meat lovers, fish fans, vegetarians and vegans.

At Mathias Dahlgren's Michelin-starred restaurant within the Grand Hôtel you'll eat next level, medium-sized dishes made from the very best ingredients in season. The menu changes constantly, but one dish you can always be sure of being able to eat here are their steamed buns - a steaming hot tip for anyone with a taste for this Asian dish.

Come to this rooftop restaurant at the top of design hotel Blique by Nobis for both the food and the views. Their “Eat Korean!” dish, which is served to the whole table, is a Korean, taco-like sharing dish, ssäm style. The table is filled with vegetarian accompaniments, various sauces and three different kinds of meat (there are also vegetarian alternatives), which are eaten in a salad leaf. As delicious as it is convivial. 

Do you love meatballs with all the traditional accompaniments? Then you may well already know that this restaurant institution is more or less synonymous with this favourite Swedish dish. The restaurant's meatballs are so famous that they're not even included on the menu any more. Their butter-fried herring is another long-standing classic that's been on the menu since Tranan opened in 1929.

Gaufrette, or “waffled potato chips”, is the signature dish that's kept its place on Bar Allegrine's menu since 2018. The crispy potatoes topped with lumpfish roe and soured cream are a must-try for both new guests and returning regulars. Combine with other playful small dishes and a nice glass of wine, and soak up the restaurant's charming atmosphere.

Bank Hotel's restaurant is in the building's impressive former banking hall, complete with glass ceiling, chandeliers, white tablecloths and dark green velvet banquettes. Leave room for dessert - Bonnie's piece de resistance is an eye-catching chocolate pig filled with blackberry sorbet. "Smash the Piggy Bank" quickly became an Instagram favourite and is big enough to be shared between two.

It's not hard to guess where Hasselback potatoes come from. In the 1950s an apprentice chef at this very restaurant invented the delicous way of roasting potatoes. Since then the dish has become a permanent fixture on the restaurant menu and has recently been given a modern glow-up, served with wagyu, cured tuna, goat cheese and other delicacies.

Gino – fruit baked in the oven with white chocolate - may sound like an Italian invention, but the dessert was actually introduced by Stockholm restaurant PA & Co at the end of the Eighties. It became a real Nineties classic dish, and the restaurant is still famous for their Gino, which is always on the menu.

Tales of the lobster served at Miss Voon have spread across the land over the years. Not surprisingly - many people regard the lobster taco served with pineapple, shizo cress and shishimi as one of the best things they've ever eaten. The menu here is constantly changing, but the lobster tacos are a constant. 

At Sandhäxan, the spotlight is on the sandwich in general and the cheesy variety in particular. Many of the dishes on the menu are as well-known as the trio behind the restaurant, and the most talked-about is their grilled cheese sandwich known as Grilled Cheese No 23. The sandwich consists of white bread with no less than four types of cheese and is served with chips and hot sauce. Delicious doesn't do it justice.

Itamae Izakaya on St Eriksplan is regarded by many as the best sushi they've ever eaten. Order their mixed nigiri and we can almost guarantee you'll be impressed.

Over the past few years one specific dish has made a particularly strong showing on Instagram - the cacio e pepe at Calle P. This buttery, cheesy and peppery pasta dish can be found in its simplest yet tastiest form at this Stureplangruppen restaurant in Berzelii Park. 

This little gem on the city-centre island of Blasieholmen is a dream for shellfish lovers. They've created a hybrid between a restaurant and food hall here. If you're here to eat you can point out what you fancy from the counter, whether it's a seafood platter or fish dish. But you can also come by to pick up something to take home with you.

Barbro, tucked away under the Liljeholm bridge, on the Södermalm side, is a neighbourhood restaurant serving Asian food in Hornstull. Despite its low-key vibe it's usually fully booked here, probably due to their delicious cocktails, top-notch sushi and famous fried dumplings, served in butter sauce.

If you want to enjoy pickled herring outside of Christmas and Midsummer, you can rely on Sturehof, which always serves a herring platter or one of its herring dishes. Choose between three and five plates, including options such as Sturehof herring, Norrøna matjessill, Boxholm herring and mustard herring, and add on caviar herring, shrimp salad, chicken liver pâté or gravlax. Sturehof also has a signature dessert on its menu: princess cake - a creamy sponge covered in marzipan - served in a small coupe.

As iconic as Wedholms Fisk is on the Stockholm restaurant scene, so is the fricassée on their menu. If you have a penchant for the delights of the sea, this is something you should not miss. It's made with turbot, sole, lobster, and scallops, served in a champagne sauce. The restaurant is also known for delivering really good service and a unique atmosphere, with both royalty and celebrities among the guests.

At this modern bistro classic near Odenplan, most dishes are changed frequently, but one signature dish that can always be found on the menu is grilled red prawn with sweetcorn and béarnaise. Almost equally famous is the crispy chicken skin with cream and trout roe. There can't be many of the city's dedicated foodies who haven't tried these two dishes.

Every Wednesday - and only on Wednesdays - Köttkompaniet serves up seriously meaty takeaway sandwiches. Tender sirloin steak is joined by caramelised onions and cheddar, and then embraced by freshly baked bread. If you want a sandwich, you'll have to plan ahead; their Philly cheese steak must be pre-ordered the day before.