The best places for a gourmet lunch in Stockholm

Paris, New York, London, Madrid... All cities with exclusive department stores need to have first-class restaurants, and Stockholm is no exception. Right at the top of NK is the perfect spot for a luxury lunch halfway through a shopping or window-shopping trip. Bobergs oozes historic charm, but the restaurant's classic backdrop has been combined with a menu by Björn Frantzén och Johan von Euler that's both timeless and contemporary at the same time.

The ultimate luxury lunch is served at Frantzén. Only 23 guests are served at a time so you can count on personal service and with three stars in the Michelin Guide standards are sky high. The gastronomic experience includes everything from fish and seafood to meat and vegetarian dishes.

You'll find Tommy Myllymäki's Michelin-starred restaurant Aira in the leafy environs of Djurgården. They celebrate their proximity to nature and the water in both their architecture and the menu, with ambitious cooking influenced by international techniques and flavours, but using Nordic ingredients. At lunchtime, you can choose between the seasonal tasting menu or a shorter version, the prix fixe.

Stockholm can boast several Michelin-starred restaurants, but very few of them are open at lunchtime. Mathias Dahlgren's Matbaren in the Grand Hôtel is a welcome exception, serving lunch a couple of days a week. If you're looking for a gastronomic experience in stylish surroundings with faultless service, this is the place to book a table (or try your luck with a drop-in spot at the bar).

Star chef Frida Ronge is behind the Swedish/Japanese fusion food served at the vast Tak terrace at the top of Hotel At Six. The space includes a restaurant, bar, raw bar and terrace with panoramic 360 degree views over the city. Lunch is served à la carte and uses organic, locally-produced ingredients wherever possible.

This luxurious neighbourhood restaurant has been run since 2019 by the gang behind Punk Royale. Lunch, which is served a couple of days a week, consists of a set menu with a selection of dishes from the evening menu. It can also be made completely vegetarian, and gluten- and nut-free.

Few dishes are as luxurious as fresh oysters. Well, possibly a whole seafood platter. Whatever you fancy, Lisa Elmqvist's elegant dining room, housed in Östermalmshallen indoor food market, is a reliable destination for lunch. They serve the very best produce from the sea, together with well-prepared side dishes, and a drinks menu that includes carefully selected wines, cocktails and beers.

This neighbourhood favourite serves up Swedish dishes made with French cooking techniques in classic bistro surroundings in Gamla Enskede. The restaurants which has been in the same place since 2009, draws in locals and anyone else who enjoys good food and drinks in a pleasant atmosphere. Choose from the week's meat, fish and veggie or combine dishes to create your own three-course lunch.

Wedholms Fisk is famous for being one of the city's best fish restaurants. It is a truly classic restaurant in the true sense of the word, from the cooking to the professional service and the starched white tablecloths. Lunch consists of à la carte, weekly and business lunches, all with a focus on fish and shellfish.

This smart French-inspired brasserie on Östermalmstorg draws in crowds from lunch to late evening. The premises formerly housed a cinema, but have been converted into a lively restaurant with several bars and dining rooms. The weekday lunch consists of both plat du jour and à la carte options, with several dishes being completed directly at the tables on dining carts.

Anyone who wants to get seriously stuck into first-class fish and shellfish should head for Stureplan. Sturehof's outdoor seating area is a great place to see and be seen, and it's always packed - whether it's the first warm day of spring or during peak crayfish season in August. Its enduring popularity is well-deserved, the restaurant's French/Swedish menu is top-notch, year in, year out. 

Sturehof's buzzy atmosphere is shared by its sister restaurant Riche, a little further down Birger Jarlsgatan. The menu here is also influenced by classic French brasseries, but piscine dishes are joined here by other classics such as Beef Rydberg, veal liver Anglais and steak tartare Parisienne. 

Just a few steps from Riche is Teatergrillen, which was opened in 1945 by Swedish culinary legend Tore Wretman as a sister restaurant to Riche. The restaurant is in the same traditional style as the two mentioned above, with exclusive ingredients prepared in classic homecooking style with French influences. Here, the same lunch applies all day, but you can also order the same plat du jour as at Riche.

All three spots are just as popular for their atmosphere as the food.

At the Östermalm restaurant Aristo, you're greeted by timeless elegance in a relaxed atmosphere, with an open kitchen where the chefs prepare mostly European dishes from a modern à la carte menu. Lunch includes a selection of dishes with ingredients from both land and sea, with options also available for vegetarians.

For a luxurious lunch in historic premises, head along to Nybroe Smørrebrød in Östermalms Saluhall. They specialise in authentic Danish open sandwiches served with various toppings, with an emphasis on fish but also some meat and vegetarian options.

Swanky lifestyle hotel At Six on Brunkebergstorg in the heart of the city is full of modern art and design. Enjoy lunch in their restaurant, Dining Room, which serves food with modern gastronomic influences from Sweden and Europe.

Freyja spreads out across the penthouse of a building in Slussen, with bars, large outdoor seating area and an elegant restaurant, all designed by Gert Wingårdh architects. Nordic and Swedish dishes are the order of the day, made with seasonal ingredients, interspersed with occasional well-chosen influences from international cuisines.

Chez Jolie quickly became the talk of the town when they opened in autumn 2023. The restaurant is run by Mikael Einarsson, who has created a luxurious metropolitan bistro that's French-inspired in both food and drink - even at lunchtime. They serve a couple of selected full-on French dishes that are updated every week.

Eat lunch southern European style at Bistro Arsenalen, which serves a plat du jour as well as a luxurious à la carte menu. Don't miss the oyster section on the menu, surrounded by selected wines by the glass. The lunch menu serves classic bistro dishes such as steak tartare, salads, meat dishes and omelettes. 

Whether it's for a business lunch or not, historic Prinsen is a perfect choice for anyone looking for excellent classic Swedish cuisine served in elegant surroundings. The restaurant is surrounded by both business districts and smart shopping streets, and its style is just as it was at the last turn of the century.

Strandvägen 1 is one of the most exclusive addresses in Stockholm and this eponymous restaurant is a popular meeting place with elegant interiors and social vibes most of the day, even at lunchtime. Choose one of the selected weekly dishes or tailor-make your own three-course meal. The bistro-style menu has a strong European theme.

Enjoy lunch on the front row at this prime Strandvägen location. On sunny days, the outdoor seating quickly fills up with sun-worshipping Stockholmers, but it's also a popular hangout during the colder months. The menu consists of both weekly-changing dishes of the week and à la carte, as well as wines that can be ordered by the glass if you want to splurge a little extra.

Stockholm's stately opera house houses not just one fantastic spot for a luxurious lunch but two... If you go around the building and come in from Jakobstorg and Kungsträdgården you'll find Operakällaren's bakficka, or little sister restaurant, and it doesn't get much more classic than this. The menu is dominated by the very finest of traditional Swedish dishes, such as rimmad lax (salt-cured salmon), reindeer calf fillet and pike quenelles with lobster sauce and guests with a sweet tooth will be in dessert heaven. The flavours are familiar to anyone who knows Swedish homecooking, but oh so beautifully cooked.

Star chefs Daniel Höglander and Niclas Jönsson are responsible for the food and drink at this boutique hotel on Nybrogatan. Their light inner courtyard, is a delightfully quiet and leafy spot to enjoy lunch with European influences.