Food & drink, Stockholm, Sweden

4 great places to eat out in Stockholm that won’t break your budget

RiA
2 April, 2019
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From meatballs, lingonberries, picked vegetables, fish and sweet and savoury pastries, here are 4 great places to eat out in Stockholm that won’t break your budget.

1. Meatballs for the People

Located in Sodermälm, a trendy district in Stockholm, Meatballs for the People is where you should head for a variety of balls and beer. The laid-back, busy restaurant serves a minimum of five flavours of meatballs daily – such as beef, boar and moose.

The plates

On the menu are Meatball Plates. These are platters which are great whether you’re sharing or eating alone. If you simply want to try out the meatball variety (without committing to a larger portion) you should choose The Starter.

It comes with four different meatballs chosen on the day by the chef. They’re served with pickled cucumbers, red onions, a little bowl of gravy sauce and lingonberries. You also get a side of crackers and a small pot of creamed cheese. I chose this option and it made a nice lunchtime snack for just under 80SEK (at the time of visiting – Feb 2019).

To be honest, I liked the boar meatball the least, although when dipped in the gravy it tasted a little better to me. I preferred the veal the most but still enjoyed the other meatballs

A few things…

Non-meat options – don’t worry if you don’t eat meat as they also serve salmon and vegan balls.
Drinks – they have four different types of Swedish beer as well as other beers and ciders to choose from. You can try some Swedish snaps or if you don’t drink alcohol they have a selection of non-alcoholic drinks as well.

Reservations – be prepared to wait a little bit if you just turn up. They can get pretty busy. If you want to make sure you have a table ready, it may be best to make a reservation.

Address
Nytorgsgatan 30, 116 40 Stockholm

2. Café Saturnus

Known for its huge cinnamon buns and other sweet and savoury goodies, Café Saturnus is a patisserie et boulangerie just off Birger Jarlsgatan street in Östermalm. After wandering around Stockholm’s shopping street, Drottninggatan, and before heading to the Vasa Museum, I stopped for Fika. Fika is a term used in Sweden which means a coffee break. It’s a time to relax and socialise. I’d heard that having a cinnamon bun is a must when in the city, and I found out that Café Saturnus was a great place to try one.

Food and drink

With many pastries on offer it’ll be hard to choose. They have everything from cinnamon buns, lemon meringue and banoffee pie to cheesecake and cardamom rolls. You can wash it down with some freshly made coffee, hot chocolate or juice.

Their cinnamon buns do not disappoint neither in taste or size. They’re huge and taste amazing! I also ordered a hot chocolate with cream and got a surprise – the cream was served on the side with cocoa dusted on top! My Fika was a great way to chat to a few of the locals and warm up. The cold snowy day was quickly forgotten! If you’re in the area (or even if you’re not), Café Saturnus is a lovely relaxing patisserie and a cool stop for Fika!

Address
Eriksbergsgatan 6, 114 30 Stockholm

3. Nomad Swedish Food and Bar.

So, one of the perks when you stay at City Backpackers Hostel (have you read my review yet??) is the discount you get at Nomad Swedish Food and Bar. It’s conveniently located next door.

Swedish meatballs

Serving beautifully swirled potato puree along with pickled cucumber, a light gravy and lingonberries, Nomad’s meatballs compliment the rest of the plate nicely. The meal comes with a little bag of sour dough crackers to soak up any gravy or potato leftover.

If you’re not a fan of spice, then these meatballs will do you perfectly. They’re not particularly spicy, so works if you dislike a little kick in your food. You can wash it down with some Jus de Pommes Artisanal Pétillant Biologique – that’s apple cider. Very refreshing!

Atmosphere

Nomad is certainly a chilled place. It’s has a small bar and cushioned seating in places which makes it feel even more cosy. There were quite a few people coming in for something to eat while I was there so it’s certainly quite popular.

A few things…

Safety – you’ll find bag hooks under the bar convenient if you’re eating or having a drink there.
Charge up – there are plug sockets under the bar too so good for powering up your phone.
Live music – Nomad is also a venue that hosts live music. It holds a number of events with DJ’s and local talent playing.

Nomad is worth checking out if you’re near the city’s central station in Norrmalm as it’s not too far away. It’s also not an expensive place to eat out at and with the City Backpackers Hostel discount if you’re staying there, you can save yourself a few extra SEK.

Address
Upplandsgatan 2 111 23 Stockholm, Sweden

4. K25

If you’re in the centre of Norrmalm and can’t think of what to eat, pop into K25 (Kungsgatan 25) and be faced with enough choices to keep you full until your next meal. K25 is a trendy street food hall located under a bridge just off Kungsgatan street. It features eleven mini restaurants each selling a different speciality. You can get anything ranging from Thai, sushi, burgers, burritos and falafel.

My K25 meal – YOI

I ordered at Yoi. It’s Asian street food serving the likes of Thai Tom Kha Gai, Yoibimbap and Panang Thaim. I decided on the Seoul Soul which is marinated roasted duck, pak choy, sweet potato noodles, bean sprouts and fresh chili. It tasted lovely and more than I was expecting as it really filled me up nicely.

Atmosphere

It’s a great informal place to eat and is quite chilled out and buzzy. The food hall is full of amazing food scents that will get your mouth watering! There’s plenty of seats throughout and more at the back of the hall.

A few things

Food anytime – if you’re nearby in the morning, you can grab some breakfast. You can have some lunch, pop by later in the day for dinner or order takeaway.
Opening times – they’re open six days a week until 10pm (local time). Check their website as there are days where hours may differ.

K25 is a great place if you want a lively, informal place to eat alone or with friends. There’s a lot to choose from and you should be able to find yourself something for under 100SEK. Not bad given some of Sweden’s prices.

Address Kungsgatan 25 111 56 Stockholm Sweden.

You must try and have something to eat at one of these places if you’re staying in Stockholm! If you’re looking for inexpensive places to have yourself a good munch.

Let me know if you do stop by any and what you think!