Prices & costs
How cheap is it to eat in Stockholm?
Stockholm, like most countries, is an expensive place to eat out. If your budget is pretty tight, you don’t necessarily have to stick to MacDonalds but you might want to avoid dining out, because the bill can be a hefty whack. A typical restaurant meal costs around SEK 175-250*, and if you are planning to splash out, be sure to seek out a traditional Swedish Restaurant, rather than one of the many pan-european Asian restaurants on offer. The most classic Swedish dish is the infamous ‘Smörgåsbord’, an open sandwich served with titbits such as ham, pickled herring and “lutfisk” (a pre-prepared form of Cod or a similar fish).
The bad news? You may have to avoid buying a nice bottle of wine to wash the meal down with, because alcohol often ends up costing twice as much as the meal itself. Another thing worth bearing in mind is that most Swedish kitchens close quite early in the evening, at around 9.30-10pm, so I would advise you to arrive early if you don’t want to go hungry! Avoid at all costs the overpriced tourist-magnet areas that are Södermalm & Gamla Stan, and aim instead for Norrmalm & Östermalm.
*The exchange rate at the time of writing (19.09.10) was as follows: 1£/ SEK 11.09.10
Supermarket
The main supermarket chain in Sweden is known as ‘Willys’ (pronounced ‘Villies’), and there is another called ‘ICA’ (‘ee-kah’). A pint of milk costs about SEK 7; a loaf of bread about SEK 15; a bottle of wine SEK 67; a beer (domestic origin) SEK 16; a beer (imported) SEK 17; a pack of cigarettes SEK 46; and a box of eggs SEK 14. Just from my personal experience, I found the meat available at Swedish supermarkets to be of a rather poor quality, so unless you are desperate for a steak (average price about SEK 70-90), I’d stick with what the Swedes are good at: fish. You can get a tube of squeezable caviar (a whole lot tastier than it sounds) for about SEK 40.
Bars and Restaurants
Operakällaren, which has been voted ‘Sweden’s most beautiful dining room’ due to its iconic view of the Royal Palace, is the place where the Beckhams would go to eat if they went to visit Stockholm. If you aren’t on a Beckingham-Palace style budget, though, you might want to consider eating at ‘Sturehof’, a restaurant with a good reputation for fish and seafood. Tel: +46 (0)8 440 5730 or e-mail: info@sturhof.com, you can get sandwiches here for SEK 125 (small) – SEK 155 (large). The ‘Dalarö Sandwich’, with smoked herring, vendace roe and egg yolk is particularly tasty.
Fancy something stronger? A beer will set you back between SEK 40-140. I made the mistake of offering to buy a round as a student in a relatively nondescript bar, and the bill for three beers came to an astonishing SEK 500 (!), so be sure to take a peek at the drinks menu before you get a round of drinks in. Of course, it may well have been magic beer..
Coffee
Drinking coffee is a bit of a Swedish institution, in fact they even have a word for it: ‘Fika’ which refers to the practise of taking a break for a cup of coffee and a biscuit. The best coffee in Stockholm is thought to be served in the Mellqvist Bar, which is a great way to get a taste of Sweden without shelling out a wad of cash (find it on your map: Rörstrandsgatan 4. Alternatively, the rather wonderful Konditori Valand, which was designed in 1954 and still boasts its original interior design, is another good option. Call +46 8 30 04 76 for details. A cup of coffee usually costs between SEK 30-80, and you can get a free refill in most places.
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