Whenever I have a short stay in Sweden’s capital, I face the difficult choice between dining at a classic favorite or trying a new restaurant at the cutting edge of Scandinavian gastronomy. On this trip, I was able to have it all, patronizing one of Stockholm’s most famous seafood brasseries, a fashionable fine-dining destination and a cool natural-wine bar.

Though these establishments all had very different styles and menus, they shared common themes. Certain flavors and ingredients appeared again and again: caviar, cloudberries, herring, salmon, meadowsweet, sea buckthorn, spruce tips and scallops. And whether at a casual neighborhood spot, a Michelin-starred dining room or somewhere in between, we found a polished Scandinavian aesthetic.

Adam Albin

» A new spot that’s equal parts haute and hip

Adam Albin, one of the city’s trendiest new restaurants, delivered my best meal in Stockholm. This hip venue in Norrmalm operates at the highest level, with food and service on par with some of the world’s top culinary establishments. And yet there’s a relaxed elegance to the place. We started (and ended) the meal in the moody upstairs “record bar,” before moving into the formal dining room for delicate and decadent à la carte dishes, including pan-seared scallops in rosemary beurre blanc and fillet of turbot in a sabayon with chopped egg and caviar. The dinner was expensive but worth the splurge.

Adam Albin
Regeringsgatan 2. Tel. (46) 8-41-15-535

Sturehof

» French-inflected Swedish comfort food in a grand brasserie

When I asked a local friend to recommend a great traditional Stockholm restaurant, he was quick to respond with Sturehof, a sprawling upscale seafood mecca in Östermalm. We started with a trio of classic cold seafood starters: cured salmon, shrimp with mayonnaise and herring in dill sauce. After these delicious bites, we moved on to a rich trout au gratin topped with shrimp and lightly browned duchess potatoes. This was the kind of place where we could have easily spent the afternoon lingering at one of the sidewalk tables, sipping Champagne and people watching.

Sturehof 
Stureplan 2. Tel. (46) 8-44-05-730

Tyge & Sessil

» Natural wines in an industrial-chic setting

Though I love exploring Stockholm’s fine-dining scene, it’s also a treat to visit haunts where the cool kids go. We popped into Tyge & Sessil, a natural-wine bar with an eclectic by-the-glass menu of mostly European wines, including a Swedish option. We each tried a pour of Arilds Vingård “Hipster,” a crisp and tangy unfiltered white made from Solaris grapes grown in Skåne, in southern Sweden. Now that’s something we don’t see at home. We had dinner plans, so unfortunately we didn’t sample the tempting small plates of steak tartare, oysters, tortellini, charcuterie and cheese.

Tyge & Sessil
Brahegatan 4. Tel. (46) 8-51-94-22-77

Le Hibou

» Swanky rooftop cocktail bar with city views

While in Stockholm, we were treated to one of those glorious summer days that makes the dark and dismal winter worth it. On a quest for a rooftop bar, we found Le Hibou, a swanky little spot atop Bank Hotel in Norrmalm. We were lucky to snag the last open table on the balcony, where we could look out over the rooftops. The cocktail menu features unique craft concoctions, as well as spins on classics, like the Tokyo Collins, made with gin, yuzu sake, grapefruit, lemon and soda. There’s no place better for a sunny evening aperitif.

Le Hibou
Arsenalsgatan 6. Tel. (46) 8-59-85-80-00