Restaurants Closing During the Summer Months (2016)

This post may come as bad news, at least for "foodies" visiting Stockholm in July and early August. Many top tier restaurants (Michelin star, gourmet) close for a few weeks during the summer. This is mainly due to the generous Swedish vacation rules leading many top restaurants to feel that they can't offer excellent food & service with summer replacement staff. Another reason, perhaps, is that many Stockholmers leave the city during this period and there aren't enough visiting "foodies" to fill these types of restaurants to make it profitable. No businessmen in town either... wining & dining clients. At any rate, the good news is that there are a few which will be open all summer and several other top restaurants have some other options during these weeks... and you always have a plethora of other great restaurants in the city to choose from! Most of these restaurants are also closed during the big Midsummer holiday weekend (June 24th-26th).

Michelin star and Bib Gourmand restaurants:

• Mathias Dahlgren- closed between July 15th and August 9th (both the Dining Room and the Food Bar).
• Frantzén- closes on July 9th. Reopening at a new & better location in 2017!
• Oaxen Krog- open all summer as normal.
• Oaxen Slip- open all summer... every day for lunch & dinner.
• Gastrologik- open all summer, though their more casual Speceriet will be closed until the beginning of August for renovations. 
• Ekstedt- closed between July 17th and August 5th.
• Esperanto- the dining room is closed between June 24th and August 5th. Instead, between June 28th and August 4th, they open up their lounge with what they call their Spanish Summer Salon where guests sit at a communal table. They have other restaurants in the house with different summer schedules... Råkultur is open all summer and Shibumi is only closed between June 24th and July 4th. Imouto however will be closed between July 17th and August 10th. 
• Operakällaren- closed between July 17th and August 10th. Their more casual Bakfickan will be open all summer.
• Volt- closed between July 17th and August 14th.
• Rolfs Kök- closed between July 3rd and August 7th.
• Den Gyldene Freden- closed for renovations between June 18th and August 19th. 
• Lilla Ego- closed between July 10th and August 15th.
• Nook- closed between July 2nd and August 8th. 
• Proviant Östermalm- closed between July 9th and July 28th. 
• Ulla Winbladh- open all summer.

Other top rated restaurants:

• Svartengrens- closed between July 4th and July 31st. 
• AG- closed between July 3rd and August 7th. 
• Lux Day to Day- closed between July 16th and August 16th.
• Farang- closed between July 10th and August 10th.
• Djuret- closed between July 4th and August 10th. Instead they open up an outdoor pork barbecue restaurant called Svinet. 
• Pubologi- closed between July 4th and August 2nd. 
• Omakase Köttslöjd- closed between July 4th and August 2nd. 
• Le Rouge- closed between June 24th and August 15th. 
• SMAK- closed between July 10th and August 11th. 
• Miss Voon- open all summer.
• Publico- closed between July 3rd and August 8th. 
• Teatergrillen- closed between July 2nd and August 7th.
• Spritmuseum- their high-end dinner service closes during the summer months. Instead they have a more casual restaurant (includes garden seating) as well as a great "beer pier" on the water open. 
• Fotografiska- their indoor fine dining restaurant is closed between June 24th and August 17th. During this time they open an outdoor barbecue in front of the museum (from June 27th to August 14th). Their café is open as usual.
• Wedholms Fisk- open all summer. 

What this all means is that you need to plan a little ahead if you wish to dine at a top tier Stockholm restaurant during your summer visit and be aware that your favorite (or the one you read about) might not be open. However there are still many great restaurants open during these weeks as well as some restaurants that are open only during the summer months that are definitely worth a visit... so you won't go hungry! If you are staying at the Rival Hotel, contact me directly for help in booking any tables ahead of your visit. Our restaurant Bistro Rival is open all summer.