Lunch at the Rosendal Gardens

While we wait for better times, when museums reopen and it feels safer to visit restaurants and bars, I thought I would continue writing about activities in Stockholm that work a little better in these crazy pandemic times. I recently wrote about all of the wonderful parks and green areas in and around Stockholm, a great way to enjoy the beauty of Stockholm while practicing social distancing. But what about lunch?

While out walking, getting something eat might be hard if you don't feel like visiting a regular restaurant. Restaurants are open in Sweden, though there are a lot of Covid-appropriate rules and restrictions in place for your safety (and sanctioned by the Swedish Public Health Board). Still, if you wish to stay outdoors, whether for an extra feeling of safety or just to enjoy the sunshine, a fun option is Rosendals Trädgård. I was there the other day for a picnic lunch with a friend.

Rosendals Trädgård is a garden & orchard that follows organic, bio-dynamic farming practices. It is nice just to stroll around the beautiful gardens, orchards and greenhouses. They also sell a lot of potted plants and flowers and many locals visit Rosendal (especially in the spring) in order to spruce up their gardens and balconies at home. But, if you are looking for something to eat, their garden café is definitely worth a visit when in the area. In true farm-to-table fashion, many of the ingredients (fruits, vegetables, herbs, etc.) in the dishes come from the gardens themselves. They also have a boutique where they sell a lot of their local produce if you feel like taking something home.

You order your lunch at the counter (2 meter spacing between customers in the line, lots of hand sanitizers on hand) and you receive a little buzzer which will let you know when your order is ready for pick up. You choose a table which you will find spread out through the gardens in small patios and glades. Or you can even choose one of the picnic tables in the orchard. Lots of spacing between tables! We had the red beet soup and watermelon salad... all very fresh and delicious! They also have lighter fare like sandwiches if you don't feel like a full lunch.

Rosendals Trädgård is located on the park island of Djurgården, where you will find acres of parks, woodlands and waterways to explore before or after lunch. The easiest way to get there from the Hotel Rival is to take the Djurgård Ferry from nearby Gamla Stan... just a ten minute trip across the harbor. When you get off the ferry, you can either just walk 20 minutes or so to the gardens or jump on the Djurgård tram/street car and ride it a couple of stops to Bellmansro. If you are in the downtown area, you can also take the Djurgård tram all the way out. My friend and I actually met up downtown and walked all the way out, along the beautiful waterfront promenade Strandvägen, so that is also an option. Stay safe!