Spritmuseum's Restaurant

I had the opportunity yesterday to try yet another great restaurant in Stockholm! This time it was the restaurant within the Spritmuseum. In English this has been translated as "The Museum of Spirits", though I like to call it "The Museum of Adult Beverages" so that people don't confuse it with the ghostly type of spirits. One highlight of this museum is the Absolut Art Collection, though they do have several other permanent and temporary exhibitions. Click here to read about my visit a couple of years ago.

The setting...

But back to the restaurant! This place is on point when it comes to several of the hottest trends in Swedish gastronomy... 1. New Nordic Cuisine, 2. restaurants located in museums and cultural centers 3. creative focus on vegetarian dishes/options and 4. great culinary experiences at more humane prices. New Nordic espouses the use of local, seasonal produce while using innovative techniques or reviving old, traditional techniques. And I do love the trend of combining food & drink with a cultural experience. Besides Spritmuseum, another great example of this in Stockholm is the restaurant at Fotografiska (photography museum) which I recently visited. More on the vegetarian trend and pricing a bit later.

The vegetarian dishes featuring winter spinach, blackened beet,
parsley root, pickled celeriac and much more.

Head chef Petter Nilsson and manager/Sommelier Erika Lindström are the creative force behind this restaurant and their combined culinary knowledge and experience is quite impressive. Currently (until the summer) the restaurant has their fine dining option on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings. They have a more casual a la carte menu on Tuesday evenings and lunch (daily). When summer starts they open up their outdoor garden terrace where they will serve an a la carte menu and the indoor restaurant will close for the season. Spritmuseum's location on Djurgården's waterfront, adjacent to other popular sites like the Vasa Museum, ABBA the Museum and Skansen, means that it is a great option for an al fresco lunch this summer. And soon, in time for the warm weather, they will open a floating pier in front of the museum where they promise to have Stockholm's largest assortment of beers on draft. Looking forward to that...

Omnivorous dishes with focus on lamb, langoustine and cod.

Last night we experienced their fine dining restaurant. Diners have a choice of three menus. A completely vegetarian 7 course menu, an omnivorous 7 course menu or you can go all out and try all 10 dishes... which we did! While I am a big meat eater, I love it when I am pleasantly surprised by delicious vegetarian dishes and this was definitely the case at Spritmuseum. As I mentioned earlier, focusing on vegetables as the main component of a dish is a growing trend here in Stockholm and it is wonderful that vegetarians have these fine dining options and don't have to feel like they are inconveniencing the kitchen (though they never should here in Stockholm). The prices won't ruin you either with the above menus costing 600, 750 and 1000 SEK respectively. This is quite good when compared to other similar restaurants and considering the culinary experience. We like this trend!

Desserts... buttermilk sherbert with dried blueberries, malt & porter,
apple compote with milk & meringue and bergamot genoise.

Don't miss Erika's wine pairings as well... they were interesting (focus on natural wines) as well as spot on. And keep in mind that, as they only use fresh, seasonal produce, the menus change often throughout the year... so check their website for current menus. It is easy to get to the restaurant/museum from the Rival Hotel, just hop on the Djurgård Ferry from nearby Slussen (10 minute ferry ride followed by 5 minute walk). If you are coming from the downtown area, then I recommend the Djurgård street car. If you are staying at the hotel, contact me for help with reservations. Click here for other restaurant reviews/recommendations.
Edit: The NY Times just wrote a postive review... so, speaking from experience, booking ahead is advised.