The Best Wine, Beer and Cocktail Bars in Sweden!

Happy New Year! Let's kick off 2019 on a high note... pun intended. The White Guide Nordic recently awarded the best bars in Sweden in the categories of beer, wine and cocktail. Good news for guests at the Hotel Rival as the winners of the three categories are all located on the same island/district in Stockholm as the hotel: Södermalm! While we do have our own fantastic cocktail bar at the hotel, it is nice to have a few other top options nearby. The winners...

• Best cocktail bar: Tjoget. Linje 10 is the name of the restaurant & bar and Hornstull's Bodega is their wine bar, all found within Tjoget. Located on Hornstull. The motivation for the award names the high level of service and for constantly revolutionizing Sweden's cocktail culture. 
• Best beer bar: Omnipollos Hatt. This cozy beer bar is located just a few blocks from the hotel and always has several great craft beers on draft as well as gourmet pizzas. The motivation for their award mentions their sense of humor, creativity and experimentation as well as how they have elevated all things beer related. 
• Best wine bar: Folii. Fantastic wine bar located on the eastern part of Södermalm, close to SoFo. According to the White Guide, knowledge, ambiance, décor, food and wine selection all played part in their first prize. Everything you want in a wine bar!

Several other bars in our area made the list over top 20 bars in Sweden. Paradiso, Bar Hommage and Vänster på Häktet all made the top 10 and are just within three blocks from the Rival! A couple of others, Tweed and Corner Club, are just a short walk away in Gamla Stan. As I mentioned, the Hotel Rival has a great cocktail bar... and on January 16th we will be unveiling a new bar, called Watson's Bar, which will be open daily from 11am. Stay tuned! I am old enough to remember Stockholm bars in the late 1980's and early 1990's when a gin & tonic was considered a cocktail, wine selection was at a bare minimum and the only beer you could get on draft were from the three big breweries. So it is fun to see how it has evolved! Click here for more restaurant/bar guides and awards. Visit Stockholm has put together some guides for wine bars, beer & breweries and clubs & bars.

Watson's Bar... coming soon (Jan 16th) to the Hotel Rival!