Rosendals Wärdshus

The island of Djurgården in Stockholm is part of a larger national city park that attracts over 15 million visitors every year. The vast majority of these visitors keep to the small western corner of the island, where many of Stockholm's major attractions are located... like museums, zoo, amusement park, theaters, art galleries and restaurants. Most visitors don't know that there are acres and acres of beautiful parkland, forests and waterways just a few minutes walk from this area and well worth a visit.

One of my favorite places to visit for lunch in the park is Rosendals Wärdshus. Great Swedish food in an idyllic setting! It is located on a forested hill, just behind Skansen, and has been around for over a hundred years. Rosendal means approximately "valley of the roses" in Swedish and is the name of several establishments and attractions in this area of the park, like the gardens and café at Rosendals Trädgård and the castle Rosendals Slott. All great places to visit as well!

At Rosendals Wärdshus, you order your food at the counter and then you can either sit inside or outside in the park. They have simpler dishes like pastries, salads and sandwiches as well as warm dishes like Wallenbergare, herring, seafood stew and more. My favorite is their shrimp salad which is filled with things like avocado, egg, tomatoes and (of course) hand-peeled shrimp. Delicious with a glass of rosé wine. You can also use one of their sun chairs and just hang out with a glass.

If you are on Djurgården, visiting the attractions, the easiest way to get to Rosendals Wärdshus is to walk around the northern part of Skansen park. Just follow the signs. You can also take the Djurgård tram to the end station Bellmansro and then walk from there. The tram runs from the Central Station all through the downtown area out to Djurgården. The easiest way to get to Djurgården from Hotel Rival is to take the Djurgård Ferry from nearby Gamla Stan.