Seafood Restaurants in Stockholm

At the fish mongers in Hötorgshallen

One misconception, when it comes to restaurants in Stockholm, is that we have seafood restaurants on every corner. Visitors to the city assume that we are swimming in seafood (pun intended). This is not a strange assumption considering Stockholm is surrounded by water, with the Baltic Sea one side and Lake Mälaren on the other, and traditional Swedish cuisine is famous for its fish. Both are true, however, there aren't many major commercial fisheries in the Baltic, especially in the Stockholm area, due to overfishing and oxygen depletion. In fact, over 75% of commercial fisheries in Sweden are located away from the Baltic and are mostly found on our west coast, along the North Sea  (where Gothenburg is located).

This means that Stockholm doesn't have a fishing fleet or major fish market, like other large coastal cities have, and the majority of our "fresh" seafood is shipped daily from the west coast or rivers of northern Sweden. And keep in mind, while traditional Swedish cuisine does contain seafood, much of it is preserved... like cured salmon (gravad lax) or pickled herring. With this being said, Stockholm does have several great seafood restaurants and most other restaurants will have a choice of delicious seafood dishes on their menus. Below you will find a list of restaurants I recommend if you are looking for a seafood meal when in Stockholm.

Fresh halibut with shrimps and champagne sauce at Wedholms Fisk

• Wedholms Fisk- high-end and considered one of Sweden's top seafood restaurants.
• Sturehof- popular with locals. While they have meat & vegetarian dishes, most people go here for the seafood. 
• Stockholm Fisk- "fisk" is the Swedish word for fish, so the name says it all... 
• B.A.R.- their concept is that they resemble a high-end food market, where you go to the counter and choose your cut of meat or fish.
• Stim- seafood prepared over a charcoal grill. "Stim" is the Swedish word for a school of fish.
• Räkan- a Gothenburg restaurant that has opened up in Stockholm. Lots of fresh, west coast shellfish.
• Fjäderholmarnas Krog- archipelago restaurant in idyllic setting, great seafood on the menu. 

Oysters and löjrom (bleak roe) at Sturehof. 

There are two main indoor food markets in Stockholm, Östermalms Saluhall and Hötorgshallen, where you will find fish mongers plying their trade. In both markets they also have several lunch restaurants where the fish comes fresh, directly from the mongers. Especially at Östermalms Saluhall where you have both Lisa Elmqvist and Melanders Fisk. When the food market closes in the evening, Lisa Elmqvist stays open with a special entrance from Sibyllegatan. Melanders Fisk can also be found at a few other locations in the city for dining in the evening. 

The restaurant Lisa Elmqvist has its own fish monger at Östermalms Saluhall.

More interested in traditional Swedish cuisine? Click here to find out the best Stockholm restaurants serving Swedish cuisine. More interested in the Baltic Sea, its fisheries and ecosystem? Then don't miss a visit to the new Baltic Sea Science Center at Skansen. Want to catch your own fish in Stockholm? It is possible! One company that also offers fishing excursions is Catch & Relax. 

From a hotel guest who went fishing himself in Stockholm