Operakällaren

I celebrated my 18^th birthday at Operakällaren 10 years ago. It is still the most extraordinary food memory I have, and then it should be added that back then I was a vegetarian :) I remember not having very high expectations on getting vegetarian food that was as good as what the rest of my family ate — but that I was proven very wrong. That earns them an extra golden star.

IF you are a tourist & want to experience absolute swedish restaurant then this is it! Very old, traditional & conservative serving only Swedish food.
The food is pretty nice but nothing special, in fact a little overpriced but the service sucks big time. Three of us walked in & waited for like 10 min right in front of two waiters they just ignored us & didn’t ask if we needed a table until we had to go find someone & say that we are waiting for the table! They appeared to be pretty rude as well, I don’t know maybe they just had a bad day…

Not my favorite! Too traditional and too conservative! However, I love the atmosphere. But, there are so many other more experimental top class restaurants in Stockholm. Just cross the square to Mathias Dahlgren at Grand Hotel or Esperanto…, sorry, not really my cup of tea!

Amazing food, very skilled staff and a lovely atmosphere, a place to go to if you are celebrating something special or just want to feel spoiled

My company hosted a dinner for a group of customers here– about 20 people overall. Really nice event– they sat us in an atrium-​like room with a great view and wonderful food. Highly recommended for a «special event» or special dinner. Restaurant is probably a bit more towards the «formal» end of the spectrum but is still casual enough to be very relaxing and enjoyable.

Beautiful décor, excellent Swedish cuisine. Good for that «special evening».

Two things impressed me in particular during my visit.
The first was the incredibly skilled staff, perfectly attentive, well-​versed, confident and polite. Made me feel like I «belonged» in such a posh place, and deserved nothing but the best (the feeling you should always get from staff, but the reality can be very different!).
The second thing was the egg I got with the main dish. It had been cooked for an hour in 67 degrees celsius. The yolk and the egg-​white were like soft butter. I have never tasted an egg like that.
I have nothing to complain about, everything was of quality and cooked with great care. But the staff and the egg is what was really memorable about that evening

Go to Operakällaren Backficken and get a reasonably priced meal in a laid back setting. You have a choice of sitting at the bar, at elevated two person tables, or outside if the weather is nice.
Had the swedish meatballs and the beef and potato hash. Both were well prepared. Wait staff was prompt.

According to a fine dining magazine article on their wall, this is one of the fifty best restaurants in the world and I believe it. Each dish was exquisite. Portions modest but highly engineered with beautiful presentation and subtle flavors and sauces. The chard was perfect, moist and tender. I first came in casual tourist clothes and was told they were full but was encouraged to make a reservation for the next day, so no apparent dress code. I came back wearing a sports coat and tie and they seemed happy about that. A t-​shirt would feel out of place. The dining room was like out of an aristocrat’s dining hall, very old world and ornate. The staff was attentive and made you feel like the King of Sweden. I asked about the smörgåsbord mentioned by the prior English review and the maitre’d seemed almost offended. If they ever served smörgåsbord here, they no longer do so. It seems unlikely to me, given how fancy this place is. I had an appetizer (labeled «les entrees»), main course, dessert, and wine for 1070 kronar (about $ 150 US dollars) so not inexpensive.

My first meal there was years ago (over 15)…I went with my lovely daddy and his friends. Oh my goodness. We had dinner. It was elegant, delicious… the dessert was these wild strawberries… OHHHH so good…
My husband and I went back right before we had our daughter (9 years ago)…dinner was lovely… yes…those mouth watering wild strawberries…
Can’t wait to go back… one day…

Two summers ago we visited Stockholm with a dear friend from Oakland. I desperately wanted to do the smörgåsbord experience and absolutely loved Operakälleren. At that time they had just started serving a traditional smörgåsbord again. The first trip to the buffet is for herring. All different kinds including mustard, sour cream, sweet and sour, etc. Yum-​O. Second trip is for fish: cured lox, smoked lox, cooked salmon, shrimp. Then you get the cold meats: pâté, reindeer, cold cuts. Fourth is the hot food: meatballs, potato-​anchovy gratin, roast potatoes. (I must say that was the low point.) Last is the dessert station.
The service is fantastic. The akavit was special. The bubbly and red wine great. This place should get 6 stars!

It’s realy one of the best restaurants you can find in Stockholm. Still I wonder sometimes today, why I left Sweden after 3 fantastic years for Germany (but now I found an equal fantastic country with a lot of good food: China.)
It was somtimes difficult to decide, when in Gammal stan: go to Operakaellaren or to nearby «Fem Sma Hus»,