JUNE 22, 2016 Restaurants Closing During the Summer Months (2016) This post may come as bad news, at least for "foodies" visiting Stockholm in July and early August. Many top tier restaurants (Michelin star, gourmet) close for a few weeks during the summer. This is mainly due to the generous Swedish vacation rules leading many top restaurants to feel that they can't offer excellent food & service with summer replacement staff. Another reason, perhaps, is that many Stockholmers leave the city during this period and there aren't enough visiting "foodies" to fill these types of restaurants to make it profitable. No businessmen in town either... wining & dining clients. At any rate, the good news is that there are a few which will be open all summer and several other top restaurants have some other options during these weeks... and you always have a plethora of other great restaurants in the city to choose from! Most of these restaurants are also closed during the big Midsummer holiday weekend (June 24th-26th). Michelin star and Bib Gourmand restaurants: • Mathias Dahlgren- closed between July 15th and August 9th (both the Dining Room and the Food Bar). • Frantzén- closes on July 9th. Reopening at a new & better location in 2017! • Oaxen Krog- open all summer as normal. • Oaxen Slip- open all summer... every day for lunch & dinner. • Gastrologik- open all summer, though their more casual Speceriet will be closed until the beginning of August for renovations. • Ekstedt- closed between July 17th and August 5th. • Esperanto- the dining room is closed between June 24th and August 5th. Instead, between June 28th and August 4th, they open up their lounge with what they call their Spanish Summer Salon where guests sit at a communal table. They have other restaurants in the house with different summer schedules... Råkultur is open all summer and Shibumi is only closed between June 24th and July 4th. Imouto however will be closed between July 17th and August 10th. • Operakällaren- closed between July 17th and August 10th. Their more casual Bakfickan will be open all summer. • Volt- closed between July 17th and August 14th. • Rolfs Kök- closed between July 3rd and August 7th. • Den Gyldene Freden- closed for renovations between June 18th and August 19th. • Lilla Ego- closed between July 10th and August 15th. • Nook- closed between July 2nd and August 8th. • Proviant Östermalm- closed between July 9th and July 28th. • Ulla Winbladh- open all summer. Other top rated restaurants: • Svartengrens- closed between July 4th and July 31st. • AG- closed between July 3rd and August 7th. • Lux Day to Day- closed between July 16th and August 16th. • Farang- closed between July 10th and August 10th. • Djuret- closed between July 4th and August 10th. Instead they open up an outdoor pork barbecue restaurant called Svinet. • Pubologi- closed between July 4th and August 2nd. • Omakase Köttslöjd- closed between July 4th and August 2nd. • Le Rouge- closed between June 24th and August 15th. • SMAK- closed between July 10th and August 11th. • Miss Voon- open all summer. • Publico- closed between July 3rd and August 8th. • Spritmuseum- their high-end dinner service closes during the summer months. Instead they have a more casual restaurant (includes garden seating) as well as a great "beer pier" on the water open. • Fotografiska- their indoor fine dining restaurant is closed between June 24th and August 17th. During this time they open an outdoor barbecue in front of the museum (from June 27th to August 14th). Their café is open as usual. • Wedholms Fisk- open all summer. What this all means is that you need to plan a little ahead if you wish to dine at a top tier Stockholm restaurant during your summer visit and be aware that your favorite (or the one you read about) might not be open. However there are still many great restaurants open during these weeks as well as some restaurants that are open only during the summer months that are definitely worth a visit... so you won't go hungry! If you are staying at the Rival Hotel, contact me directly for help in booking any tables ahead of your visit. Our restaurant Bistro Rival is open all summer. Page 1 of 2 Akalla STOCKHOLM 11 T-BANA Husby Mörby centrum 1 Thorildsplan 14 2 Fridhemsplan Tensta Danderyds sjukhus 3 Sankt Eriksplan Hjulsta Kista 10 4 Odenplan Rinkeby Kymlinge 5 Rådmansgatan 6 Hötorget Rissne Hallonbergen Bergshamra Duvbo Hässelby Johannelund Näckrosen Universitetet gård Sundbybergs Tekniska högskolan Vällingby centrum Solna centrum 19 Solna Strand Ropsten Hässelby strand Råcksta 13 Huvudsta Stadion 5 Gärdet Blackeberg 4 Västra skogen Islandstorget Karlaplan 6 Ängbyplan 3 Östermalmstorg Åkeshov 2 T-centralen Kungsträdgården 1 Råd huset Gamla stan Slussen Hornstull Medborgarplatsen Liljeholmen Aspudden Skanstull Gullmarsplan Örnsberg Bredäng Midsommar Skärmarbrink Globen Mälar Axels kransen Hammarbyhöjden Sätra Enskede höjden berg Telefonplan gård Björkhagen Blåsut Hägerstensåsen Sockenplan Kärrtorp Skärholmen Västertorp Sandsborg Svedmyra Bagarmossen Skogskyrko Vårberg Fruängen Stureby gården Skarpnäck 14 Bandhagen Tallkrogen 17 Vårby gård Rågsved Gubbängen Hagsätra 19 Högdalen Hökarängen Alby file:///C:/Users/bremerje/Desktop/stuff%202016/Stockholm_metrosystem_map%20t%20bana.svg 6/20/2016 Stadshuset Restaurants & cafés Stadshuset review The City Hall (1923), Stockholm's most prominent landmark, stands imposingly on the northern shore of the bay of Riddarfjärden. A massive red-brick building, it was designed by Ragnar Östberg (1866-1945) in the National Romantic style, with two inner courtyards and a 106m (348ft) tower. It's most famous for hosting the 1,300 or so guests who are lucky enough to be invited along to the annual Nobel Prize banquet, an event held in the Blue Hall on 10 December after the prizes have been awarded at Konserthuset. The hall - which is designed to look like an Italian Renaissance piazza - was meant to be painted blue, but Östberg liked the way the sun hit the red bricks and changed his mind. The hall is also the home of an immense organ, with more than 10,000 pipes and 138 stops. In the astonishing Golden Hall upstairs, scenes from Swedish history are depicted on the walls in 18 million mosaic pieces in gold leaf. The artist, Einar Forseth (1892-1988), covered the northern wall with a mosaic known as the 'Queen of Lake Mälaren', representing Stockholm being honoured from all sides. The beamed ceiling of the Council Chamber, where the city council meets every other Monday, resembles the open roof of a Viking longhouse. The furniture was designed by Carl Malmsten. The opulent Oval Room, which is part of the guided tour, is a popular place for Swedish nuptials. Such is the demand, it's a speedy marriage merry-go-round as couples tie the knot in a no-frills 40-second ceremony. The extended version is three minutes. You can only visit the interior of the Stadshuset by guided tour, but you can climb the tower independently. Follow a series of winding red-brick slopes then wooden stairs for a fantastic view over Gamla Stan. Three gold crowns - the Tre Kronor, Sweden's heraldic symbol - top the tower. At the edge of the outdoor terrace below the tower, by the waters of Riddarfjärden, are two statues by famous Swedish sculptor Carl Eldh (1873-1954): the female Dansen (Dance) and the male Sången (Song). For refreshments, a cafeteria-style restaurant serves up classic Swedish dishes at lunchtime, while the Stadshuskällaren cellar restaurant offers the previous year's menu from the Nobel banquet. Stadshuset details Stadshuset website Open Stadshuset (guided tours only; tours are in Swedish and English) June-Sept 10am, noon, 2pm daily; Oct-May 10am, noon daily. Tower July-Aug 10am-5pm daily; Sept 10am-4pm daily. Closed Oct-May. Admission Guided tour 60kr; tower 20kr; free under-12s. Free with SC. The list of museums in Stockholm with free entrance after February 1st, 2016: • Armémuseum (The Army Museum)- a look at Sweden's military past and peace keeping present. • Etnografiska museet (Museum of Ethnography)- dedicated to cultures and peoples of the world. • Hallwylska museet- art and history museum located in a palace from the late 1800's owned by von Hallwyl family. • Historiska museet (Swedish History Museum)- focused on the history of Sweden... including the Viking era. • Kungliga myntkabinettet (The Royal Coin Cabinet)- museum of economy as well as the history of money and finance. • Livrustkammaren (The Royal Armoury)- a look at Swedish royal history through their clothing, costumes, armour and carriages. • Medelhavsmuseet (Mediterranean Museum)- dedicated to the history and culture of the Mediterranean area (Greek, Roman, Egyptian, etc.). • Medeltidsmuseet (Museum of Medieval History)- how did Stockholm look in the Middle Ages? What was life like for Medieval Stockholmers? Actually not state run (run by the city), but still free entrance as of January 1st. • Moderna museet- Stockholm's museum of modern art. • Nationalmuseum (the National Museum)- Sweden's museum of art and design. Currently closed for renovations, they have temporary exhibits at Konstakademien (Royal Academy of Fine Arts). • Naturhistoriska riksmuseet (Museum of Natural History)- a look at the history of the natural world from dinosaurs to today. Entrance fee still for their IMAX theatre Cosmonova. • Sjöhistoriska museet (Maritime Museum)- dedicated to naval and shipping history. • Centrum för Arkitektur och Design- The Stockholm center for architecture and design. • Östasiatiska museet (Museum of Far East Antiquities)-