Vegan Practically

Continuing my “Travelling while vegan” series, today I’m going to share my experience of seeking vegan options in Stockholm, Sweden. My schedule has been off because of the trip and trying to get back to my rhythm in the Eastern Time zone, which is why the Friday fun-post is landing on a Sunday. I can’t speak for all of Sweden, but Stockholm is an incredibly vegan-friendly city, both for vegan restaurants and for vegan options at more omni-oriented restaurants. Whether out and about sight-seeing, at the conference, eating breakfast at my hotel, or specifically seeking out recommended vegan restaurants, I had no trouble at all getting really good food. I’m afraid I don’t have photos of all of the food — turns out I would be a terrible food blogger because I forget to photograph the food until it’s partially eaten, at which point it’s not as photogenic.

Veganska Olbaren. I already blogged about this place because it was so good we went their twice. My previous post was about the pizza. But on a different night we shared a wonderful vegan charcuterie board with a variety of cheeses and cold cuts. It was beautifully presented and I wish so much that I had a photo of it. We also had fries that night, which came with a really good dipping sauce (maybe it was vegan mayo? Not sure. I have never been a fan of dipping fries in mayo but this was really next level mayo and I loved it. My friend was not as enthusiastic). For dessert we had chocolate and strawberry ice cream from an oat milk base (oat milk is the main dairy milk alternative in Sweden and the Swedish word for “oat” is “havre”). The strawberry was especially delicious.

The menu at Veganska Olbaren is enormous and there were only two of us. So that left a lot of attractive options not tried. If I go back, I’d like to try: Hot chorizo mix with potatoes, Fish & Chips, deep-fried artichoke hearts, and Japanese dumplings. From the charcuterie board, and also available to order separately, I can vouch for the potato salad and the olive and walnut mix with pomegranate syrup. I could easily eat an order of the tapenade-like olive and walnut mix all to myself with their crusty bread. Very welcoming and enthusiastic service. Opens at 4 p.m. Best to make a reservation (use the online system, which is indicated as “boka bord” on Swedish restaurant websites).

À la lo. This small plant-based café has great fresh food, some baked goods, and smoothies. I met a former colleague and his daughter there for breakfast shortly after I arrived in Stockholm. They make an excellent oat milk cappucino and their smoothies are first rate. I had a strawberry coconut smoothie that was so delicious I had to go back for another one a couple of days later. I also had what they call a “small baguette,” which is basically a small baguette with vegan cream cheese and some greens and cucumbers and maybe it had tomato. I didn’t have cake, but the cake looked yummy. I did have one of their sablé, a delicious sugar cookie with jam in the centre. If I lived in the neighbourhood I would go to À la lo all the time. Here’s their English menu. Closes at 4 p.m.

Chouchou. This is a fully plant-based restaurant is located in a mall but it’s quite nicely appointed nonetheless. Lunch is until 4:30 and it’s a buffet. Dinner is an à la carte menu. We went for a late lunch/very early dinner the first day in Stockholm around 3. So we had sort of the end of the buffet — it wasn’t refreshed or anything. But nonetheless I loved it. They had a variety of hot dishes including a convincing”boeuf” bourguignon, a red thai curry, a tikka dal, and the best pasta bolognese I’ve ever tried anywhere. Their cold buffet had hummus and other dips, fresh bread, and some salads. They kitchen was really good about letting us know when they were ready to put away the buffet. I thought it was really amazing food and was keen to go back for dinner and the à la carte menu, but my friend was less enthusiastic. As a result, I can’t report on the meatballs or the steak frites. Pastries and desserts looked excellent but we didn’t try them. They’re not included in the buffet but that’s not why we didn’t try them. We had just had enough by then. Something to try for next time. Use the online system to reserve a table.

Herman’s. This place screams “hippy haven” and has a very earthy, peace-loving vibe. It presents itself as a “vegan buffet with a fantastic view,” and on that it is not wrong. People rave about it and if you google “vegan in Stockholm” it will come up for sure. The restaurant overlooks the water and you can sit in or outside. The buffet is large and satisfying, with a mix of hot and cold foods, and there is also an outdoor grill where they grill veggies and tofu and some sausages that I didn’t much care for but the grilled mushrooms were delicious. I most enjoyed some of the salads, though there was a selection of hot foods too. The most disconcerting thing for me, and this could just be about how they do it in Sweden, is that they don’t give you a fresh plate for the buffet. I find that unhygienic, with people taking return trips using the same dirty plates (it was the same at Chouchou). So that affected my enjoyment and I’m not sure I will be rushing back for the buffet despite that it is definitely a Stockholm vegan institution. I would definitely go back for coffee and dessert though. The desserts are extra and the Sunshine Cake (pineapple and coconut) is to-die-for. Regular coffee and tea is included. Fancier espresso-based coffees are extra. Book a table ahead if you want to overlook the water. You can’t use the online system the same day, but we emailed and they were very accommodating and we had an inside table right beside the window looking out over the water. They have lunch and dinner buffets. Student discount is quite substantial and a great deal for all-you-can-eat.

Eatnam. Eatnam is a Vietnamese restaurant with standard fare (like noodle bowls and spring rolls) and a menu that has the vegan items well-marked with a “(V)”. I had a noodle dish with tofu and split a fresh roll with my friend. We ordered inside and they gave us a number to put on our table. We sat out on a pleasant patio and they brought the food to us when it was ready. It’s not fancy or spectacular, but it’s satisfying and tasty. I would definitely go back there.

Jersulaem Kebab. We had lunch here in the Old Town one afternoon and it was delicious and cheap (rare in Stockholm!), with an outside eating area with a ton of character — shady and spacious in amongst very old buildings on one of the quieter little streets (an ally really) in the Gamla Stan part of Stockholm. I had a falafel salad plate that was ample and yummy. Of course, as a kebab place it isn’t fully vegan. But it has a very familiar menu for anyone who has been to a Middle Eastern falafel/kebab place anywhere. I highly recommend it if you’re sightseeing in the Gamla Stan. There are a lot of tourist trap places there and this is not one of them. Moreover, the seating is much more pleasant and it’s away from the fray without actually taking you out of your way. Don’t be put off if there’s a line-up. It moves quickly.

Out and about: We had various other snacks and meals out and about, never with a shortage of vegan options. I had an artichoke pizza at the restaurant by the Vasa Museum. It was okay but if you order a vegan option, be sure to ask what it’s like. This turned out to be a white pizza with a really creamy sauce (I didn’t actually trust it to be vegan and scraped it off and just ate the crust). Conference participants were treated to a dinner at City Hall in the Gold Room, where they host the dinners for the Nobel Prize recipients. That was grand! Plenty of vegan options there, including a scrumptious berry crumble for dessert.

As for breakfast, if your hotel is anything like the Sparrow Hotel (loved it!), they’ll have an amazing breakfast with vegan options that include overnight oats, vegan yogurt, a great variety of fresh fruit, avocado, and salad stuff like lettuce, tomato, and cucumber to make an open face avocado sandwich on really good bread, and oat milk cappuccino. Not that everything in the breakfast room was vegan by any means, but I found it easier to get a substantial and satisfying vegan breakfast at my hotel in Sweden than at most breakfast places in North America. Since I love breakfast, that was a real bonus.

Upshot: travelling as a vegan in Stockholm is a pleasure. There’s plenty of awareness and an abundance of options. Besides a great selection of vegan restaurants, you can also find more than adequate vegan items on the menu at other places. And at least in my experience they were well-marked. Granted, I seek out menus that have such options, and I tend to do my research before I travel. Stockholm is a vibrant city with lots of good eating!

Bon Appétit! Smaklig måltid!