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The Lowdown

Stockholm is by far Sweden‘s 🇸🇪 best port of call if you are seeking varied nightlife in the country. This may seem obvious given it’s the capital and largest city, but as we’ve seen, this is not always the case elsewhere. The small island of Gamla Stan is the old town, historic core and tourist heart, but also host to a series of distinctive pubs set in basement cellars, something not offered elsewhere in the country or to such an extent. Variety is the order of the day too – most types of pub and bar can be found here, from palatial beer halls, stylish knajpas, craft beer bars, theme bars, Jazz bars, taprooms and all sorts else. Södermalm, south of Gamla Stan is a popular area itself for bars and nightlife and should be thoroughly explored. Moving away from bars for a second too, there is a huge amount to do in Stockholm (even if hardly any of it is free) and you will not struggle to pass a weekend or even a full week happily here. Moving around the city is a joy with walkable stretches, open water and distant scenes that spark the imagination, and a modern, effective Metro. Cost will be an inevitable concern and it is certainly true that if you aren’t careful, Sweden can be an expensive place. However, with some sensible choices you will not find it exceeds pricing in London, for example. Take advantage of common midweek lunch deals which can be very good value and the cultural phenomenon “AW”, After Work, where bars discount food and drinks usually between 4pm-7pm. Making those savings will leave a bit in your pocket for the more indulgent options, a few of which feature on this route.

The Route Map:

We begin our route in Södermalm at Slussen metro stop. Walk up a gradual incline from Slussbron to Hornsgatan to our first stop-off.

Stop #1 is Akkurat

Hornsgatan 18

Established in 1995, so something of a city fixture in the present, Akkurat has an uncompromising approach to sourcing the best beers from Sweden and around the world, with a whisky selection to match it. Cask lines that are not occupied by the typical exported English brands from Fullers, Timothy Taylors’ etc but actually feature Swedish producers, is a true standout for the country.

Those seeking satisfaction purely through imbibing are unlikely to be disappointed. Service is usually decent too, gracious and welcoming.

The venue is a hybrid pub-restaurant (as covered in detail, for historical reasons Sweden doesn’t really have a native pub format) with some decent signage in the seating area opposite the bar giving it a relaxed feel.

There is a slight formality and absence of activity around the bar which makes it not as casual a place as it could be. Oliver Twist nearby has them beat for that, while Bakfickan at Zum Franziskaner has that further still.

It is a classic example of a venue that beer and whisky specialists will drool over and talk to you all day about whereas the average person is probably likely to say it’s a competent decent bar restaurant. Both are in their own ways correct. It gets on our guide as a result.

You could also choose Stigbergets Fot nearby where nice service and excellent beers can’t save what is unfortunately a wretchedly drab, tired venue, or Omnipollo’s Hat or Oliver Twist. Akkurat could be more adventurous in style and format but earns points for reliability. If you’re starting your crawl with a meal to line your stomach, this is the best option.

If you are looking for both spectacle and supreme beers though, Zum Franziskaner is but a short walk away.

Head back down the hill North East to Slussen, the gateway to Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s old town located on a small island. You’ll notice Karl Johans square to the left and the spires of St. Gertrude towering above the pastel shaded town houses. It’s a good shot for photographs as you’re surrounded by waterways and distant vistas of other Stockholm districts.

Exciting times because the next stop is not only two bars in one, but one of Europe’s greatest pubs.

Stop #2 is Zum Franziskaner & Stop #3 is Lilla Zumen – Bakfickan

Skeppsbron 44

Zum Franziskaner in Stockholm is one of Europe’s most fabulous pubs. A 1910 building in Art Nouveau style hosting a German style Wirtshaus (pub-restaurant), one of few such venues remaining in Sweden. Rather than obsessively recreating some Bavarian beer hall, its bespoke design is in itself a work of art, a venue where if you acted in reverse and placed it in Germany, it would instantly fit in. Not just fit in, but shine.

Their speciality is Franconian beer including daily “Stichfass” pours where the barrel is tapped and poured from directly. The beer selection and standards are pointedly traditional and world class.

A central venue that has survived so long feels destined to become an institution, but in my opinion it is its democratic approach which ensures that. Other long-standing venues in Gamla Stan (old town Stockholm) have become fine-dining restaurants which will always filter out those who don’t have the budget. Here at “Zumen”, as regulars refer to it (the -en suffix acts as the definitive article in Sweden, so it’s like ‘The Zum’) there is no block-booking of tables which keeps a casual feel even in opulent surroundings. Everyone has been here, and most people return at some point during the year.

My word, the surroundings really are opulent. A 21st century restoration job has given Zumen a sparkle like a flawless diamond. Sat at the bar counter observing the rhythms of the back bar and the hall below, the venue is the very epitome of convivial, charming, and refined without being exclusive.

Success is not inevitable though, it requires people with the energy, knowledge and passion to work at it. Owner Sten Isaacson (who incidentally moved from our first stop, Akkurat) understood the history and purpose of Zum Franziskaner meant that the choice of beer, while distinct for Stockholm, was of a complimentary nature to the venue. Today, it feels impossible to visit Gamla Stan without Zumen coming to mind.

This is before mentioning their adjoining pub, Bakfickan, part of the same building, which we will review separately.

While considered part of “Zumen”, Zum Franziskaner, and on the same premises, Stop #3, Bakfickan (or Back Pocket) deserves a separate piece about it because visiting this bar as opposed to the main beer hall is a distinctly different experience.

Yes, the beer options are identical (and we can praise our favourite deities for that), but otherwise, the experience is quite distinct. Art Deco styling in a reasonably compact Knajpa style one-room boozer. Smartly appointed and meticulously clean, but there’s a nice casual feel that the showier Zum Franziskaner beer hall can’t quite replicate, for all its grandeur. In turn, Bakfickan can’t compete for spectacle.

Nevertheless, barrel tappings, usually twice a day add ceremony, there are usually some free snacks and sweets at the front and it feels more like the every day option of the two. As a visitor you’ll need to suck it and see which of the two you prefer, but neither should be excluded from your itinerary.

Exit Bakfickan to find Järntorget, a small and sometimes atmospheric square. Drop downhill on your left to join the main thoroughfare in Gamla Stan – Stora Nygatan.

Stop #4 is Sjätte Tunnan

Stora Nygatan 43

By complete chance our next stop is also 2 bars in one! The first, Framsidans (Front Side) is a dinky little corner bar at ground level and so much different to the medieval cellar and restaurant beneath.

Framsidans would probably squeeze on the guide in its own right. Decorated boudoir style with thickly patterned wallpaper, heavy curtains and candlelight, you can fit perhaps 15 people here, 10 comfortably. It’s a nice place to have a drink and hang out. You’ll get quite a shock if you begin exploring the rest of the premises.

Downstairs, expect chunky worn tables, a faint Medieval patina applied to the decoration (nothing too over the top, besides the menus, perhaps) and a warren of historic rooms of immense character.

As you exit via the cellar you’ll have the challenge of opening their absolute beast of a front door!

Tricky therefore to bundle the two together, but they are as one. If you’re wanting a quick drink or perhaps a romantic candlelit one, try upstairs. If you’re with friends, head down to the cellars.

Despite the touristic location this place still has much to be said for it. Widening our perspective, you can go further and say if only anywhere else in Sweden had a more fanciful approach to bars.

The next stop is but a few hundred metres away – yes, this isn’t one of our tours requiring hiking boots. While you’re in Gamla Stan you may wish to take a break to visit some of its tourist attractions, the Royal Palace and Cathedral for example and the central square Stortorget with its beautiful town houses. When you’re done, rejoin Stora Nygatan as we go underground!

Stop #5 is Källarbyn

Stora Nygatan 31

Despite being part of an old town studden with medieval cellars, Källarbyn could be the standout of the lot. 100m2 of basement vaults. Descend from street level to find an expansive main room, with bar to the right. Further inside you’ll find a performance area with stage, and further behind that, art space. It is truly impressive.

In this venue, ostensibly a ‘culture café’ you’ll find a sprawling vault with niches and antique furnishings, brooding and loungey, with further performance area and stage in the backroom, and further art space and gallery to the rear – it just keeps going.

One night a week this stays open late and surges towards its potential. Sometimes trying to be all things to all people can mean the centre of gravity moves towards being undefined and the café format does swing it in that direction. Secondly, a lack of late opening with Sundays-Thursdays shutting shop at 9pm does not feel very democratic.

It is still very very good despite not quite exploiting its full potential.

Stop #6 is Wirströms Pub

Stora Nygatan 13

Heading inexorably down Stora Nygatan and the bars just keep on coming. One of two pubs of the same name, do not confuse the city centre downtown chain with the old town pub, this one.

An Irish themed pub but one that feels like it has been around long enough it is part of Stockholm’s very architecture. This sense of fixture elevates it beyond simply being a theme pub.

In Sweden’s case, such pubs play a bigger role than most countries. The temperance movement annihilated native pub culture, so after the thawing of alcohol restrictions in the 1970s, theme pubs, specifically Irish and British, filled the void.

A narrow and compact pub initially greets you inside, with an unusually (for Sweden) tight throng at the bar. One of those busy, excitable places that makes an impression. Don’t think that’s all there is though, because downstairs past a small niche you’ll find a second basement pub which is very atmospheric and set in cellar vaults – a strong consistent feature of Gamla Stan.

This is where you can get chatting to other excited visitors or stalwart locals, and seems to revel in its status as something of an embassy, gateway or ambassador of Swedish bar culture, the place so many people start their exploration.

The drinks selection is decent with a broad, democratic range of options, which extends to the pricing. The local (still independent lager) is on sale for a very reasonable price and in good condition.

Late opening 7 nights a week makes this place so frequently the answer to the question “where next?”

If you’re looking to avoid tourists and ex-pats you’re probably wise not to come here, but if you’re happy being part of a piece of history, of enjoying the international flavour of the old town and are dying to be inside somewhere that looks and feels in every way like a pub rather than a bistro, you’ll be needing to mark this one down on your to-do list.

We continue down, oh yes, Stora Nygatan, which hasn’t quite finished with us yet. The next venue is not to be missed. Normally they offer plenty of free gigs during the week but check their website for shows and details to time your visit if you don’t want to pay a cover charge.

Stop #7 is Stampen

Stora Gråmunkegränd 7

Stampen was a former pawnshop with 17th century cellar, and until 1880 had been the premises of the French Reform Church. The name “Stampen” is derived from the stamps clients would receive per regular maintenance payments, for items they had deposited at the pawn shop as collateral.

Converted into a jazz pub in 1968 antique items – stuffed animals and instruments – hang from the ceiling of Stampen, in tribute to its former function.

This Jazz bar offers live performances most days: traditional jazz, modern blues, or soul r&b acts. Or as they put it: American roots music. Some events are paid, others are easy-come-easy go such as Saturday’s Blues Jam between 2-7pm.

Due to Sweden’s licensing laws, food has to be served in every bar, which for venues like this has always felt ill-fitting. Thankfully, there is no obligation to partake.

Mid-performance, the venue absolutely shines, a standout in a city centre with quite a few visually striking bars and atmospheric ones at that.

You’ll find it a looser, more casual venue that most Swedish bars which is all to the good, and Stampen earns its place in the pantheon of Europe’s finest Jazz venues.

Stop #8 is Galdrs Krypta

Västerlånggatan 60

Our final stop doubles back south east along the narrow, slightly twisty Västerlånggatan and you’ll see why this was left until last – it’s a venue for ending the evening in.

The Sorcerer’s Crypt is a fine example of Stockholm Gamla Stan’s (Old Town) cellar bars.

Making fine use of brick vaults with atmospheric and creative lighting, this cocktail bar strikes an effective balance, trading on the history of the building, its whimsical theme fun without becoming too tacky, and stylish without being too pretentious.

You could accuse it of being gimmicky but a cocktail bar needs an angle to avoid simply being an overly exclusive, snooty place which is certainly not what this is.

Cocktails are arranged with ceremony and spectacle, the bespoke creations leaning into the alchemy/sorcery theme. Nothing new but fun nonetheless.

Being Sweden they have to provide food, and you’ll find a vegetarian kitchen too.

It’s not obligatory to have cocktails either, and you’ll find some locals beers for sale here.

Whether you’re perched at the bar or in one of their niches, you’ll find this an atmospheric venue for an evening drink that doesn’t lay on the theme quite as thick as the verging-on-silly Viking themed restaurant Aifur nearby.

Should any of the above 8 venues be closed or full we have a series of recommended backup venues for you!

Other recommendations:

Rost

One of Sweden’s truly distinctive venue, Rost is both a neighbourhood corner pub and hangout, live music venue, games destination and mechanics. Yes, the rusting recovered plate signage is not just for show. As you enter, look to your right and behind the small side room is a working garage.

The bar is so densely decorated in retro motor oil adverts and all thinks motorbike that it almost bleeds into one another, genuinely feeling like it could be part of the bar rather than just a quirk.

Other than locals, it takes a little something extra to pull you out to Mariatorget metro, and as you wander away from the main precincts it doesn’t feel like an excellent neighbourhood pub is about to suddenly appear. Turning left and walking past Hammarby’s Bandy stadium (look it up), a further left takes you to an entrance, initially obscured then made all the more conspicuous by some stylised rusty mechanic decor out front.

Inside, a main room with parquet floor provides ample tables and chairs for groups, with a back room to the right of a compact bar, while to the right of the entrance a small side room and the mechanics garage.

In the left corner a permanent stage hosts regular gigs and there is a continual sense of dynamism to the place, a business being run confidently and expressively.

A decent food menu, games machine and different areas to explore, including some outdoor seating in warmer months make this that all-too-unusual combination of things, an all-rounder that is extremely distinctive.

Were it located closer to the city centre perhaps the atmosphere would be a little spoilt by tourists and scene crowds, so it feels to me like they’re in the right spot.

It is one of Stockholm’s best and while it is a diversion from Gamla Stan, it is not to be missed.

Oliver Twist

With Oliver Twist, Omnipollo, Stigbergets Fot and Akkurat in close company, this area of Södermalm has a good claim to be one of the strongest for beer anywhere in Europe. Hell, throw in Zum Franziskaner, a 5 minute walk in for good measure.

Oliver Twist was one of the originals though, and has blazed a trail others have followed as well as navigating the various trends and scenes from the 21st century onwards.

Today, despite a name that suggests British theme pub, the interior is more akin to visiting a US East Coast bar/diner, with its US inflected decoration – flags pinned to the ceiling, window blinds and red paint. The bar area is quite effective.

Oliver Twist also has a wine bar – yes, a completely separate bar which acts as a reception for a restaurant area to the rear. It is a slightly strange arrangement which moves the venue transitionally towards feeling a bit like a hotel bar or something – unwanted. However, if you put your back to that side of the room, the pub area is still pretty good.

Beer selection remains very competitive even with its killer neighbours. 23 taps and 180 bottles, you will not lack for options in terms of style or origin. They are looked after well too.

Pricing is on the tie-loosening, sweaty palms end of things, and there is not much respite – even a basic Czech lager (a tasty one) is top whack here.

Kapten Jack

Sweden’s relationship with alcohol in the last 200 year is complex, and impossible to cover adequately during a review of a bar. Suffice to say, their native bar culture was annihilated by the temperance movement. In the 1970s with a partial relaxation of laws, there was a need to establish public houses, but little to no reference points. Resultingly, Sweden leaned over to Britain and Ireland, with theme pubs filling the void left by the religious moralists. Even up to the present day, tastes which are more Anglophile than most keep theme pubs alive and kicking.

On our guide we generally go out of our way to avoid such pubs while abroad, but given Sweden’s history, they are unavoidable. To pay some respects, they are also an intrinsic part of Swedish culture as much as karaoke is in Finland.

Kapten Jack is a scarily effective recreation of a London-style corner boozer, with an unusual level of attention paid to the decoration to achieve a simulacra. Wet gloss ceiling in rich reds, globe lamp lighting, circular high tables, wood-fit back bar, pool table, and other complimentary fittings and partitions create an effect that frankly, a few English pubs could take a leaf out of.

This is then an unusual venue being that it is also a full on mainstream city pub with a towny crowd and businessy after-work feel. This is not to its loss, as the atmosphere is pretty lively and conveys a social activity lacking in some other Swedish cities for sure.

The English pub effort here does not batter you over the head with union jack flags and tonnes of tat, but instead lets those well put together fixtures and fittings shine.

Drinks are mainstream, prices on the higher end, both of which are predictable, but if you want a glimpse into city life in Sweden and a genuinely impressive recreation of a Victorian/Edwardian era city tavern, this should be bookmarked as an option.

Glenn Miller Café

First things first, Glenn Miller Café is a small venue and during specific hours there is an obligation to eat. Not necessarily an issue, however the rules stipulated online are vague and therefore we’d recommend calling to help ensure you arrive at a suitable time to do what you want to do.

A compact traditional Gaststatte style pub with Jazz related décor and live concerts. Open from 6pm onwards, your best bet may be arriving from 9pm-midnight if you’re just looking for a drink and to socialise.

We caught the tail end of a performance and within half an hour people were packing up and preparing to leave, however the bar remained opened.

It’s clearly a characterful space and one that will prove a lovely setting for Jazz and a drink. Their bar is small and compact however they have a reasonably good selection including some Swedish craft from smaller brewers.

Nothing here comes cheap and they’re pretty unapologetic about that fact, so be warned.

Erlands

Showing good things often come in small packages, Erlands is a little bar just off the corner of Odengatan, a district with a decent helping of bars and bistros that is worth taking a metro to St Eriksplan stop for.

Walk-ins only helps keep this compact space feel impromptu, non-cliquey and fluid, adding to the eventual atmosphere and sense of ease.

You’ll find table service (after a fashion – there’s about 15 feet between the door and the bar top) for cocktails and spirits which is delivered in a relaxed style without over elaboration.

You may encounter live Jazz music between 5-7pm on Friday/Saturday/Sunday if you can find room, while a small upstairs balcony area with a few seats overlooks the bar downstairs.

Drinks quality is good, and its one of those venues few people seem to have a bad word to say about.

One to go for a clandestine late night drink, a romantic tryst, a brooding loungey evening, that sort of thing.

Peppar

There is a category of bar in Sweden known as a ‘Sunkhak’, like dive bars blended with greasy spoons – stuck in time, uninvested in and over the years morphed into sometimes strangely atmospheric places to go. Marked down as a Cajun bistro, this bar is a classic example of the invisible border that exists between bar and eatery in Sweden.

Unacquainted with this fact, you may find some recommendations peculiar, and this place is nothing if not peculiar.

On entry you will be hit by a frankly bizarre ensemble of extremely heavy-laden Christmas Décor with some Mexican Día de los Muertos sprinkled in there, vying for attention.

I’m not sure I can really oversell this to you. It is eye-poppingly over the top.

That may have either piqued your interest or got you backtracking out of this place – for those still interested, you’ll find a down to earth operation here – friendly and seemingly unconcerned with the entire world outside. Bars like that are sometimes brilliant, and this one at its best, caught on the right night can definitely come close to that.

To get the best out of Peppar, visit in the evenings – they open after midnight 5 nights a week. By this point most traces of cooking have vanished.

Interested in more Swedish 🇸🇪 bars?

Head over to our Sweden 🇸🇪 page!