Ekstedt

Ekstedt is the flagship restaurant of the chef Niklas Ekstedt. On Humlegårdsgatan in Östermalm, it holds one Michelin star in the 2026 Michelin Guide Sweden, which lists it under grills. The defining idea is simple and radical: the kitchen does without electricity and gas for cooking and works only with fire. In the restaurant's own words, birchwood and smoke are its most powerful tools, alongside natural heat, soot, ash and embers, drawing on old Scandinavian cooking techniques.

A meal begins with a tour of the kitchen, where you can see the fire pit, the wood-fired oven and the wood stove that do all the work. The signature opening snack is an oyster cooked in a cone over the flames. The tasting menu that follows changes with the seasons and is built around Swedish ingredients, with some Norwegian seafood; the restaurant works with farmers, fishers and hunters in the Stockholm area and with Sámi villages in the north. Dishes use different smoking methods, and the Michelin Guide mentions a juniper-smoked reindeer saddle with beetroot sauce and marrow. Pickling and fermentation are used to stretch the short Nordic seasons.

Counter seats put you close to the action, which suits couples and solo diners who want to watch the cooks at work. Service is friendly rather than formal, and the experience feels less ceremonial than some other tasting-menu restaurants in the city.

Booking is essential. Reservations are handled directly by the restaurant, and dinner is served from Tuesday to Saturday, with an earlier start on Saturdays; it is closed on Sundays and Mondays. The restaurant also closes for a period over Christmas and New Year, so check the website if you are visiting in late December or early January. Clothes can pick up a faint scent of woodsmoke after an evening here, which regulars treat as part of the experience, so avoid wearing anything delicate. Mention any dietary needs when booking, as the menu is fixed for the evening, and allow around three hours for the full experience.

Humlegårdsgatan runs along the southern edge of Humlegården park, a few minutes' walk from Stureplan and Östermalmstorg metro station. The bars and restaurants around Stureplan are close by for a drink before or after dinner.