Editorial
Stockholm keeps its best drinking in Södermalm, Gamla Stan and Vasastan. The nine below are the rooms worth the detour.
Linje Tio is the cocktail room inside the Tjoget building on Hornsbruksgatan, and it is the reason Hornstull lands on the World's 50 Best list. The drinks lean Mediterranean and the bartenders actually talk to you. Grab a stool before 9pm, because it fills fast and nobody leaves early.
Bar Hommage on Krukmakargatan keeps things small and serious, a Söder wine and cocktail room that turns up on the World's 50 Best Discovery list. Expect proper glassware and staff who know the list cold. It opens at 5pm and shuts Sundays, so plan the visit around that.
Erlands sits on Gästrikegatan in Vasastan, a vintage bar where the music, the fit-out and the staff all point back to the 1950s. The Old Fashioneds and Sazeracs come built to spec, which regulars rate highly. It is genuinely small, so turn up early or expect to stand.
Corner Club on Lilla Nygatan in Gamla Stan nearly closed, then got rescued by the Sovel crew and kept its name for off-menu, improvised cocktails. Tell the bartender what you like and let them build it. It seats barely a dozen, so it stays intimate. A good late stop once the Old Town crowd thins.
Den Gyldene Freden has poured on Österlånggatan since 1722, which Guinness rates among the oldest restaurants still in their original rooms. The Swedish Academy owns it, so the cellar bar carries real history with the aquavit. Come for vaulted ceilings and a stiff drink, not for anything trendy.
Akkurat on Hornsgatan has been Stockholm's beer institution since 1995, with over 50 taps and close to 400 whiskies behind the bar. Lambics and small Nordic brewers get real shelf space, and the kitchen does mussels properly. It opens at 11am on weekdays, so an early pint is fair game.
Folii on Erstagatan is a sommelier-run wine bar that won DN's Gulddraken for best bar, and it earns it. Béatrice Becher and Jonas Sandberg pour most bottles by the half-glass or glass, so you can taste widely without committing. No reservations, but they tend to find you a perch. Opens 4pm.
Tjoget is the bigger sibling around Linje Tio on Hornsbruksgatan, five rooms covering a dining room, wine bodega, beer café and cocktail bar. The Mediterranean kitchen and the bar have both landed it on the World's 50 Best. It runs all week from 9am, so it doubles as a coffee stop before the Friday rush.
The Flying Elk on Mälartorget is the gastropub Björn Frantzén opened to do proper pub food with serious sourcing, now under separate ownership and running Tuesday to Saturday. The bar pours a tidy beer and wine list beside Scotch eggs and a burger people argue about. A sensible Gamla Stan landing spot.
Linje Tio and Bar Hommage are the essential first two. Most of these rooms peak between 9 and 11 PM.
Tom Callahan covers pubs and bars across the UK, Ireland and beyond. Twenty years of last orders, a fair pour and a clear view of the match.