In Sweden incredible natural landscapes collide with mouth-watering cuisine, masterfully brought together by globally-minded talented chefs utilising local, fresh produce and seafood.

A number of unique dining experiences are set to open in the coming months in Gothenburg, Skåne and Stockholm. Ranging from a restaurant in a former artillery stables, to a brewery crafting ‘paired’ dishes to complement their home-brewed beers, to a Skåne distillery winning the ‘World’s Best Gin’ trophy, there’s a number of culinary surprises to discover for travellers in 2020 and beyond.

GOTHENBURG

NEW: TAVOLO - from Artillery Stables to restaurant
The creators of the Michelin starred SK Mat & Människor, TOSO, Mr P and At Park have opened TAVOLO, a new dining experience in a unique location. The Götaplats group has breathed new life into the neighbourhood’s preserved building, which was built as the regiment's stable and riding hall in 1835. The unique interiors create an immersive atmosphere, with a 6,800kg horse sculpture that is a replica of Leonardo da Vinci's Cavallo di Forcione, taking more than four years to complete. With flooring from northern Sicily, a mosaic instalment inspired by traditional homes in Pompeii, and doors ‘honestly stolen’ from an estate in Florence, it’s not only the interiors that take inspiration from Italy. The menu includes Burrata di Puglia, Nasello alla siciliana and Black horse Tuscan – combining carefully crafted dishes with innovative Scandi design tavolo.se

NEW: Seafood spots
Fiskbar 17: Adding to Sweden’s incredible seafood offering is the new Fiskbar 17, ‘a loving tribute to its home port of Gothenburg, where fresh seafood is accompanied by flavours from far beyond the horizon.’ Worlds away from the stiff atmosphere of chandeliers and white tablecloths, the new fish bar in Magasinsgatan aims to deliver fish in a true street-food spirit. The trio behind Fiskbar 17, Joel, Antonio and David, offer guests modern flavours from all over the world and a relaxed vibe. Visitors can pop by for oysters and a glass of cava, or stay for a whole dinner - the evening menu is inspired by port cities around the world with fresh seafood as the focus, and herbal elements from both sea and land. fiskbar17.se

Brasserie Lavette: Offering an ideal spot for a more formal occasion, new seafood and grill restaurant has opened serving decadent dishes from duck liver to scallops to lobster brasserielavette.se

NEW – Award winning coffee-bar Alkemisten opens second venue
In 2015, Kristian Hedborg and his sister Mikaela Hedborg built and opened the now award-winning Alkemisten on the island Hisingen in Gothenburg. This month, after a hugely successful five years of business, a second venue has opened on Lindholmen (also in Gothenburg), and in addition to the focus on speciality coffees, the venue will also offer vegetarian dishes for visitors. The food will be colourful with popular food flavours from around the world alkemistenkaffebar.se


NEW: Tapas spot Boqueria
One of Sweden’s most loved tapas spots, Boqueria, is opening a venue in Gothenburg in December. Currently operating venues in Stockholm and Åre, the team serve authentic Spanish food such as tapas, pintxos and high quality delicacies in a relaxed and warm atmosphere throughout the day boqueriagoteborg.se

SKÅNE

Skåne gin distillery Purity wins ‘World’s Best Gin’

Purity, a small family-owned Swedish distillery, has won the trophy for the ‘World’s Best Gin’ at the International Spirits Challenge for its Purity Navy Strength Gin. The distillery, which is located at Ellinge Castle outside Skåne's Eslöv, was awarded the highest prize at the recent event for its 57.14% gin. The International Spirits Challenge (ISC) is one of the two most respected and influential competitions in the wine & spirits industry in the world. Over 1,700 spirits from some seventy countries compete annually and this year over 300 gins entered the competition to win the glorious trophy. The ‘Navy Strength’ expression comes from the fact that English naval officers received part of their salary paid in gin and to ensure that they received the correct amount in the salary envelope, they tested the strength of their gin so that their commander had not diluted the gin with water, in English "to proof ”. Mathias Tönnesson, Master Blender at Purity Distillery and CEO, said the secret behind Purity Gin’s great taste profile, is ‘that the seasoning is made with the exciting blend of juniper, basil, thyme, blueberry, lingonberry, coriander, lavender, cardamom and angelica’. puritydistillery.com

NEW: Smörtaxen restaurant opens on a 16th-century citadel
A building located on a 16th-century citadel next to the Landskrona Slott castle in Landskrona (southern Sweden) has now welcomed a new 20-seat restaurant – Smörtaxen. Restaurateur Simon Tollesson’s vision for the waterside venue is to offer a simple but inventive delicious array of dishes with sustainability at the centre of the philosophy. There is a set menu with 3 ‘treats’, 4 dishes, and bread and butter – with Smörtaxen literally meaning ‘the butter tax’, a kitchen gadget which stops the dining table from getting sticky. The initial snack tray includes a potato tartlet with lard foam and tomato powder - an interpretation on the traditional sausage with mash – and old school hip-hop played provides a relaxed ambience for guests. The simple menu is set in advance, simple and adapted to the season - with the kitchen garden in the venue’s backyard providing fresh produce for the dishes. The restaurant has opened to roaring success and is currently fully booked for the year, but late cancellations are posted on the team’s Instagram so visitors to the region are encouraged to keep an eye out for a sitting. smortaxen.se

STOCKHOLM

NEW – OMAKA Restaurant
OMAKA brewery in Stockholm has launched a new dining space furnished as a homely living room in an industrial setting. In the kitchen, talented chef Christian Siberg explores exciting new flavours in combination with OMAKA´s master brewer, Hedda Spendrup, who is a fourth generation beer maker. Siberg, a finalist in Sweden’s ‘Chef of the Year’, uses influences from around the world to create his innovative dishes (such as Tarte with Norröna matjesill and Yellow Pea sourdough), several of which are specifically created to match the OMAKA beer. It is a complementary system, where Hedda will also brew a beer for a specific dish or course omaka.beer