Foodie's Gothenburg - street food and Michelin-stars

Street food and seafood, cafés and pubs, husmanskost and gourmet - Gothenburg has something for everyone!

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Gothenburg is such a treat for a foodie traveller - even British papers has been raving about this city as a serious up-and-coming foodie destination. 

Kungsportsavenyn (known by the locals as just Avenyn) is a lively hotspot for nightlife and full of restaurants, where at weekends you won't get in without queues. My first rule for navigating this city though is this: avoid Avenyn. 

Avoid it like a plague.

As can be expected, the restaurants here have mostly made their name on their central location. One of them is Brasserie Lipp, where we found ourself brunching thanks to a misguided recommendation.

The best thing about the experience was a box of crayons (located at every table), that the guests can keep themselves entertained with (drawing on the table cloth?) as they keep waiting for the order that the staff has forgotten... again.

Instead of Avenyn you should head over to Tredje Långgatan or Magasingatan - both vibrant restaurant streets.

One thing worth remembering is that more and more restaurants in Gothenburg now operate on cash-free basis meaning you can only pay with cards, so do check this separately with each establishment.

From the market and to a picnic

On a beautiful summer's day, skip the restaurants altogether. Instead make your way to the Kungstorgsplats Market hall, pick up all your favourites and head over to Slottskogen, Gothenburg's huge park to enjoy your feast.

You'll find a tour of all of the Gothenburg's market halls (and all my favourite vendors!) on the blog over here.

Fika - coffee and cakes for everybody

Gothenburgers love their coffee breaks - the city is known as the fika capital of Sweden for a reason.

They're particularly fond of their cinnamon buns. The ones at Cafe Husaren are widely considered if not the best then at least the biggest.

Don't go alone though as there's no way you'll be able to finish the whole thing by yourself!

While I do like Husaren, too, it's Cafe Kringlan's cakes, generous stuffed sandwiches and cosy ambiance that has a special hold of my heart.

Haga, where both of these places are located, is known for its abundance of adorable cafés and decidely hipsterish vibe. Telegraph has actually named it as one of the most hipster neighbourhoods in the whole world.

Gothenburger's love of coffee and cake ensures that there's no shortage of cafés elsewhere in the city, either. 

Another one of my favourites, Le Pain Francais, is a café and patisserie the atmosphere of which immediately transports one to Paris. Several locations across the city (ok, admittedly one of them is on the Avenyn...).

Street food and seafood

Another things Gothenburgers can't get enough of is seafood. Räksallad (shrimp mayo) is something they put in just about everything - including their eponymous burger Göteborgare.

For more information on food trucks in Gothenburg, just see here.

A great place for going overboard is Restaurant Kajutan, located in Feskekôrka, a market hall dedicated to fish and seafood. 

Go all Scandinavian and feast on their herring platter, featuring 4 different kind of herrings accompanied by the usual suspects (€16)...

...or go all out and order one of their three seafood platters (prices start €60). They also stock locally sourced oysters!

And while at it, you should definitely make some time for Heaven 23's legendary King Size Deluxe shrimp sandwich - more on this magnificent monstrosity on the blog over here.

Husmankost- home cooking at its best

Husmanskost is an culinary institution loved by Swedes everywhere. The name refers to home-cooked classics (think meatballs and mash), just like the ones mamma used to make, and is so popular that practically all the restaurants feature at least one husmanskost option on their menus.

You can't really go wrong with this -I don't think I've ever had bad experience.

One good (and cheap) place for this is Ölstugan, where the menu changes weekly and all the dishes only cost about €10. With 7 locations around Gothenburg, they're worth thumbs up for their beer selection as well.

Smaka, located on Vasagatan, is another firm favourite of mine, which serves well-prepared husmanskost in slightly trendier atmosphere. 

Reservation highly recommended.

Menu changes often and is such a delight. In addition to classics such as those meatballs and wallenbergare, it has some surprises in store too: how about some oysters to start with? Mains €16-€20.

After work - the best reason to work

Gothenburg boasts a vibrant restaurant scene which has managed to sell itself to the public, too. During the day people gather for reasonably priced lunches, weekends are reserved for leisurely brunches and early evenings (especially Fridays!) many places feature very attractively priced after work-specials. 

Gourmand's Gotheburg

As a culinry destination Gothenburg is more than equipped to take on its arch rival Stockholm. They have for instance 7 one-Michelin-starred restaurants, which is the same as capital Stockholm, more than twice the size.

So, even hard-core gourmands are in good hands here.

One of our first stops was located (ever so conveniently) literally just around the corner from our hotel. Somm Restaurant & Wine Bar, proud holder of Bib Gourmand, wonderfully attentive service and lovely ambiance: just the right amount of intimacy and not-too-polished.

... then there are all the interesting wines...

... and food, equally interesting and vivacious. 

In addition to the compact menu (starters, mains and desserts feature 3 choices each) there are reasonably priced tasting menus (either 3, 5 or 8 courses) which offer serious value for money (€45/ €66/ €87). 

In case you fancy sampling Michelin-standard food but aren't quite that hungry, my recommendation is kicking the evening off in the wine bar at 28+ (small dishes on the wine bar menu range from €5 to €15).

Another tip for Michelin feast on a smaller budget is lunch at Sjömagasinet, quite possibly the most legendary restaurant in the whole of Gothenburg. 

3-course fixed lunch costs €63 (there is a menu as well, with starters around €20 and mains for €20-€40), but you want to secure a table well in advance as without one getting here is hopeless. 

(For the sake of comparison: at dinner 4-course tasting menu costs €95.)

Another excellent choice for a Michelin tourist is SK Mat & Människor, ranked by White Guide Nordic as #5 restaurant in the city. 

You'll find full report of our tragicomic dinner there on the blog over here.

Gothenburg for beer lovers

Out of Långgatans Andra Långgatan is a busy bar street, which especially during weekends fills to the brim with revellers. Selection ranges from pseudo-English pubs to pseudo-French wine bars.

One of the best addresses for a beer aficionado is Haket Pub on Första Långgatan. While the atmpshere is.... well, down to earth, the 350+ beer selection is guaranteed to satisfy even the fussiest of drinkers. 

Kungstorgets Brygghus is a good address for those looking for a watering hole in the city centre. Right next to Kungstorget's market hall it features an interesting selection of Swedish craft beers.


One of my favourites is Tail of a Whale, a pale wheat ale from Stockholm's Brutal Brewing. 

Viktoriagatan is home to lots more pubs. Prices here are slightly lower than in the immediate city centre, which is why the area, much like Andra Långgatan, attracts so many students from the nearby university.

My favourite here is atmospheric Noba, where you can sample their selection for instance with 0,5-metre-long tasting board. 

Or the full metre-long, should you be feeling particularly adventurous. Being a lover of wheat beers myself, I was particularly smitten with Belgian-style Wit from Poppels Brewery in Jonsered.


The place specializes in Nordic beers, so there's a nice selection of brews from other Nordic countries, too.

How have you liked your tour of Gothenburg so far? What kind of food would be most up your street?

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Below you'll find more stops in this West Coast gem:

- 10 fun facts about Gothenburg

- Haga, my favourite part of Gothenburg
- Gothia Towers, Heaven 23 and world's largest shrimp sandwich
- Tour of Gothenburg's market halls
- Scandic Rubinen, our hotel in Gothenburg
- SK Mat & Människor - silent treatment and Michelin stars
- Sjömagasinet - a classic for a reason

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