Stockholm’s best cheap eats: From tunnbrödsrulle to meze feasts

What is it? In Sweden, we’re truly obsessed with pizza. Chef Oskar Montano is too, he’s even written a cookbook called ‘Pizza Wizard’. His grandfather is from Rome, and Montano, who has lived in the Italian capital himself, missed the pizza culture there. So 800 Grader was born, first opening in Vasastan with full-sized pizzas, followed by the slice shop on Södermalm, which was an instant hit. Here they bake giant pizzas 50 centimetres in diameter, perfect for sharing between three to four people, as well as slices. There’s often a queue but you rarely have to wait long. Eat in or take away.

Why we love it? It all starts with the pizza’s aorta: the dough. The flour is a mix of Italian and Swedish, the latter milled in-house every morning before the dough is left to ferment for three days. It’s then baked until crisp, with the kind of edge pizza nerds get excited about, those so-called leopard spots. There are five regular pizzas: Margherita, Pepperoni, Stracciatella, Rossa and one with mushrooms, parmesan, talleggio cheese and red onion. On top of that, new versions with seasonal toppings are written up on the menu. Think wild garlic or truffle, or some unusual technique the kitchen wants to play around with. The glasses are filled with natural wine from carefully selected European producers.

Time Out tip: For any leftover pizza crusts, there’s a to-die-for hot sauce, SEK 15, made to a secret recipe for dipping them in.

Kocksgatan 3, Södermalm. Open every day, lunch and evening. Expect to pay SEK 45-70 for a slice.

What is it? One of Europe’s best organic restaurants, according to EU experts. The place is run by father and son Rune and Fabian Kalf-Hansen. They take pride in the ingredients they cook with: organic, locally produced and seasonal. The menu focuses on frikadeller, meat, fish or vegan, with different contents and in varying styles. The bestseller is called Stockholm: warm vegetables with frikadeller and homemade sauce.

Why we love it? Kalf & Hansen really does have its heart in the right place. The tiny restaurant is surprisingly spacious, with seating on a landing. You order at the counter, with full view as the food is put together. Kalf & Hansen are exactly that: transparent. It’s clear they leave nothing to chance in the way they work. And, hand on heart, doesn’t everything taste a little better when you know the farming behind it contains no pesticides at any stage? Frikadeller are all well and good, but we also love the place’s own tunnbrödsrulle, which has to be named one of the city’s very best, with artisan chorizo-style sausage, prawn salad, homemade mash and chutney.

Time Out tip: On weekend evenings, the mood is turned up with DJs playing and specially created drinks at the bar.

Mariatorget 2, Mariatorget. Open every day for lunch and dinner except Sunday, when it’s lunch only. Friday and Saturday stay open later. Expect to pay SEK 120-160 for a dish.

What is it? Fish haters, look away. Because here, the treasures of the sea take centre stage. Hasselson first opened in Gothenburg, home to the country’s best fish and seafood, before branching out in the capital. And lucky for us, because their fish n’ chips, the menu favourite, has won plenty of people over since.

Why we love it? Grab a fish burger on the go or put together your own three-course dinner for the same price as two cinema tickets with popcorn. The menu here isn’t especially long, five dishes, but there is a snack, an arancini ball, and for dessert, crème brûlée, for anyone who wants to linger and turn the meal into a full evening. Service is quick, but for the impatient there’s waiting beer for next to nothing. We’re into the crispy langos, topped with a generous mountain of prawns, red onion and crème fraîche. The house signature, fish n’ chips, consists of a large piece of fried fish, tartare sauce and fries topped with grated Italian hard cheese. The sauce for Hasselsons’ moules frites is slightly spicy, lifted with chilli.

Time Out tip: At the lunch rush around 12:00, the place fills up quickly, so come a little later to avoid waiting for a seat.

Sankt Eriksgatan 167, Sankt Eriksplan. Open every day for lunch and early dinner, Sunday daytime only and closed Monday. Expect to pay around SEK 140-160 for a dish.

What is it? Honestly, the city’s best falafel. Locals in Rågsved already know. And those who know, know that 20-25 minutes on the metro from T-Centralen is worth the trip. Here, the chickpea balls are fried so perfectly à la minute that you’ll be stunned.

Why we love it? There’s an unwritten rule at Amo: fill the table with meze. All dishes are completely vegetarian. Hummus is practically a mandatory order, warm blended chickpeas with plenty of pitta bread for scooping up the bean dip. There are two types of the bean dish foul, a common breakfast dish in the Middle East and probably the reason Amo opens as early as 09:00. The favourite is “Bel-Laban”, made with fava beans, yoghurt sauce, tahini, garlic and lemon. The parsley salad tabbouleh is no slouch either. Don’t miss the house pickles with bright-pink turnip coloured by beetroot, pickled cucumber and feferoni. Amo doesn’t have an alcohol licence, but you’d rather sip the yoghurt drink ayran with your food anyway.

Time Out tip: Bring at least one friend. You’ll want to try as many dishes as possible here, and sharing is the very best way to do it.

Rågsvedstorget 6, Rågsved. Open every day until early evening. Expect to pay around SEK 200 for a full meal, if you share the food.

What is it? Persian baguettes. In an unassuming kiosk on Sveavägen, crisp baguettes are served with flavour-packed fillings. These can include anything from potato patties and Persian sausage to lamb brain and veal tongue. Sundevich has a devoted fanbase and it’s not unusual to meet regulars here who have travelled halfway across town just for a baguette.

Why we love it? The kiosk has become a destination in its own right, proudly delivering consistently excellent sandwiches. Persian schlager music plays in the background as the baguettes are assembled with their different components. These are no slapdash creations, the tomato slices are placed on top of the parsley salad with millimetre precision. Sure, some fillings are bolder than others, but it’s worth noting that the veal tongue is actually one of the bestsellers. Gosht, with thinly sliced lamb and pickled cucumber, is another crowd favourite, in the same league as the one with beef fillet. Drinks include Zam Zam, Persian cola, lemonade and the yoghurt drink ayran.

Time Out tip: Seats are few, so if the weather allows, a picnic in nearby Vanadislunden is a good idea.

Sveavägen 03, Vasastan. Open every day for lunch and dinner. Expect to pay around SEK 99-119 for a sandwich.

What is it? Vietnamese baguettes, bánh mì, and the noodle soup phở are the focus of the menu. The entire kitchen team originally comes from Hanoi. At Viet Kitchen, inside the Skrapan shopping centre, there is no table service, you order your food from a machine. Despite this, the welcome is always friendly and the wait for food is rarely long.

Why we love it? The deep flavour profile makes all the difference at Viet Kitchen. The flavours have real punch here, clear proof that the kitchen makes all sauces and broths from scratch using fresh ingredients. Vietnamese cooking is built on balancing several basic tastes at once: sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami all find room in the same dish. Add to that a touch of heat: in the place’s bánh mì it comes on the side in a homemade chilli sauce that you add yourself. The soups are the house bestsellers and the base is made from marrow bones that are washed and roasted. For starters, there are homemade spring rolls, the favourite filled with minced pork and wood ear mushrooms.

Time Out tip: Dessert lovers shouldn’t miss the Vietnamese ice-cream sandwich with vanilla ice cream, coconut flakes, mango sorbet and cereal crunch in a freshly baked baguette.

Götgatan 78, Södermalm. Open every day for lunch and early dinner, closes earlier on Sundays. Expect to pay from SEK 165 for a soup and around SEK 140 for a baguette.

What is it? A Mexican restaurant with flavours reminiscent of Guadalajuara, Mexico. That was where restaurateur Jonathan Alejandro Gomez Ramos opened his first taqueria at the age of 17. Luckily for Stockholmers, Jonathan met his Swedish wife and moved here.

Why we love it? Diehard taco nerds judge whether a place is good enough by its quesabirria. The dish consists of slow-cooked meat in tortilla bread filled with cheese, fried until crisp and then dipped in broth on the side. In Mexico, this is said to be the ultimate hangover cure. After testing Stockholm’s entire offering, we can safely say that the city’s very best is served at Xulo. The secret lies in the fact that everything is made from scratch, not least the corn tortillas, which are baked to order. There are also other types of tacos on the menu, such as pastor with long-marinated pork and grilled pineapple, as well as the house guacamole and frijoles refritos, a popular Mexican bean dish. Ceviche with fish in the sharp citrus marinade leche de tigre, plus red onion, coriander and crispy fried corn, is another crowd favourite.

Time Out tip: During the lunch offer, guests can choose from the mains at an even lower price.

Luntmakargatan 44, Norrmalm. Open from lunch to evening, closed Sundays and Mondays. Expect to pay SEK 175 for quesabirria tacos in the evening.

What is it? Neapolitan-style pizza and house-made craft beer. Omnipollos Hatt was early in cementing the trend for higher-quality pizza with better dough as the base and more luxurious ingredients as toppings when it opened over ten years ago. In recent years, a flood of similar pizza spots has opened, but Omnipollos Hatt’s popularity hasn’t waned.

Why we love it? The pizza itself is baked in a softer Neapolitan style, but the edges are decorated with the aforementioned leopard spots. These are a sign that the dough has fermented properly and that the oven is hot enough. The toppings here have also been matched in smart flavour combinations, such as green padrón peppers and spicy chorizo. Or the one with muhammara, Syrian pepper dip, dates and pomegranate syrup. The wide beer selection is the crowning glory. On tap, there are several options from Omnipollo’s brewery inside an old church in Sundbyberg. The flavours outdo one another, such as a stout tasting of coconut and brownie, or a more candy-like version reminiscent of slushie.

Time Out tip: The kitchen stays open late for Stockholm, and takeaway is said to be available until 15 minutes before closing.

Hökens gata 1a, Södermalm. Open every day from lunch until 01:00. Expect to pay around SEK 135-175 for a pizza.