Restaurants During the Christmas & New Year Holidays




Photo by: Henrik Trygg, Stockholms Visitors Board

  I have already written about this once, but it is time for a friendly reminder...
As a tourist coming to Stockholm, you should be aware that many restaurants close during the holiday season. Some close just for the main holiday dates (Christmas Eve, New Years Eve, etc;), others close for a few more extra days while others actually close for a couple of weeks. When it comes to Christmas Eve, you should plan on eating in a hotel restaurant. They are the only restaurants of real quality open on that date. Many of the major hotels are open to general public, so you do have a choice! The Rival's Bistro is open to all guests (whether you are staying at the hotel or not) during the entire holiday season and there you can enjoy a menu filled with both Swedish Classics and international favorites. We will not be serving a Christmas smörgåsbord this year. To make a reservation, contact the bistro at bistro@rival.se . On Christmas Day a few more restaurants open in the city for business again and on Boxing Day a few more... so you don't have to only eat at hotels during your stay. As many restaurants do close, the ones that are open do tend to fill up so reserving a table on the same day can be difficult in some cases. I would recommend, if you are staying at The Rival Hotel, to contact me at concierge@rival.se and I will help you with recommendations of restaurants that are open as well as with eventual table reservations. If you are not staying at the Rival then I suggest you contact your hotel for help.


Photo by: Henrik Trygg, Stockholms Visitors Board

 Regarding the New Year's weekend, it is New Year's Eve that is the tricky day. While some restaurants are closed, the majority will be open and will be serving a traditional multi-course New Years supper (nyårssupé). This is quite popular and last minute reservations are a near impossibilty... so make sure you have your dinner plans arranged before coming to Stockholm! The Rival's Bistro will be serving a traditional nyårssupé starting at 7:30pm. After dinner there will be a DJ playing in the Cocktail Bar, which is open until 2am. Local fireworks can be viewed from the Bistro's balcony, otherwise it is only a 10 minute walk down to the waterfront where the official firework display can be seen at midnight. For more information about the Rival's New year's Eve dinner and celebration click here. Many restaurants will be closed on New Years Day and the next (mainly due to staff hangovers one can assume!). Once again, if you are staying at the hotel, contact me for recommendations and reservations...