Three of the Best Cheap Eats in Stockholm
I arrived in Stockholm with a grumbling belly and a hunger to try out some local restaurants. Much like other Scandinavian cities such as Copenhagen and Helsinki, the city has a bit of a rep for being quite pricey, particularly in terms of other European destinations. When I spent some time in Iceland earlier this year, I was all about cooking in the hostel to keep costs down. But with less time (and therefore less meals) this time round, I put some money aside for eating out a bit more – and a mission of hunting down some cheap eats in Stockholm began.
Breakfasts never bother me, so I just packed some granola bars and grabbed some pretty inexpensive fruit – but for lunches and dinners, I hunted down some of the city’s most affordable restaurants and street food. These three are places I’d highly recommend if you’re eating on a budget in Stockholm!
Flippin’ Burgers
I made my way to this burger joint in the Norrmalm area of Stockholm at around 6.30pm, in the middle of exploring the city’s metro station artwork. Despite the area around it seeming quiet, Flippin’ Burgers itself was pretty buzzing. Pretty much all the tables were taken, but thanks to my ‘table for one please’ solo adventuring, I managed to get myself a perch on a stool at the bar, swinging my legs to the 00s British indie tracks that made up the evening’s playlist.
The B.C.P was my burger of choice – that, folks, stands for bacon, cheese and pickle. All very good things. And it was definitely one of the more glorious burgers I’ve had on my travels. Juicy meat, a generous amount of cheese, plus crispy bacon and thick cut pickles that gave the burger a hearty crunch. It was just on the right side of being messy, and only needed a minimal squirt of mustard and ketchup to get it to perfection levels.
The fries were crispy and plentiful, washed down with a glass of beer. I can’t remember which beer – but chances are, it was the cheapest, as booze in Stockholm is kinda pricey. The burger, fries and beer came to a total of 190SEK, which is about £15 – definitely not bad if you’re putting it on a par with London prices.
Flippin’ Burgers
Observatoriegatan 8, 113 29 Stockholm, Sweden
Website
Östermalms Korvspecialist
If you’re looking to eat on a budget in Stockholm (or generally just want to eat some of the best food in Stockholm), like anywhere else, street eats = cheap eats. And Östermalms Korvspecialist is an absolute must-try. I excitedly exclaimed to the girls on WhatsApp that this was the greatest sausage-in-a-bun-based meal I’d ever had the pleasure of putting in my face. And I stand by that statement.
Squeezing my way past a crowd of tall Swedish men waiting for their lunches, I quietly asked for the English menu. I don’t like getting my sausage choices wrong, you see. And this place has a whole load of different types on offer. Standard, spicy, cheesy…this is definitely what you’d call sausage diversity. I chose the Sremska, a medium-spice level sausage with with paprika, garlic and mustard seeds. And it was SO VERY GOOD.
Spicy enough to have a good kick without blowing my face halfway down the canal, and served with a rich tomato sauce and a squirt of mustard. This was serious sausage-y perfection, wrapped up in a big bread roll hug. And speaking of the bread – so many French loaves/buns are annoyingly hard and you end up with flakes of it all over your perfectly prepared all-black ensemble. NOT THE CASE. It somehow managed to tread the perfect line of being soft but not soggy, with a bit of bite but not teeth-breakingly tough.
And also, for just under a fiver (60SEK) for a ‘single’ portion, it’s a total bargain. But pay the extra £2.50 or so to make it a double portion (90SEK) – trust me, you won’t regret it.
Östermalms Korvspecialist
Nybrogatan 57, 114 40 Stockholm, Sweden
Website
Meatballs For The People
Decor-wise, this spot oozes Scandi-cool. Wooden tables, faux fur rugs and throws plus plenty of candles and cosy cushions make it a warm and welcoming dining spot. But Stockholm’s Meatballs for the People is by no means style over substance, and worth the walk away from the usual tourist spots to get here.
One of the best ways to eat cheaply here is to take advantage of the ‘lunch’ deals that lots of restaurants offer – with some lasting until around 4-5pm. If you go for a bit of an early lunch, you can follow it with a BIG early dinner, which was one of my favourite ways to eat on the cheap in Stockholm.
And the lunch menu dishes at Meatballs For The People were hearty enough to fill me up for the entire evening, and delicious with it. From a few choices on the menu, my Mac and Cheese was light, creamy and perfectly complemented with a generous self-serve of pickled red onion. The venison meatballs (other meats available!) were so very good too. Ive never been a huge venison lover, but these ones are the real deal. Fresh and expensive-tasting, to the point where the price you’re paying even feels a bit like a steal…
The total for my meal and beer was 210SEK (about £17.40), which again, for a great quality dinner out is pretty affordable.
Meatballs For The People
Nytorgsgatan 30, 116 40 Stockholm, Sweden
Website
Read More:
How to spend 3 days in Stockholm
How To Visit Stockholm on a Budget: What I Actually Spent
A self-guided Stockholm metro art tour
