Stora Vikingen is a Swedish restaurant in Sodermalm, a bohemian section of Stockholm located due south of Gamla Stan. Given that we were staying at the nearby Hotel Rival, the walk to Stora Vikingen was no more than 5-10 minutes. It is also within walking distance of the Mariatorget T-bana.
One of the first reasons I chose this restaurant was because they had a child’s menu. My son tends to be a little picky about trying new foods and I knew he wouldn’t be adventurous enough to move beyond Swedish meatballs. We arrived at the restaurant at around 6:30pm and there were multiple tables outside, which is exactly what we wanted, given the fantastic weather.
Our waitress saw us soon after we sat down and came by to ask if we needed menus. When I said yes, she immediately advised she would bring the English version to me. Of course, I had long ago staked out this place on the Internet and had pretty much translated most of the Swedish, but I thought this was very nice of her. Before she left to retrieve the menu, she took our drink order. Nothing fancy here – just a Diet Coke for me and a Sprite for my son.
For our main dish, I ordered the Beef Rydberg, which is diced sirloin prepared with onion and raw egg. Accompanying the beef was pyttipanna, which is a hash of diced potatoes, onions, and bits of meat. My son ordered the grilled sausage and french fries. My son ate all of his food, so I guess he liked it well enough. My dish? Either I was very hungry or the dish was prepared well – the meat and potatoes had a nice sweet onion flavor and both were seasoned very well. I liked it so much that I was tempted to order another entrée. Instead, I saved room for dessert.
Andrew was tired after he finished eating, so he didn’t want any dessert. I knew what I wanted before I even sat down to order. When our waitress came back, I ordered the vanilla ice cream with cloudberry jam. It was easily one of the best tasting desserts I have had the pleasure of eating. The cloudberry jam was warm and had started to slightly melt the ice cream. The vanilla ice cream itself had a rich, creamy taste and the contrast in flavors between vanilla and cloudberry was awesome.
In terms of environment and atmosphere, I can’t speak to the interior of the restaurant since we sat outside. Sitting outside, in addition to providing an opportunity to enjoy the wonderful, sunny weather, was a good way to people watch.
The bill came to 367SEK, including a 15% tip. After conversion to US dollars and whatever fees Amex tacks on, the cost was around $48. Well worth it in my estimation.
Stora Vikingen Website