The 2026 hot list: the 23 best new restaurants in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden

On Stockholm University’s Frescati campus, north of central Stockholm, Lantbruket turns weekday lunch into an Erskine detour. The restaurant has reopened in Lantis, the former Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture building connected to Allhuset, the 1981 student building by British-born Swedish architect Ralph Erskine, known for socially minded modernism shaped around everyday use. It is open to students, university staff and outside guests, so you can walk in without a campus identity. Compass Group runs the kitchen, with culinary director Krister Dahl behind a seasonal Nordic lunch: three hot dishes, salad buffet, sandwiches, wraps, fika and coffee, served in Cederwall Arkitekter’s reuse-heavy renovation.

At Slussen, Slussporten is Nobis Restaurant Division’s biggest restaurant bet in years, built to become a future Stockholm institution. The dining room seats 95, the bar 76, with an outdoor terrace at Vattentorget adding 125 when open. The kitchen is led by head chef Jacob Davidsson and starts from Swedish cooking, then pulls in flavours that reflect Slussen’s constant movement. Techniques stay classic, with the menu shifting with the seasons. The bar plays the same game, using Nordic ingredients when they fit and borrowing ideas from further afield, keeping cocktails in active rotation. Music rises as the evening settles in.

On Kungsholmen, Solkant Café & Roastery brings a Mariefred-built roasting project into a Stockholm routine. The team fired up its own roaster in 2021 after years of planning, buying specialty-grade lots and pushing transparency in sourcing. The approach is simple: highlight the flavour already in the bean, not roast it into bitterness. Expect espresso and filter, plus bags to take home, including Imagine, an espresso blend described as nutty, dark chocolate and dried fruit. Sustainability is treated as a practical filter, with interest in small farms working responsibly without costly certifications in practice.

G.A.T. takes its name from Gustav Adolfs Torg, the square outside, and sits in the blue-listed Davidsonska huset. 20-Gruppen runs it as a New York-leaning bistro with a classic cocktail bar and two private dining rooms for 10 and 20. Architect Andreas Martin-Löf has worked with restraint, keeping late-1800s detailing by Agi Lindegren and Gustaf Lindgren in play. Head chef Elias Nador cooks American-French comfort, from shrimp cocktail and king crab legs to New York strip. Toast G.A.T. lands as the house move, topped with foie gras, beef fillet and caviar. Bar manager Axel Söderström keeps the classics tight, including the dry martini served in oversized Bobo martini glasses. Restaurant manager Elin Banck sets an easy pace across the room.

On Kocksgatan in Stockholm’s Södermalm, Bistro Monello does classic bistro energy with a clean, modern hand. The room is tight and warm: bottle-green panelling, cream walls, brass lighting, red banquettes and white cloths under small lamps. It is built for lingering over a second glass. Start with Chironfils No.3 oysters with shallots, lemon and tabasco, or croquettes with gruyère and jambon. Bruschetta comes with garlic and cured tomato, topped with stracciatella, or boquerones if salt is the point. Add jambon noir de Bigorre, nocellara olives and sourdough with homemade butter. Finish with pistachio tiramisu or madeleines, then a Monello truffle. Cocktails and a dedicated wine list keep the pace steady.