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FOOD AND DRINK

Stockholm nightlife: Seven cheap pubs and dive bars

The Stockholm bar scene isn't just made up of expensive wine and fancy cocktails. There are also numerous pubs that may not make a 'best pubs in the capital' list, but are as budget friendly as they are laidback, and perfect for grabbing a beer without breaking the bank.

Published: 1 March 2024 08:38 CET
Updated: 3 May 2024 15:45 CEST

Stockholm is expensive for going out, but there are some places where you can still grab a cheap beer. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

Going out to enjoy a meal and drink can be a very enjoyable experience, offering the chance to unwind and socialise. However, eating out or just going out for a beer can be expensive. Here are some of the more affordable bars and restaurants in Stockholm.

Hellströms

Hellströms Bar and Restaurant has a snug and welcoming atmosphere. They offer meals such as sandwiches, salads and burgers. They also have weekly offers, pasta nights on Monday and Tuesday nights, a fajita buffet on Wednesdays, burger and fries offer on Thursdays and a nacho buffet on Fridays.

Along with meal deals during the week they also have club 90, with music from the 90s from 8pm-1am on Wednesday night, a music quiz every Thursday and a pre-party from 10pm on Saturday. Finally, their afterwork promotion takes place every weekday between 3pm and 8pm.

The price of beer starts from 30 kronor ($2.90).

Find out more about their events here.

Location: Fatbursgatan 1, Stockholm

Crazy Horse and Black Elk

With three venues across Stockholm, the Crazy Horse is a lively and bustling bar. They offer a wide range of menu options, from snacks to burgers, fajitas, salads, fish and grilled dishes. It can get busy, so bear that in mind.

The cost of beer starts from 32 kronor, before 6pm.

More information can be found here.

Location: Sveavägen 60 & 61 and Götgatan 44, Stockholm

Lion Bar

This bar has a friendly and laid-back environment. With five locations in Stockholm, Sundbyberg, Vasastan, Sveavägen, Gärdet and Hornstull they feature a curated selection of dishes, which include fish and pork to burgers and steak. The post-work offer is available until 7pm from Monday to Friday.

Beer starts from 32 kronor, before 7pm.

More information can be found here.

Location: Tulegatan 7, Roslagsgatan 20, Sveavägen 74, Furusundsgatan 20 and Hornsgatan 154, Stockholm

The International Bar

Located in Östermalm, Gamla Stan and Birkastan, the International Bar is another favoured venue. The bar can be noisy, but it is a welcoming environment. Like many other bars, it has a broad food menu to choose from, which includes Swedish meatballs, fish and chips, burgers and pizzas.

They also have afterwork reduced rates from Monday to Friday between 3pm and 7pm. The bars also show sporting events, such as the Premier and Champions Leagues.

Cost of beer starts from 39 kronor.

Additional information can be found here.

Location: Norrlandsgatan 23, Mälartorget 13 and Rörstrandsgatan 11 Stockholm

Bara Enkelt & Bara Backe

The Baras group has eight venues across Stockholm and Uppsala, with Bara Enkelt and Bara Backe being popular spots.

The atmosphere in these bars is energetic and vibrant, especially on the weekend. Both bars offer a food menu, which includes snacks such as fries and halloumi sticks along with mains, including burgers and pasta dishes. Afterwork discounted prices are offered every day until 5pm.

Draft beer starts from 42 kronor.

Book a table or find more information here.

Location: Skånegatan 59 and Götgatan 33, Stockholm

Retro Bar

Another popular sports bar with a television screen at every corner, so you won’t miss any of the action. With an American-inspired food menu, they serve a range of burgers, stakes, pasta dishes, fajitas and salads. Their afterwork promotion is on until 6pm from Monday to Friday. When it comes to sports, they show matches from the Premier and Champions League to the NFL and more.

The cost of a beer starts from 54 kronor.

Book a table or find more information here.

Location: Sveavägen 120, Sveavägen 55, Sankt Eriksgatan 22, Hornsgatan 136 and Bondegatan 25, Stockholm

Flying Horse

If you are looking for a bar to watch football, the Flying Horse is a popular sports bar. When a football match is being screened, this bar has an exciting and dynamic atmosphere, offering a wide selection of food, from light bits, like sandwiches to main meals which includes burgers, fish, chicken and salads. The pub offers discounted prices on drinks for their afterwork deal from Monday to Friday until 6pm.

Due to the venue being a popular sports bar and it does fill up quickly, if you are planning on going it is recommended that you book in advance.

The cost of beer starts from 59 kronor.

Get more information on this bar here.

Location: Odengatan 44, Stockholm

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How to grow your own fruits and vegetables in Sweden

Know your growing zone

Sweden is split into eight different growing zones, known as växtzoner in Swedish, with one being the mildest zone in the far south of the country and eight being the harshest, in the far north.

The easiest way to figure out which zone you live in is to search your address on a digital growing zone chart like this one from the Swedish Garden Association.

There are two “bonus” zones too, which you’re unlikely to see on plant labels: zone zero, which refers to extra mild conditions in zone one, like a sheltered south-facing garden or the climate inside an unheated greenhouse, and the fjällzon or zone nine, which is found in mountain regions.

Lots of fruit trees can handle snow, for example, but not all of them will survive the winters in harsher, colder zones.

“Apple trees or fruit trees will survive snow,” British gardener and cider maker John Taylor, known for presenting Swedish gardening show Trädgårdstider (Garden Times), told The Local.

“You can grow all kinds of apples, pears, plums, cherries, we can grow edible quince in southern Sweden, so there’s a bunch of fruit trees which will survive, but it depends what rootstock they’re on – that’s called grundstam in Swedish,” he explained.

“There’s one rootstock called B9 that survives down to minus 40, because it’s from Russia, then there’s another called M106, and that probably doesn’t want to live in the depths of Norrland.”

Buy plants local to you

An easy way to make sure the plant you’re planning on buying is going to survive in your zone is by sourcing it from a local plant nursery or garden centre, as they won’t sell plants that can’t handle the local climate.

“There’s a nursery in the north of Sweden and Finland called Blomkvists, they sell lots of fruit varieties which will survive up there,” Taylor said. “You can grow pretty much anything you want up there, just as we can [in Skåne, southern Sweden], but it will be different varieties that taste different and will survive the frost.”

You won’t be able to grow Mediterranean fruits like lemons or oranges in Sweden unless you bring them inside during the winter, although you should be able to grow peaches or nectarines in most of the country.

“The further up in the country you go, the further north you are or the further away from the coast, the harsher the climate becomes, so you might need to have them on a south-facing wall or in a greenhouse,” Taylor said.

Think outside the box

Although the growing season in Sweden may be shorter than it is further south, there are still a number of crops from warmer climates that do surprisingly well.

“People don’t really grow cucumbers outside here, I don’t think they realise that you can actually grow them outside,” Taylor said. “Tomatoes, too. You don’t need a greenhouse, you just stick them in the ground, they’re basically a weed – you’ll get so many you won’t know what to do with them.”

Sweetcorn, for example, performs well in a Swedish climate, Taylor said, although Swedes more often grow it as a feed crop for pigs.

You can also test things by trying to build a microclimate so you can grow things that are one or even two growing zones away from yours. Usually this is done by providing shelter from the wind and the weather using fences, hedges or by planting near buildings, as well as providing protection during the winter.

And if you’re pushed for space, look into companion planting, where you can grow multiple plants which complement each other in the same space.

One example of this is the “three sisters”: corn, climbing beans (or peas), and squash. The corn provides a support for the beans or peas, which anchor the corn in high winds while fixing nitrogen in the soil, while the squash’s large leaves provide shade for the soil, preventing it from drying out.

Don’t be put off just because you don’t have any outside space

Thinking outside the box applies to balconies too.

“If you’re in a built-up area, you will get reflected light from other buildings, so even if you’re on an east-facing balcony, you should be able to grow a lot of stuff. North is a bit more tricky, but east and west are probably better than south as you’re not getting hammered by the sun all day,” Taylor said.

You should be able to grow things like tomatoes, cucumbers and flowers, but it’s important to get hold of good soil and replenish it each year, so your plants have enough nutrients.

“Anybody with a balcony can grow pretty much the same that you can in a garden, you just have to get the soil up there and you always have to fertilise, the soil becomes nutrient deficient after one season.”

“But if you’re prepared to get the soil up on your balcony you can grow anything, even fruit trees. They will be smaller and stunted, and won’t give as much fruit – I’ve done it myself – so don’t see it as an obstacle, see it as a possibility.”

Kale and tomatoes growing on a balcony. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Take inspiration from Swedish growers

Thinking outside the box doesn’t mean that you should completely ignore what all your Swedish neighbours are doing. If you’re not sure what to plant in your garden or what fruit and veg you should try to grow, take a look at what other people who live near you are growing.

You might also come across some crops you’ve never tried before which work well in a Swedish climate, like Alpine strawberries (smultron), honeyberries (blåbärstry), wild garlic (ramslök) or sea buckthorn (havtorn).

This doesn’t just apply to varieties, but also where you plant them in your garden. Some crops need full sun, some work best in shade, and others, like asparagus, can grow tall and cast a shadow over your garden.

“You want a south-facing location for all fruit, and berries – check out what your neighbours are doing,” Taylor said.

If you don’t want tall plants to cast a shadow over other crops, see if you can plant them at the northernmost edge of your garden, while making sure that sun and soil conditions are still optimal. Blueberries, for example, need acidic soil to thrive, meaning you will probably need to amend your soil if planting in the ground, or even plant them in containers.

Think about what you want to do with your harvest

This may seem obvious, but it’s important to plant what you like to eat, too. If you hate the aniseedy, licorice-y taste of fennel, why bother growing it?

You should also choose the variety of crop based on what you’re going to use it for. Do you want to make pickles with your cucumbers, or are you going to eat them on salads? Do you want cherry tomatoes for snacking on, or big beef tomatoes for making sauces?

“Think ‘what am I going to do with my harvest’,” Taylor said. “Am I going to juice it? Am I going to preserve it? Am I going to make cider with it, for example?”

Apples, for example, can range from sweet eating apples to tart cooking apples, so make sure you do your research before you commit to buying an apple tree. Most varieties exist in English-speaking countries, so you should be able to search the name of the variety online and find some information in a language you understand, if you don’t speak Swedish.

“Patience is a virtue,” he added. “A lot of fruit trees are going to take two or three years, or even more, to give a harvest. So you have to have patience.”

Learn to deal with the Swedish weather

Many areas of Sweden along the coast or in the south of the country can get windy, which you’ll have to learn to deal with.

“How to deal with the wind? You can’t,” Taylor said. “We cannot affect this, we are powerless.”

“What you have to do is plant them in areas where there’s less wind, usually behind large buildings.”

Some plants simply won’t survive the wind, so either you plant them close to buildings, protect them, or accept that you’re restricted in what you can grow.

Make sure to provide supports for crops which will grow tall, like sunflowers, peas, beans and sweetcorn, and tie these down well or bury them deep in the ground, so summer storms can’t blow them away.

Listen to the full interview with John Taylor in The Local’s Sweden in Focus Extra podcast for Membership+ subscribers. Out on Wednesday, May 8th.

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