Hemma — Restaurant in Stockholm

Maybe it was a good thing we didn't call ahead to see if there were available tables at That Other Restaurant recommended by the hotel staff. Had we checked, we wouldn't have walked the half mile, uphill, before we started searching and calling for a restaurant that could accommodate a party of four. We started calling restaurants with solid reviews, and after finding several with no table, Restaurang Hemma Vasastan was the first to offer us a table. What good fortune! We received a warm greeting when we arrived, and seated at a comfortable table in the back of the restaurant. The waiter was both skilled and friendly. He guided us through a menu that is filled with tempting dishes, that all beautifully demonstrated a creative approach to traditional favorites. One of the things I like in a waiter is when he can guide you through the menu; it demonstrates that he has eaten the food and knows the relative strengths of each dish. (Oh, how I hate waitstaff who tells you that everything is good and offer no guidance.) Which fish is good? The broiled (seared) tuna is exceptional. (He was right.) We continued to narrow down the choices in the style of a good optometrist comparing two options (would we like A or B) and the dinners we chose were all superb. The Dry Aged Black Angus Ribeye Steak was an excellent piece of meat, perfectly cooked, tender, juicy, with a red wine gravy. The Pasta Beef Tenderloin Linguine was a joyous combination of ingredients surrounding the beef and linguine. Similarly, the Lightly Fried Halloumi was a squeaky cheesy delight. The four of us shared two Chocolate Fondants with Vanilla Ice Cream, a hot, gooey, chocolate melt offset by the ice cream served on the side. Prices were very reasonable. Service was friendly and professional. The food was uniformly excellent. We were happy when we left Restaurang Hemma Vasastan. If we lived within an hour of Stockholm. we would be regular customers. Don't miss out on this...

Horrible dark dingy place. I assumed it was an old pub and seated myself in a dark corner with my children. Just as I was ready to order at the bar an old hag rolls her eyes at me and sternly asks if I have been seated. No, I have not, you and your 'staff' watched me struggle up the stairs with my pram, seat myself and THEN ask me that. Of course she pompously states that the table is reserved despite no one telling me as such or the table being marked as so. But the obvious tell tale sign that this is utter nonsense is that the place is dirty and run down hence no one would book it in advance. So off I struggle down the dirty red carpeted stairs (google some images don't just take my word for it) and the old woman watches with out offering to help. Probably because she doesn't want a foreign woman with her children dining here despite there being a children's menu in English displayed outside. Just avoid if you are English speaking and have kids. Or are particular about ambiance and...

TL;DR : Good food, good atmosphere, good jazzy music, go there.

So, we booked a table for two this evening, first impression : really cosy and chill. Staff was very polite and smilling, My Martini was good and my girlfriend's mojito beautiful. The apetizer, "swedish toast" was absolutly succulent and looked really nice. For the main course, the perfectly cooked cod with the tasty bits of pork belly on top of a delicious purée sprinkled with with red beets, the best way to describe it is probably what I said as I ate it : "Holy sh*t that's good". I would have never thought about combining these ingrédients, yet it was really really good.

Also, it was late and we were the last at the restaurant, and we had the pleasure to chat with our waitress, super friendly and gave us a good idea for our next restaurant ! Thank you so much, the food was amazing and we'll be sure to come back next time we're...