Restaurang B.A.R. — Restaurant in Stockholm

I have mixed feelings about this restaurant.

I still want to give this restaurant 4 stars, with the following rationale: Food was amazing. The chef was helpful and friendly Cristiano Ronaldo (see below) did everything in his power to make sure my needs were met I paid as expected (around 60 € for a freshly chosen fish, two sides, high quality bread and butte, a drink, and extra prawns and scallops to my own delight) All the issues listed below can be fixed. There is nothing excessively structural about those. They need to polish some aspects of the service, but behind this venue there is a solid idea and many resources (e.g. the idea of joining a fishery and a restaurant).

FULL REVIEW FOLLOWS:

On the one hand, food was delicious and the chef was amazing. He had me choose the fish, suggested sauce and match with drinks and veggies

On the other hand, although the staff did really make an effort to attend my needs, it was pretty clear they were struggling. This boils down to management.

It is not my case in particular, but what I witnessed that struck me. There were continuous delays (e.g. when taking orders, bringing cutlery at the table, etc.). Moreover, it seemed to me there were staff members whose roles were unclear. Some were working their a**es off. Other ones were doing the bare minimum.

Take the guy behind the bar, for example. He is a one-man army and I could sing his praises. However, it should not be like that. On the way from the cashier to your table, he has to: Check the coffee because apparently the guy who makes coffees is unable to do a latte without having somebody else topping up the creamy foam. Check other bills. Attend other customers who want to joke and have a chat because he is responsible for those sitting in a certain area. Help out the manager with the drinks he has prepared to impress some friends. Grab a tray from a waitress and bring it to the table himself. Prepare the bread baskets. Check other customers. Supervise the making of a cocktail. Finally, remember he has your bill in his hands and deliver it.

I mean, good job, but it should not be like that. This restaurant looks like the Portugal football team. It has a Cristiano Ronaldo taking care of a lot of issues, yet you need an entire team to win the world cup. And when you are so close to Gamla Stan you are clearly playing in the top league.

For example, what the hell is the cocktail guy doing? He never leaves his post, which is okay. Yet he is unable to manage alone all the spirits and the coffee machine. He needs the jack of all trades to double check his job. Looks like a rookie who is doing the bare minimum.

On a similar tone, there is this guy with a black shirt who seems to be there just because it is amusing to be around. He takes pride in delivering special treats and some bottles to some tables. Yet he is not a useful addition to the brigades. Is he the owner of the place? I dunno.

The runner - - because there are roles, apparently - - is excessively slow compared to the entire group. He wastes time checking on the shape of certain glasses, to the point our Cristiano Ronaldo has to take the ball in his hands and do the job for him.

With all of this going on, it was not surprising table service was a bit of a hit and miss. I saw some tables being serviced immediately, whereas other ones were attended with extreme delay. The service was not homogenous across the boards. Some tables were super happy. However, if you come here you run the risk of being the 1 out of 10 or 20 who gets forgotten among the crowd, their orders lost in the meanders of the hospitality industry.

Again, either roles are not so well defined, or they are missing a couple more hands behind the curtains.

Nothing outstanding, then. However the entire experience for me was overall positive even if I cannot say the restaurant is ready for the fifth star. But I expect to be impressed on a second occasion, maybe in one...

Was excited to go here as it was reviewed as a one of the best for fish and chips. Got there 20min early before opening on my last day in Stockholm and brought some bags. Thought it was normal for a tourist area that tourists frequented and the restaurant is attached to the Grand Hotel. Did not have reservations but took my chances...the waitress saw me when she was preparing the patio chairs for start of service. She was aware I wanted to eat there. They opened promptly at 5 pm, but a group of four women jumped into queue before me and were seated by the waitress. Unfortunately, the said waitress did not come back to the entrance to seat me for an unknown reason. Another waiter/host? came up to me and told me that i "can only eat for 30 min", despite the whole restaurant being empty at 5 pm. Ate there anyways because really wanted to try the grilled seafood. Got the grilled seafood plate with three types of fish, one scallop, one whole shrimp, and three half langostine in garlic butter. All the fish had a good grilled taste and crispy skin. The plate was tasty and well flavoured. But, since I was limited to a 30 min dinner, I did not order anything else. When I left, the restaurant was less than 25% full, thus I'm unsure why I had a time limit to eat and no one else did. The waitress did check on me once and asked if I wanted dessert. The service left a bad influence. Despite having good food, wouldn't go back because feel like I can't enjoy my meal. Cost: 345kr for the grilled plate. Decor: cute tables and has a display of the fresh fish. Tables have a serving bucket with utensils, including a seafood fork and a drawer of food essentials including sanitary napkins for the hands. Very disappointed in the manner I was treated especially for a...

We opted for B.A.R after it was recommended to us. It’s also on the Michelin recommended guide.

It certainly lived up to our expectations with the food. We started with 4 small plates, which were all tasty and bursting with flavour. As we still have room, we went for mains

If you opt for the fish, you get to had over to the fish counter and select the piece you want, awesome idea

The place is massive, has a lovely vibe and makes for a pleasant dining experience.

Now the negative. I agree with some of the comments, the service is really lacking and slow The staff seem inexperience, overwhelmed and simply confused/lost. We had to grab their attention on too many occasion and they even missed our coffees at the end.

If they nail the waiting staff issues, this place could earn its...