Restaurant Pelikan — Restaurant in Stockholm

This restaurant had such amazing reviews that I came in expecting a magical dining experience. Instead, I found myself wondering if these ratings were the result of bribery, hypnosis, or an inside job. As for the food, if you enjoy salt by the pound, you’re in luck. Every dish tasted like it had been prepared by someone whose only seasoning experience came from salting icy sidewalks. Flavor? Overpowered. Balance? Nonexistent. The atmosphere is pure chaos. Imagine a packed stadium, but everyone’s seated and shouting over overpriced plates. If you came here for a peaceful meal, let me save you the trouble: don’t. The service matches the chaos. Plates are whisked away before you’re even done, leaving you feeling like you’ve accidentally wandered into a dining relay race. There’s no time to savor anything, not that you’d want to. Let’s say warm hospitality wasn’t on the menu. The staff look perpetually annoyed, as though serving you is a favor they’re begrudgingly granting. And then there’s the price. For food this unbalanced and service this rushed, the bill felt like an insult. Fine dining prices for cafeteria-level execution. You could get better value at a food truck—at least they let you finish your meal in peace. After experiencing this, I honestly have no idea where the rave reviews came from. Do they have a higher tolerance for noise, salt, and disappointment? Whatever the case, save your money and your sanity—this place is not...

I was a little hesitant before visiting the restaurant because of the abundance of praising reviews that sounded somewhat unnatural to me. However, after having dinner at Pelikan, I can easily call our experience remarkable. We walked in on Monday evening. The restaurant was full (which was already a good sign), filled with a sound mix of tourists and locals alike. We were offered to wait for 40 minutes, which was fine with us. The setting was very traditional, with a comfortable blend of upscale and cozy. The service during our visit was very warm and attentive. We were a company of three people, therefore, we ordered three of their staple courses to share: meatballs, potato dumplings, and stewed ox cheek. Actually, we did that only out of curiosity, with no high expectations, because we are really familiar with these simple meals (at least close variations of the meatballs and potato dumplings) as they are very typical of our native Lithuanian cuisine. Yet again, it proved that the simpler the dish, the greater the mastery needed to make it perfect. All meals were perfectly balanced and simply delicious (maybe the ox cheek might have been a little softer, or am I just too picky). Considering the price range in Stockholm, I'd say prices at Pelikan are very reasonable. Overall experience...

Sorry, man, this ain't it. It wasn't so much that it was a bad time, more that it was a mid time - for the price (and the hype), we went into this expecting something a little more impressive, but the experience was simply 'okay' instead. Our waiter was a bit inattentive, unfortunately, it was difficult to get a drink or the check. On the plus side, the staff at the door was kind enough to seat us a few minutes earlier than our reservation, which was quite nice :)

We ordered the herring starter (good to alright), the meatballs (incredibly average), and the venison fillet (decent enough, though pricy). It's a shame this experience wasn't up to par with the prior visit we'd had a year or two back - I distinctly recall a reindeer dish they served that was so damn good it's lived in my head rent-free ever since lol. Not sure what's happened in the meantime, perhaps we just caught them on a bad night, but them's the cards this time around :s

Food: expensively average, def could use more zest

Service: a little lacking, but civil

Atmosphere: a bit cramped and loud if you don't get lucky enough to have a table...