Ristorante Paganini — Restaurant in Stockholm

Update and warning!! Unsafe!! A review of this restaurant in Swedish from a year ago is almost identical regarding the dish I ordered, including a bad taste when it was remade. The kitchen staff seem to have a pattern of tampering with people’s food!!

Original: To not bury the lede, the food here made me sick. Overall I was made to feel unwelcome, ill-treated, condescended to, and genuinely scared. But to start with… I’m a solo traveler, and walked in at 6pm to ask if they had a table. The gentleman at the host stand said none were available at that moment and they only take reservations. I asked if there was any availability for later that evening. He told me no, they were fully booked. I said thank you and walked outside. I had been polite, but the waiter had been very curt with the couple in front of me and then me in turn. That made me wonder… I checked their website… and they had tables available that evening. Was it because the couple and I were Americans? Does he not like single diners? Was he just having a bad day?

I booked a table for 8:15pm. I got there early to make sure they didn’t give my table away. When I came back on time, I was seated in what I thought was a very drafty part of the restaurant… but it’s cold everywhere. I know this because after my appetizer was served, they moved me to another table to fit in a group of three diners. This also confirmed to me the tables are not wiped down between diners. The first table I was sat at had food leftover from previous guests, and so did this second table.

My appetizer also came out wrong. I asked for no olive tapenade with the garlic bread and it arrived with tapenade anyway. I ate it and it tasted okay on an empty stomach.

At 9:15, a full hour after sitting down, I had yet to receive the main dish. It arrived a little while later… a pasta carbonara with tons of black pepper on top, when I had asked for no black pepper because too much upsets my stomach. I had told that to my waiter, like I told him no olive tapenade… and like I told him about my citrus allergy. The waiter who delivered my food (new table) was different. At first he didn’t want to take the dish back, even though all I had said politely was that I had asked for no black pepper. He told me that pepper makes the carbona dish, that is why it’s called carbona, and this was the Italian version, did I want the “American” version? I’m not dumb. I’ve been to Italy many times (and New York every year, for what it’s worth). I could have told him I didn’t order a cacio e pepe without pepper, that the dish had too much cream to even be the “Italian” version, and that it really should be made with guanciole (their menu says it’s made with “pork side”). But I didn’t say that to him because no one should upset their waiter. I just politely repeated that I asked for no black pepper. He took the plate away.

He then came back from the kitchen and said the other waiter had not written what I asked on the ticket. This really scared me because I have an allergy. I asked if my allergy was on the ticket. He said not to worry about it.

Less than five minutes later, the person who moved my table came out with my dish. The cream was a bit much but it was edible and I was hungry. But I had eaten just a few bites when I started to feel ill. My heart was racing, my face was itching, and I could literally feel my left eye swelling before I even looked in the mirror. I called the waiter over and asked about my allergy again. He assured me that it wasn’t even in the kitchen. But it’s at the bar, and the wait staff pull items from everywhere and by now I was genuinely scared.

I asked for the bill so I could rush to the hotel and take medicine, my EpiPen if needed. He asked me if I wanted a free dessert. I wanted to get out of there!!! And now I’m at the hotel, taking a Benadryl and staying awake to see if I just have food poisoning from their pasta carbonara or if my food was tampered with and I need to use an EpiPen and go to the emergency room in an...

Paganini is another great addition to the repertoire of Italian restaurants around old town, which I am realizing now there are lots of them!

The waitress helping us was very friendly, attentive and helped us with some suggestions and ideas since we told her that we had dinned at near by Italian restaurants nights before.

We ordered garlic bread, cheese Ravioli, Frutti di mare, fried calamari, and a cheesecake and coffee for dessert. The food itself was delicious, the garlic bread was crunchy on the edges and soft and spongy on the inside, the cheese Ravioli was so buttery, perfectly cooked, and the cheese filling was melted without being burnt or runny. I have never been a fan of Frutti di Mare so I can't really speak on that end. The dessert was also good, but definitely the weaker part of the meal.

The only cons I see with Paganini is the space of the place, tables can feel a little to close to each other and it was difficult to move around without being afraid of bumping into another table, but then again I am pretty large individual.

You can tell it is a family establishment, by the end of our meal it seemed like the owner and his family were on the room next to ours and they were eating and enjoying while one of them was...

We eat out a lot, but no question that Ristorante Paganini was one of the most enjoyable dining experiences we have EVER had. We ate here our first night in Stockholm, and are so glad we did. This restaurant has the perfect combination of excellent food, wine, service and atmosphere. It’s located in a charming 17th century building in Gamla Stan. The atmosphere is warm and cozy with red and white checked tablecloths and soft lighting. We ordered a glass of Barbera to start, which was delicious and paired well with both the starter and the pastas that were recommended. The food was superb—we had the burrata with focaccia, the ragu and the pasta Paganini. The pasta was fantastic (and made in house) and the tiramisu was among the best we have ever eaten—light and airy with rich coffee and chocolate notes. Heavenly! The service was warm and friendly, and it seemed like just when we thought we were through, we were offered a little extra something on the house. They made us feel like family. This restaurant is such a gem! If you are in Stockholm, do not miss the chance to enjoy a delicious and authentic Italian meal at this charming restaurant in...