Spisa hos Helena — Restaurant in Stockholm

We had a reservation for 3 people, 19:30 pm. We arrived at that time and the restaurant was packed, so we had to wait near the entry together with some other people. A few minutes after us a group of 5-6 people arrived and they also had to wait. After circa 5 minutes the waiter offered us a glass of sparkling wine as an excuse for the waiting time. Every waiter in the restaurant was in a hurry and was almost running through the restaurant. Because of this he spilled a part of the sparkling wine on my clothes when he gave it to me.

At 19:45 pm a few people left the restaurant and some tables became free. Although the group of 5-6 people arrived after us, they were seated before us and they got a nice seat in the back of the restaurant. At this time, 3 more people left who were sitting on kind of a bench at the window. For us this seats looked like auxiliary seats, because it was quite narrow and one seat didn't even have a backrest, one was sitting back-to-back with another guest.

After a little bit more than 15 minutes waiting time, the waiter wanted to give us this "auxiliary seat", even though 3 other nice tables with 4 chairs were free at this time. Thereupon we've asked the waiter if we can also sit at one of the other tables and the waiter repeated instantly "no, this one is for 4 people!". As an reaction to this impolite answer after the waiting time we've left the restaurant.

You should know that 2 (!) people were sitting on the "for 4 people"-table before. Maybe the window bench is suitable for younger people, but it was nevertheless the worst table in the restaurant.

The happy end of the story: We discovered maybe one of the best restaurants in Gamla Stan and had a great evening with...

My small group of friends and I were excited to try this restaurant during our stay in Stockholm. So much so that, even finding it understandably closed on New Year's Day, we decided to return on the evening of January 2nd. Around 8:00 PM, we entered the restaurant and politely asked if there was a table available for three people. Despite there being availability among the many occupied tables, I was abruptly interrupted by the gentleman behind the counter, who ordered us to leave, stating that the kitchen was closed.

As I was about to leave, I tried asking why the kitchen was closing earlier than the hours indicated online. However, we were rudely told that it was a "special day." Now, I certainly don’t expect the kitchen to stay open just for us, absolutely not, but I would at least have appreciated some courtesy in communicating the situation and perhaps being invited to return another day.

Of the five days of our stay, we obviously did not return and, in fact, reported the incident to the reception of our hotel—a major chain located just around the corner—advising them to be more cautious about the establishments they recommend to their guests. Hospitality, it seems, is not a priority for certain places,...

The food was fine, but very basic and without any finesse. For the price I expect more, but the food is not the main problem with Spisa hos Helena.

The waiter was extremely quick, crossing the line into sloppy. As an example, the bottle of wine that I ordered was already opened when it was brought to the table. The waiter reached across the table as quickly as possible to splash some wine into the glasses. I believe that he thought he was really businesslike, but unfortunately, it was more slipshod than efficient.

Same thing serving the main course. Unfortunately, it made the experience of dining at Spisa at Helena...