Sandhamns Värdshus — Restaurant in Värmdö kommun

They have an indoor restaurant and outdoor restaurant under the same name, it’s a bit confusing as they don’t seem to advertise the difference online or on Google maps. If you make a reservation, it is for their indoor location FYI. When we arrived, we were immediately drawn to the outdoor deck restaurant as it was a beautiful sunny day but they didn’t have our reservation. Luckily there was space enough for us to get seated right away, and they informed the indoor restaurant of our cancellation. Another point of difference between the two is the menu, I had checked the menu online previously, but they had different items at the deck restaurant.

Food was good. Pleasantly surprised to be honest, you never know when you visit islands out in the archipelago with limited food options. We ordered burgers and the seafood soup, I’d recommend both. Service was friendly and prompt.

The outdoor restaurant is dog friendly. They provided water for our little friend without us...

Most of our table had the same: the herring dish (Värdshusets S.O.S) as a starter - 3 types of marinated/pickled herring with aged cheddar cheese. Honestly I can't quite remember the cheese because the herring was so good! One was pickled (and my favorite), the next was marinated in a tomato sauce and the 3rd in a creamy sauce. The herring was firm and very tasty, all 3 presentations, never too fishy and just right with a shot of brännvin. Then we all went for the seafood casserole (Fisk- och skaldjursgryta), I could just leave it at my 6 year old almost licked the plate! It was luscious, velvety, tangy, with just the right amount of fennel and saffron, and with a delicious aioli to accompany. If I ever make it back to that corner of the world, I'll be dining at Sandhamns...

The oldest restaurant and pub in/on Sandhamn, should be on your must do list. Upstairs is a dining room with a wide ranging menu and expect to have to book ahead, on the ground floor is a "pub" with a smaller menu, that most will find more than meets your needs. All diets are catered for to a degree, vegans will struggle. The mains and starters we had were great, the fish casserole possibly the best I have ever had. Who knew that pickled herring could be so good. The only disappointment was the pud a caramel cake served with a great vanilla ice cream, the cake element was, for me a little too dense. But still enjoyable. An amusing thing is that Google asks about free or paid for parking even valet parking on an island with no cars or vans. I like AI that's not...