As part of our Green Traveller's Guide to West Sweden we've picked out a selection of places to eat.
Sweden is known around the globe for the quality of its seafood, and West Sweden is perhaps the best place of all to find all manner of local gastronomical delights.
Fishing is a way of life in West Sweden, and almost every island and town has its own speciality. The town of Grebbestad in particular is a shellfish lover's dream, with 90% of all oysters and around half of all lobsters caught in the country being trawled in from its seas. Needless to say, this makes for a veritable feast of restaurants whose menus offer nothing but dishes made from fish and shellfish caught earlier that day.
Plus, if you still had any doubt as to the quality of these restaurants, many have been presented with the Taste of West Sweden award, which singles out those eateries doing fantastic things with the freshest, local produce.
Google map: shows the location and details of all the places to stay, local food and drink, nearby visitor attractions and activities in our Green Traveller's Guide to West Sweden:
Green = Places to stay Blue = Local food & drink Yellow = Attractions Purple = Activities
Places to eat in West Sweden
Salt and Sill
It wasn't enough for Salt and Sill to be Sweden's first floating hotel, they also needed to develop one of the finest restaurants in the region. Having won a Taste of West Sweden award, the restaurant proudly serves up traditional dishes with an innovative twist. It also boasts a stunning location, with a seating area for around 120 people on a pier that offers unrivalled views out over the sea. Having first opened in 1999, Salt and Sill has become famous for its Herring Platter, as well as developing a strong following for its focus on high quality, locally sourced seafood. Salt and Sill has also been awarded the status 'Worth a Journey' and 'White's Heart' by White Guide, the Swedish Restaurant Guide. saltosill.se
Rökeriet in Strömstad
This unique little fish and shellfish restaurant in Strömstad's guest harbour is given all its character by the smoke-house that allows guests to witness the smoking process either from the comfort of the restaurant or from the harbour outside. The ground floor of the restaurant is wonderfully intimate, with an open fireplace and a small bar. Upstairs is a loft area offering further seating and great views out over the ocean. Having also won the Taste of West Sweden award, the restaurant offers such dishes as Koster fresh water prawns with seaweed bread, and the Småplocktallrick, which is a delicious collection of wood-fired fish pieces with potato salad. vastsverige.com
Väderöarnas Värdshus
Thirty minutes by boat from Fjällbacka on the Swedish mainland is the archipelago known as Weather Islands, a collection of once-deserted islands, now a away-from-everything place to stay and a secluded venue for conferences and wedding. The only guesthouse on the archipelago has a fabulous granite sauna and seawater hot tub with uninterrupted views of the sea; they organise langoustine and lobster fishing trips year-round, which are followed by cooking and tastings. They also run tours of the archipelago and story nights. vaderoarna.com
Sea Lodge, Smögen
As the website proudly states, Lea Lodge is the only gourmet restaurant in Smögen to have been awarded a Taste of West Sweden award. The restaurant offers up a mouthwatering menu that draws its inspiration directly from the ocean, using only the freshest ingredients. Guests can also venture out with a skipper and try their hand at fishing for lobster, the 'black gold of the ocean'. Whatever you bring back can then be cooked and served in the restaurant. For a truly luxurious experience, combine the day of fishing with a 5-course lobster supper and an overnight stay at the hotel, with its breathtaking views out over the Smögen Archipelago. sealodge.se
Bjertorp Manor Restaurant
Bjertorp's restaurant is renowned for the freshness of its ingredients, while the castle dinner menu constantly changes to reflect the season - early spring will see local deer on offer, while winter makes way for a wealth of wild game and root vegetables. Open seven days a week, the restaurant also offers an impressive brasserie menu complete with home made soup and pan-fried trout from Lake Vätten. vastsverige.com
Karingo
The father-and-daughter team of Kent Berndtsson and Camilla Hofsten have transformed their property on a small archipelago in the north-west of Bohuslan into a renowned oyster bar and retreat. The site now offers accommodations ranging from a 16th century fisherman's cottage to a newly-built wooden villa, each with spectacular views over the harbour. Between September and June, guests can indulge in champagne and oysters in true style from the wood-fired seawater hot tub at the end of the jetty - the most luxurious option also includes fresh lobster and a liqueur to finish, although be sure to book as part of a group. There's also the chance to learn a little more about the history of oyster farming once you're done shucking.
Musselbaren
This mussel bar and restaurant is set in the historic health spa resprt of Lyckorna on Sweden's beautiful west coast. The menu is simple: moules frites, moules marinière and moule Roquefort, with additional seasonal ingredients coming from local farms in the area. Between April and October, the restaurant runs boat trips out to the fjord to the mile-wide mussel farms where visitors can harvest live blue mussels before heading back to shore and cooking them up together in a cookery class at the restaurant. musselbaren.se
