Stockholm, Sweden - T/Bar at the Hotel Diplomat

A stylish buzzing spot for drinks is the T/Bar at the Hotel Diplomat, right down on the harbor. Great interior design and the rooms are supposed to be some of the nicest in Stockholm as well. Highly recommended as a pre-dinner warm up before a night on the town.

Stockholm, Sweden - Sture Hof

Ask any Swede, and they will tell you that the one restaurant not to be missed in Stockholm is Sture Hof. Dating back to 1905, this venerable fine dining institution sits at a prime location on fashionable Stureplan and offers some of the freshest seafood in Stockholm. The restaurant is always buzzing and packed with locals and tourists alike. We celebrated a birthday here filled with three courses of seafood and lots of champagne. I highly recommend it.

A traditional Toast Skagen: buttered toast with prawns in mayonnaise with fish roe

Shellfish Platter with lobster and oysters

Butter fried pike perch, creamed chanterelles, onion rings and watercress

We then danced until the sun came up at the famous Rose Club situated down by the harbor, and did our best to work off that decadent dinner ...  

Stockholm, Sweden - Riche

Riche Restaurant, which takes its name and interior design influence from Cafe Riche on Boulevard des Italiens in Paris, is a 115 year old bar and restaurant frequented by Stockholm's well-heeled set. Great for Swedish classics like meatballs and toast skagen, as well as comfort food like burgers, their bar scene is also always buzzing and not to be missed.

We headed here for lunch as soon as we arrived into town from an early morning flight from London and devoured their bacon cheddar cheese burger with fries. 

Pretty clever way to bring the bill to the table:

Stockholm, Sweden - A First Look In Pictures

I just got back from a long weekend in Stockholm to celebrate a friend's birthday. I was blown away by the beauty of this city, which is known as "The Venice of the North." From the buildings and architecture, to the clean open water, lush parks and high-end shops, bars and restaurants, I'm already plotting my return.

Here is a first look at the city in pictures, and I will be blogging about some of our favorite places there in my next few posts, so stay tuned ...