Belgobaren

Way back in the day, this was the hotel bar for Freys hotel, and the place where I first drank Chimay, Duvel and sour beer. Nowadays, it's a place all of its own, and as the name suggests, it's a all about the Belgians.

Vibe is a cross between Belgian beer cafe and a British pub. Pretty cosy.

Selection is great, as long as you're after Belgian beer. They have pretty much everything you would expect, from both bottle and tap. Quality is very good, well maintained lines.

Service is quite Swedish, knowledgeable, but you have to engage them, not the other way around.

Haven't had the food, but it's well regarded Belgian pub food.

Overall, this place has a lot of nostalgia for me, but even without that, it's one of the best Belgian beer places in Sweden.

Of the handful of Belgian beer bars that I have been to, Belgobaren is the best for 3 reasons.

First, it could not be more convenient for a tourist; two blocks from Stockholm's central station.

Second, Belgobaren has good-to-great food (having eaten there three times.) And the best way to appreciate Belgian beers is to eat it with their food and see how their kitchen and yeast cultures complement one another.

Third, the selection is outstanding. I had Had just over half of the beers's on MJ's "Great Beers of Belgium." At Belgobaren, I added 5 more ales and could've added three more if I had one more day in Stockholm.

There were two other bars I wanted to visit while here, but Belgobaren was appreciation enough.

 

 

 

Annexed to a hotel on a side street near the central station, which means that the customers tend to be guests of the hotel OR people who have an interest in Belgian beer. Slightly less expensive than the other Belgian bars in town (the Rochefort index puts them about 10-20 kr cheaper per beer), but since it's Sweden you will pay a bit. The good news is that if you can get there on a Sunday their "moules frites" are half price. So, a kilo of mussels and fries will only set you back 99kr. That may be the greatest deal in the city, and it is highly recommended. The other dishes are all Belgian, good but pricey.

The staff are very informed - and interested, they have had more or less everything they sell. On one occasion I was asked it it was ok if they had a little tiny bit in a small glass just to have tried it. They know their stuff, and don't belittle their customers with grandiose explanations and recommendations.

The place can get a bit crowded on weekends, but it's not a bad thing as the music is tame and the patrons not at all what you will find in other Stockholm bars late into the night on a Saturday. (Belgobaren has varying open hours, but are open till 2AM in the summer on weekends. This includes their outdoor seating as it seems their connection to the hotel excludes them from the standard 10 PM law. A+ for that.)

Has a light open interior and is decorated with beer signs from Belgium. Not in an overdone way, just enough to make you remember where you are. Those, and the famous TV showing the fish. (This gets mesmerizing after a while, since you keep trying to spot the part in the film where the loop takes place...)

A long list of beers and a rotating line of taps. A lot of bottles you will not find anywhere else in Stockholm, and even off season Christmas beers. Unlike most places they tend to have nearly everything on their list, or will recommend something similar if they are out of it.

If you live in Stockholm and simply want a good Belgian beer without all of the pomp and crowds this is the place to go. It is a bit of an anomaly in that it isn't trying to be more than it is - which is a really really good thing.

This restaurant, located just a block from the central train/underground station is part of a hotel called Frey's. This makes the atmosphere a little more quiet and sophisticated than many other bars. Hörnan's (The Corner) interior is relaxed and discreet; grey-beige is the dominant colour. The guests are a mix of hotel guests, people having supper after the theatre and beer enthusiasts. There are a couple of tellies at the walls, but they are usually showing a fireplace, a bird cage or other background DVDs. Sometimes, they play background music at very low volume.

The beers are kept in dark refrigerators at the proper temperatures. There are some 250 bottled beers and 12 taps with one or two guest beers, all Belgian. They try to carry some beer from all Trappist breweries.

The staff seems to have good - in some cases excellent - knowledge of the beer. I discussed what beer I should have with my food for almost 10 minutes with the waitress and we agreed that I should have a Leffe Blond with my spicy Belgian sausage and pressed potatoes. Indeed a great combination!

The problem, at least the Saturday evening that I visited them, seemed to be the kitchen. We had to wait for 50 minutes until we got our food. Another guest started to yell at the staff when he had waited for over an hour! The head waiter excused himself and offered us a free dessert ("Chocolate truffle à la Trappist)". When we at last got our food (my wife had the "traditional Belgian mussel stew") it was very tasty.

A glass of draft beer was round 65 SEK, a main dish 130-250 SEK.