Gaston Vinbar

Gaston is the wine bar in the Frantzén empire in this part of Gamla stan. For those not familiar with Frantzén he runs the fine dining Frantzéns around the corner from Gaston as well as the gastro pub the Flying Elk and cocktail bar Corner Club. They also have a Gaston wine bar at department store NK and Bobergs Matsal.
I have been a huge fan of Gaston and I am still a fan of the one at NK but I have recently had several really bad experiences in the Old Town outlet. The atmosphere is nice and cozy and they still have a good wine selection but something has happened with the service, It used to be very friendly and knowledgeable but now their is one of the sommeliers (the blond woman working there) that seems to have a very poor attitude.
I thought it was perhaps just once as she was very rude to some in our group when were there but it has now been repeated several times (slamming down wine bottles, basically throwing wine in the glass, making rude comments when getting questions about the wines on offer) and I have also seen her act in the same way towards others. Interestingly she appears to only be rude to men (as she was extremely friendly to some people in our group) so not sure what that is about — well she has at least succeeded in convincing four different regulars to not visit Gaston when she is working if her goal is to scare customers away she has achieved it.
That said the wine selection is still often good and if the right people are working it can still be a pleasant experience but will now in general opt for Gaston at NK or some of the other wine bars in the Old Town,

Excellent cocktail bar in all aspects! The mixologist knew what he was doing and was super on point and fast. He was English friendly and clearly knew a lot about his stuff. They do have fresh fruits for the mixed drinks and clearly take pride in the quality of their drinks.
The place itself is upscale chic but still casual enough that it doesn’t feel stiff. It’s perfect for an evening drinking or more.

Wine bar owned by the Frantzen team. We went on a quiet night, so we had the place to ourselves. We spent a lot of time talking to the sommelier who helped us pick a nice wine and gave us other dining tips for Stockholm.

A friend of mine and I ended up here after a bit of an adventure trying to get dinner during the rush hour. First we started out trying to get a seat at Burgers, Barrels and Beer. Did. Not. Happen. Of course, why not have another insanely packed burger restaurant in Stockholm?! It was so busy that we stood there for 10 minutes and no one would even look at us to take our names down. We ended up just walking out. THEN, we went over to the Flying Elk and the whole dining room was booked up and the walk-​in bar area was completely packed full of people too! I was starting to feel a bit hungry and grumpy about the situation and then the wonderful, wonderful man working the host stand said «hey, why don’t you go next door to Gaston? They have the same menu and it’s pretty empty!» I was like… «WHAAAA? You just made my day Mr!»
We went next-​door and he was right! While everything else in their big chain of restaurants (Frantzén, The Flying Elk, The Flying Elk Bar and The Corner Club) was packed and totally booked this little wine bar was almost empty! I’ve been to this wine bar once before and for some reason never knew that they served food too?! Let alone the amazing menu from The Flying Elk??? I think I was a little afraid to come back here after the first time because I was scared to drop a serious amount of Kronor again on their bottled wine (Yeah, it’s pretty easy when the some bottles are like 2,000−3,000: — or more!) However, Now that I spent some more time in here, I would totally come back! They do have some economical (and seriously good) wine options to go with the food from next-​door. What we had last night was a bottle for about 850: — and I was in love with it! You can also go even cheaper or just do it by the glass (but I always want more than one glass so a bottle makes more sense if i’m sharing!)
The waitstaff were also so nice and totally indifferent to the fact that I didn’t want to spend too much money this time. They treated us with the same respect and amount of attention (or, more!) as they had the time before when I was «making it rain» (slang for spending a lot of money – for the Swedes who don’t watch rap videos. Haha!) There was better service here last night than I have had at any restaurant in Sweden to this day. Hands down. I kinda wish I could keep my little secret about coming here instead of The Flying Elk, but I just can’t! Highly recommend this place to anyone who wants a good meal and good wine – so, like… everyone basically!
TIp: I asked if we could Initial our cork and put it on the wall (the walls are built to hold wine corks) and they let us! Just ask and you can do the same! So cute!
Tip: The BLT and the Fish and Chips will knock your socks off! I’m also pretty sure they have some of the best fries here in Stockholm! ;)

It’s weird to go to a place that knows so much about California wine in Stockholm. Especially when you’re from California. Turns out one of the guys behind the bar is a California regular when he travels and turns out knows many of the same people I know. Crazy. He’s also one of the more well known wine distributors in the area so he does know everyone in the restaurant scene. Since I had no need for a CA wine I was offered a very good Barbaresco and some great conversation to mark my last day in town for a while. Great energy, drinks and people.

We entered Gaston just as it opened at 5pm and we had the good fortune of being the only ones in the establishment for a good bit of time. We spent time talking with Svonko-​the sommelier working at that time. Aside from the thoughtful selection of wine and the excellent presentation, including the correct temperature, his passion for both wine and beer was a pleasure. He even gave us a taste of a local microbrew US style IPA that completely shocked us because it was so good.
Any wine bar can look good. The bottom line always depends on the people who work there. If you find someone with a passion for what they do, your experience will be something to be remembered. This is one of those places.

We went to Gaston at about midnight on Saturday after a luxurious dinner at Frantzén. I hesitated going because the dinner and wine pairings were superb, and the idea of another glass of wine was not in my mind. But the continued camaraderie was, and so I found myself at a corner table with a couple I met at dinner. The space is really lovely, inviting with blond wood and wine bottles /​glasses. The tables and seats are very comfortable, set close enough to feel intimate but not claustrophobic. Fredrik greeted us and created a wonderful post-​dinner experience. He cheerfully ascertained our taste, offered and detailed a range of choice from a strong and well-​balanced list, and warmly served us. At that hour the wine bar was lively and cheerful. If they hadn’t closed for the season, I would have gone back the next two nights! When we are back in Stockholm, we’ll be there. I highly recommend Gaston for a delightful and delicious experience.

Fun little place with a good wine selection