Lilla Ego

One of the best meals I’ve had anywhere, with some of the best service! Lovely, funny, charming staff. Totally surprising dishes that are super creative but also delicious and un-​intimidating. Definitely have the potato pancakes with roe, and the Parmesan/​mushroom dish was fantastic. Crème brûlée with goat cheese was also delightful!

Very nice environment and personal. Food is extremely decorative and a joy for the eyes. Personal is helpful with vegan options but the food won’t deliver too price tag for non meat eaters.

Thanks to a great tip from our hotel, We checked out Lilla Ego. It was a bit hard to find as it lacks a big sign, which may be in line with the «little ego» mantra. Nevertheless, we were hosted by the chef himself, and although we lacked a reservation, we were seated at the bar where we could watch our dinner being prepared. It felt like we were watching a chef Ramsey show, without the cursing and yelling. The preparation, attention to detail, and validation from the chef was impressive. The food was phenomenal. I had the crispy cod and my wife had the steak. Both cooked to perfection and with harmoniously matched flavors in the sauces. By far, our favorite meal in Stockholm.

Got lucky enough to be seated almost immediately at a table for 2 as walk-​ins at this highly popular place. I think it helped that we went later at night.
Service was great and the interior is very cosy.
The start is definitely the food though. We started with the roe that comes with some sour cream and onions and goes on top of their fried potato pancakes. It’s pretty price at 25 euros for 2 people, but it was good. Not sure if I’d order it again considering the price, but I understand that stuff is expensive, and the presentation was great.
For dinner I had the smoked veal with frozen ramson butter and black morel gravy. This was my favorite dish of my 10 days traveling around scandinavia and the baltics. Every bite was just so damn good.
I decided to order desert based on how good the main course was, so I got the crème brûlée with macadamia nuts and topped with whipped goat cheese. Absolutely perfect. So glad I gave the thumbs up to dessert.
This place is in a quiet neighborhood north of downtown, but if you get a chance to make it out here, you won’t regret it. I understand it can be hard to get reservations, but I think this is the kind of place that is worth taking a chance on walking in and being turned away. Seems like you have a better chance if you go after the main dinner rush.

I couldn’t believe it when we walked in and managed to snag two seats at the bar. Pro-​Tip: Come around 9:30−10pm if you don’t have a 3 month reservation and you might luck into last minute seating. The man at the bar that served as our waiter? Tom Sjostedt. Yea, one of the head chefs served as our waiter.
First off, I love bread. This bread was freaking amazing. It came on top of a dish of finely crumbled butter with sunflower seeds grounded on top. I swooned.
Then, we had Horse Tartare. It tasted like the finest fatty tuna ever. I was shocked. I couldn’t believe my taste buds. I swooned some more.
For mains, we had the Ratatouille and the Veal. The chicken and the eggplant in the Ratatouille were mind boggling. Chicken is chicken to me, but they managed to make chicken taste like… No words. Just delicious. The Veal was plated with such precision while we watched, it was exactly like watching a master at work. Tender, juicy, remarkable.
And then the LillaEgg Sorbet for 2. I thought my boyfriend was going to dump me and marry this desert, right then and there. There were so many components but they all worked together so deliciously.
I’ve eaten at the best restaurants, but Lilla Ego… they’re experimenting here and it’s something amazing to taste.
Thus concludes the best meal ever in Stockholm.
P. S. This is also relatively affordable. Don’t disappoint me. Go here.

My second visit was not as obvious as the first. The starter, Oklassisk hästtartar med hasselnötter (Unconventional horse tartare with hazelnut) was exceptionally tasty. I think it hit my culinary ceiling; I can’t remember enjoying anything more than this (although I can recall several occasions of equal gastronomic joy). The dessert, a crème brûlée with goat cheese, however, was so salty that it was almost inedible (and I like salt). And the main course was somewhere in between.
But I like the idea of Lilla Ego. It is ambitious but unpretentious; that is rare and wonderful. In fact, I would like to write down the inedible dessert to experimentalism, which is a trait I would not want to discourage. So, my five Unilocal stars remain untouched. And if I get a third chance to visit, I will not waver.

Amazing. 5 star service, appetizers and food. And drinks. Watching the kitchen staff from the counter table was like watching artists create masterpieces

Really good food in a cozy environment. Yes, this is a restaurant in Stockholm that realizes good and innovative food doesn’t have to cost a crazy amount. I also appreciate the cozy space.
I’ve been here twice now and would have booked a third time, but the staff wouldn’t let me book another table while I was in the restaurant. OK if this is their policy but they let me do it the last time I ate there. The problem was that the man I spoke with went so far as to insult me by saying that they didn’t like to book tables directly with people when they were physically IN the restaurant because they have to book a few months’ out and people forget and so he imagined that I personally might be «in the club» and then realize (at 3 am?) I had booked a table at Lilla Ego that night and so, yes, that was WHY. I told him I put it directly in my phone upon booking (and really, what’s the difference if one books online or in person – months out is months out?) but he refused to let me book while I was there. Weird.
This exchange dampened my previous exuberance for Lilla Ego. I do give them props for good food at fair prices, but let’s be straight. It’s outrageous that Stockholm abides the pricing of its restaurant fare so that a restaurant like Lilla Ego stands out for doing something people should expect – nej, demand. I only hope more restaurants follow their example. And that they settle on their booking policy.