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Situated in a corner of the Beaux Arts–style Royal Academy of Art building, Fredsgatan 12 is confidently modern. The avant-garde decor is vibrant and inviting, with transparent yellow window panels and white pendant lighting. Founding chefs-owners Danyel Couet and Melker Andersson were recently joined by chef Paul Svensson (formerly with top-rated Bon Lloc). On the menu: modern interpretations of Swedish-Baltic specialties such as pike perch, gravlax, arctic char and wild duck, in season. The extraordinarily worldly wine list recently included French heavyweights as well as Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc and Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon.

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For a seriously big night out, make a reservation (far in advance) at this gourmet temple. Dahlgren is the only Swedish chef to have ever won the Bocuse D’or competition and he has three Michelin stars under his belt. His cuisine can be savored at the famed Grand Hotel in Stockholm at Matsalen (the Dining Room) or at Matbaren (the Food Bar). With a new menu each day, Dahlgren sources the freshest ingredients available to create a new kind of Swedish-style cuisine.

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This downtown restaurant is fashionable, formal and fun for dinner before the opera or ballet or for a long, leisurely meal. Situated in the magnificent old Royal Opera House, it’s a portrait of traditional Stockholm style. For a more relaxed bite, the lively Bakfickan bar, popular with locals, serves light Swedish salads and salmon. The hidden Opera bar, in the upstairs warren of the house, is like a late-night club where opera singers and musicians drop in after the performance.