13 Best Cocktail Bars in Stockholm (Neighborhood Nightlife Guide)
If you love a high-quality cocktail, Stockholm at night is a chart-topping experience. With typically at least one bar gracing the World’s 50 Best Bars list each year, Stockholm cocktail bars are some of the best out there. But where to start? Our Stockholm nightlife guide breaks down the top bars in Stockholm, Sweden by neighborhood, so you can find your next favorite spot quickly.
Stockholm’s bar scene is top notch. From cool speakeasies to casual beer gardens and everything in between, there’s a perfect venue for all types of drinkers here. But where Stockholm truly shines is in the artfully crafted cocktails of its city’s talented mixologists. Whether you’re looking for an innovative cocktail or a perfectly concocted classic, you can definitely find it here.
In our Stockholm nightlife guide, we’ve pulled together a list of 13 of the best cocktail bars in Stockholm, Sweden. We’ve organized them for you by neighborhood, so you can quickly find the closest top bar to check out tonight.
Still planning your tip? Don’t miss our full travel guide and itinerary for Stockholm here and our guide to the best neighborhoods to stay in Stockholm.
Update note: This guide was reviewed in August 2026 to confirm current openings, pricing, and overall relevance.
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Jump Ahead
The Top Cocktail Bars in Stockholm, Sweden
To make navigating easy, we’ll break down all our favorite Stockholm cocktail bars by neighborhood. While you’re out, don’t forget to try Stockholm’s famous “hot shot,” especially if you’re visiting in the fall! This tasty espresso-based shot is the perfect pick-me-up to warm you up from the inside out and keep you going all night long!
Not in the mood to decide between so many options? Join this pub crawl – it was an absolute blast and we met so many fun people!
Gamla stan
Gamla stan is Stockholm’s “old town” and home to several key tourist sites. Unlike most tourist centers though, Gamla stan is also home to several incredible bars and restaurants. While you still need to be careful to avoid tourist traps near top attractions like the Royal Palace, don’t feel the need to avoid the bars and restaurants on this island entirely.
Pharmarium is one of Stockholm’s best cocktail bars located smack dab in the middle of the city. It stands out for its unique setting, located in the city’s first public pharmacy, back in the day where the practice of medicine included alchemy and the arcane. This dark and mysterious aesthetic persists in the decor of Pharmarium, with walls lined with wooden drawers and dried herbs backlit in low lighting.
While we did find Pharmarium to be a bit overhyped for the price point, it’s still undoubtedly a cool venue to stop by for a drink. It’s very popular, so we recommend reservations at least 1-2 weeks in advance, though a few small window seats are left available for walk-ins.
Norrmalm
Norrmalm is the home of Stockholm’s central train station and one of the most convenient areas to stay in Stockholm. It’s the center of the city for mainstream shopping and dining, but it’s not just a place to find an H&M or Zara. There are also some excellent cocktail bars if you veer off the main streets. Plus, the pub crawl tour we joined started here, so it’s a great place to start your evening.
MAP Petite Maison is an intimate and upscale cocktail bar in the city center that takes the art of mixology seriously. They carry a unique selection of limited edition premium whiskeys, rums, and gins from all over the world. Their specialty cocktails rotate to feature some of their best offerings – when we visited, they were highlighting their Japanese whiskeys.
The bartending staff here is extremely knowledgeable, but still friendly and approachable, happy to share their passion with you while you enjoy your cocktail. In fact, MAP Petite Maison also offers tastings and mixology classes – learn more about MAP’s classes here.
Given the small seating area at this top bar in Stockholm, we recommend reserving your table at MAP Petite Maison at least a few days in advance to guarantee your spot.
Östermalm
Just northwest of Norrmalm is Stockholm’s most posh neighborhood, Östermalm. Known for its high-end shopping and luxury accommodations, it’s no surprise that Östermalm is also home to two of Stockholm’s most esteemed cocktail bars.
One of the most awarded Stockholm cocktail bars, you’ll need to make reservations for this one weeks in advance. Lucy’s Flower Shop is a cool and chic speakeasy that focuses on cocktails that are simple, but perfectly crafted. So perfectly, in fact, that they won the prestigious Guldrakken award for the best bar in Stockholm in 2020 and placed on the list of the World’s 50 Best Bars in both 2021 and 2022. Find this bar through the unmarked wooden door and down the stairs of this empty florist shop and try one of their herbal-inspired drinks like the popular Rum and Plum.
Note that Lucy’s does keep a few tables open for walk-ins, but as one of the most highly rated cocktail bars in Stockholm, we wouldn’t count on it.
Another highly-awarded option for nightlife in Stockholm, Sweden, A bar called Gemma opened in 2019 and has been raking in the acclaim ever since. Winning the Bartender’s Choice Awards Best New Bar in 2019 and Best Cocktail Bar in 2020, they were also awarded the third best bar in Europe in 2020 by Big 7 Travel as well as a nod from the World’s 50 Best Bars at number 78.
But A bar called Gemma isn’t about the fancy awards – they want to be your neighborhood bar. Backlit by their neon flaming monkey sign, these bartenders aim to bring you nothing but joy. Don’t miss their signature Gemma cocktail, made with gin, sake, pistachio, ginger, and citrus.
Update Note: As of August 2026, A bar called Gemma is permanently closed. Hopefully its owners have a new idea up their sleeves soon!
Södermalm - Hornstull
Södermalm island is our favorite neighborhood in Stockholm, and where many of the city’s younger locals also love to live and party. There are a lot of great bars on this island, so we’ve broken it up into its several neighborhoods. We’ll start in Hornstull, one of Stockholm’s trendiest areas. Located on the far west side of Södermalm, this hipster area is a great place to find quality craft cocktails.
While Capricci leans a little more on the restaurant side (one of our favorite restaurants in Stockholm, in fact), they do have a beautiful bar, and their bartending staff is top notch. I enjoyed two of my best cocktails in the city here, their Pear Canela and Spicy Paloma. They also gave excellent recommendations for other top bars in the neighborhood, further proof that their bartenders know what’s up. Capricci is a great place to start your night our in Stockholm, and you might as well enjoy some of their exceptional pasta while you’re at it.
While you can likely grab a seat at the bar for a drink without a reservation, if you’d like to stay for dinner, we recommend booking a table at Capricci a few days in advance.
Making the cut on almost any list of the top bars in Stockholm, Tjoget is a cool and moody spot in Hornstull serving unique and innovative cocktails. Here you can try drinks with unusual ingredients like feta whey, beetroot, and charred bell pepper, artfully mixed up with a wide variety of liquors to create a novel and delicious experience. Their menu changes seasonally, so you can always expect the freshest ingredients and something new to try. Tjoget is a popular haunt, so arrive early or plan to stand.
Tjoget does not accept reservations for the bar, but you can book a table at Tjoget for dinner if you want to make sure you can experience its inventive cocktails.
If the crowd at Tjoget is a bit too much for you, head two doors down to Restaurang Forma, a Michelin-recommended French-Asian concept restaurant with cocktails to match. I highly enjoyed their signature drink, the Don Banana, made with rum, banana cream, lemon, and tonka beans, served up with a banana leaf garnish. Other signatures include a Dashi Sour, Mandarin Chili, and Hana Highball. In the evening, they bring out the DJ and a disco ball, so prepare yourself for a fun and groovy vibe.
When I visited, there was plenty of seating at the bar. But if you’d like to guarantee your stools, reserve your space at Forma a few days in advance.
Södermalm - SoFo
SoFo is the city’s gentrified artistic center and home to excellent restaurants, cool cafes, and tons of vintage shopping. The nightlife scene in this Stockholm, Sweden neighborhood offers a more relaxed vibe catering to locals, with some unique finds and cozy hidden gems.
Bistro Boheme (another one of our favorite Stockholm restaurants) is a Spanish tapas bar with the perfect upscale vibe to kickstart your night out. This bar is cozy and intimate, with a solid cocktail list and sangria to boot. Their tapas are excellent as well, and great for a small bite as an appetizer or a late-night snack. We highly recommend their gambas al pil pil, tiger prawns sauteed in olive oil, garlic, chili peppers, and white wine served with homemade bread, and their stellar espresso martini.
This Stockholm cocktail bar is pretty walk-in friendly, but there’s limited seating at the bar. If you prefer a sure thing, book your table at Bistro Boheme a few days in advance.
Next we have the cozy wine bar Bara Enkelt. Of everywhere we went in Stockholm, this was probably the most affordable glass of wine we found, though they serve a variety of cocktails as well. Bara Enkelt is warm and quiet on weeknights, the perfect place to wind down for the night or chat with friends and loved ones in a comfy booth. It gets full to the brim on weekends though, as it’s a popular spot among locals.
If you’re planning to visit during busy weekend hours, we recommend reserving a table at Bara Enkelt a few days in advance – but, a reservation will require you to order food too. On weeknights, feel free to play it off the cuff.
Södermalm - Mariatorget/Slussen
The Mariatorget and Slussen area serves as the gateway to Södermalm. Here, you can find a diverse nightlife scene that caters to both tourists and locals. Our pub crawl tour also ended around here, so these will be convenient next stops if you want to keep the drinks flowing.
Translating to “Södermalm’s Heart,” Söders Hjärta is truly the beating heart of the neighborhood, frequently hosting live music, trivia nights, and other events for the community. While it appears a bit divey when you first walk in, there are several nicer seating areas around the twists and turns of this mazelike bar. Söders Hjärta is a place that encourages you to settle in and catch up with friends over a pint, glass of wine, or one of their rotating cocktail specials. They also offer a full dinner menu if you’d like to stay for a bite.
This Stockholm bar is super walk-in friendly, so you should only need to reserve a table at Söders Hjärta if you’d like to eat dinner there, too.
For a bougier experience, head down the street to Paradiso. With an emphasis on rum cocktails and pink neon lights, it gives big Miami Vice vibes. Enjoy their more upscale upstairs bar or their rough-hewn, cave-like downstairs area with a dance floor. We recommend their Lindsay Lohan signature cocktail made with Takamaka Koko, Vetz, peach, Söderblandning tea, and lemon, because, come on – how can you resist?
Want a bonus Stockholm nightlife guide tip? Head here early to grab a discount at happy hour, every day until 7pm.
Update Note: As of August 2026, Paradiso is temporarily closed. However, its website is still live and there are recent reviews, so we expect it will reopen soon!
Rounding out our Stockholm cocktail bars in Södermalm is popular Restaurant Akkurat. This may feel misplaced at first, as Akkurat’s most obvious feature is their exceptional craft beer selection on tap, but they also specialize in whiskey. With nearly 300 whiskeys available to taste, you may need to move in upstairs to work your way through them all. But the good news is that they do have occasional tasting nights that are open to the public (some are exclusive to their beer and whiskey club members) – check here to see when Akkurat’s next event is.
This bar and restaurant is another walk-in friendly option, with a large wrap-around bar with ample seating. But, if you prefer, you can also reserve a table at Restaurant Akkurat here.
Djurgården
Djurgården is the city’s cultural center, where you’ll find nearly all of its museums, as well as an amusement park in the summer. One such museum might catch you by surprise, and makes the perfect finish to a day of touring.
One of Stockholm’s more unique museum offerings, the Spritmuseum is sandwiched between popular attractions the Vasa Museum and the Viking Museum. The Spritmuseum is dedicated to Swedish drinking culture, and you can enjoy a beverage while you tour the exhibits. But even if you’re too tired for another museum, it’s an excellent place to stop for a cocktail at the end of your day. Why? Positioned on the western edge of the island, it offers beautiful views of the sunset over the water from their outdoor patio.
You shouldn’t need a reservation here just for a drink, but if you’d like to eat too, you can book a table at the Museum of Spirits a day or two in advance.
You May Also Like:
- Where to Eat in Stockholm: Your Must Eat Food Guide
- Stockholm in October: The Ultimate 3-Day Itinerary & Guide
- The Best Neighborhoods in Stockholm: Where to Stay by Vibe
- The 7 Best Museums in Stockholm: Which Are Worth Your Time
- 5 Top Tips for Visiting the Stockholm Royal Palace
- 120+ Basic Swedish Words and Phrases for Travel
FAQs: Stockholm Nightlife Guide
Which Neighborhoods Have the Best Nightlife in Stockholm, Sweden?
Most of the best nightlife in Stockholm, Sweden is in Södermalm, one of our top picks of where to stay in Stockholm. But there are also top bars located all across Stockholm. For example, the city’s most prestigious cocktail bars are in the bougie Östermalm neighborhood, while the historic district of Gamla stan has some stand out venues as well.
When Do People Typically Go Out in Stockholm at Night?
Swedes eat dinner pretty early, especially in the fall and winter (think 5-6pm), so nightlife in Stockholm, Sweden starts on the earlier side too, picking up around 9pm. Most bars and clubs close by 1:00am, or 2:00am if they have an extended license. We’ve got good news if you get the munchies though – the law in Sweden mandates that any establishment that serves alcohol must also serve food, so you’ll always be able to get a late-night snack if you need it.
Should I Tip at Top Bars in Stockholm, Sweden?
For casual bars in Stockholm, Sweden, not tipping is standard practice. However, as you move up to nicer cocktail bars or if you experience exceptional service, a 5-10% tip is more common.
Do Bars in Stockholm Accept Credit Cards?
Stockholm is almost entirely cashless, so expect to use your card no matter the transaction amount. However, if a business’s Wifi is down, you’ll be in a tough spot, as their alternative payment approach is a QR code bank transfer, which only works if you have a Swedish bank account. We recommend withdrawing a small amount of cash (about 100 Swedish krona or ~$111) at the airport in case of emergencies, as finding an ATM around town can be quite difficult. Don’t forget our pro tip on withdrawing from ATMs in foreign countries!
Pro tip: When offered an exchange rate by an ATM, you can – and should – always decline the rate displayed. This rate often includes a heavy markup on top of the market exchange rate. Declining the rate will not stop your transaction, but rather allow your personal bank to set the rate instead.
Do I Need to Speak Swedish to Order at Stockholm Cocktail Bars?
Definitely not. We had no issues interacting with people in the service industry in English during our 4 weeks in Stockholm, though knowing a few key words will definitely win you some brownie points with the locals. Practice these ones before your trip:
- Hello/Hi – Hej – HAY (informal, good for any time of day)
- Goodbye – Hej då – HAY doh
- Please – Snälla – SNELL-ah (literally “kind,” for a casual request)
- Thank you – Tack – Tahk (the most important)
- Excuse me – Ursäkta mig – oor-SHEHK-tah may (to grab a waiter’s attention)
- Can I pay? – Kan jag betala? – kahn yah beh-TAH-lah?
- The bill/check – Notan – NOH-tahn
- Cheers! – Skål! – Skohl!
Want to learn more? Check out our post 120+ Basic Swedish Words and Phrases for Travel.
Where Can I Learn More About Stockholm and Why I Should Visit It?
Right here! We lived in Stockholm for four weeks and have a full travel guide and itinerary for Stockholm here, along with a slew of other helpful guides to make planning your trip to Stockholm easy. Check out all of our Stockholm travel guides here.
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