Villa Godthem

Villa Godthem – traditional restaurant with beautiful views and country charm

In a beautiful Djurgården environment, just a stone’s throw from the city pulse, you’ll find Villa Godthem, a Victorian dream. Here you can enjoy Swedish gourmet food and lush views.

Villa Godthem is a wholesaler villa from the beginning and dates back to 1874. It was built as a gift to the famous opera singer Carl Johan Uddman.

The myth says that the fat and alcoholized Uddman used to walk home from the opera in the evenings, and when he entered the hall, he cried ‘Jag har GÅTT hem!!’ (I’ve walked home!!). Hence the name. It was opened to the public in 1897, and since then it has been a patisserie and inn.

Today it is much more than just a restaurant. It’s a place of tradition and history.

“We get visits from 80-year-olds who have been here as children. Couples who got married here 60 years ago come back every year to eat the planked steak they ate at their wedding. People have a personal relationship with Villa Godthem. It’s a place with many memories,” says Andreas Ahlqvist, one of the owners.

And that’s perhaps what makes the restaurant so unique.

“We don’t want it to be fine dining. We want a familiar feeling. It’s an old villa that has been preserved since the 19th century. When you come here, it should feel like a home. Like stepping into a living room.”

Villa Godthem is located in the Royal Djurgården, just a short distance from Stureplan, and is perhaps Stockholm’s most central inn. With idyllic views over the water and country charm.

“Those who live in the city and don’t have a country house have the opportunity to come here and feel the nature. There are also animals that walk around free,” says Andreas.

The restaurant is full of both families, children, pensioners, and tourists. And given the location, close to both the venue Cirkus and the theaters, the restaurant gets a lot of theater guests who have dinner here before the show.

About 120 years ago they took in the first planked steak from Hungary.

“That’s what people recognize us for. They usually react when you say Villa Godthem – Ah, I’ve eaten a planked steak there,” Andreas says.

It’s so popular that people seem to fly in from the other side of the world.

“Once upon a time, a Saudi Arabian prince took his private jet here to try the planked steak. Then he flew back the same day,” says Andreas.

The menu is based on traditional dishes with a modern touch – Swedish home cooking meets French à la carte. Choose from hash browns, herring, cured salmon, and Toast Skagen. Or enjoy a lighter menu of salads, wraps and wood-fired pizzas in the cozy garden café.

Villa Godthem goes big when it comes to traditions. Here you can celebrate Mårten Gås (Swedish feast), crayfish party or midsummer – the restaurant’s best day of the year, fully booked as early as October. Another favorite is the annual Christmas buffet that attracts people from all around the world.

You can also arrange a birthday party, wedding, family dinner, or why not just a romantic evening with your special someone? There is room for both intimate dates and a banquet for 400 people.

Visit Villa Godthem and enjoy the cozy country feeling and Victorian charm. Who knows, you might like it so much that you don’t want to go home!