Long and narrow, stretching through the Baltic Sea off Sweden’s south-east coast, Öland has long been one of the country’s defining summer destinations. Often mentioned alongside Gotland, it has a character entirely its own – and a food scene that truly comes alive during the warmer months.
Now in its 54th season, Hotell Borgholm remains one of Öland’s defining gastronomic addresses. For Christofer Johansson and Daniel Olsson, summer 2026 marks their seventh year at the helm, during which the hotel has continued to refine
its culinary identity. Its most ambitious expression is Matsalen, the hotel’s elegant dining room, supported by the more relaxed bistro Verandan and the in-house Boulangerie, which opened three years ago. The cooking takes its cue from the hotel’s herb garden and the wider Öland landscape, with a choice of a five-course tasting menu or à la carte. Dishes might include plaice with seasonal “herbes de Borgholm”, celeriac, mussels and preserved tomatoes, finished with a saffron- and vanilla-scented butter sauce. The wine cellar, with close to a thousand references, underlines the seriousness of the place.
https://www.hotellborgholm.com/
Hidden among the trees of Borgholm’s Societetsparken, Matbaren i Parken has the easy tempo of a long meal on a warm evening. The dining room is small, the tables spill into the greenery, and the menu is built around mid-sized plates designed for sharing, lingering and ordering as appetite dictates. The cooking moves between Öland produce and continental references, from cured char with buttered chicken broth to potato croquettes with Gruyère and jamón mangalica. Witch flounder Belle Meunière with browned butter and mushrooms brings a more classical note. Still, the real draw is the setting: intimate, polished and particularly atmospheric after sunset.
https://matbareniparken.se/
Kackelstugan is less a conventional restaurant than a whole Öland summer scene. What began as informal gatherings hosted by Gunnar Aldestam and Agneta Ringman developed into a restaurant in the late 1990s, and the former farmstead has since
become one of the island’s best-known seasonal meeting places. Courtyard dinners, concerts by major Swedish artists on the intimate outdoor stage, and lagers and ales from the in-house microbrewery all add to the sense of a sprawling garden party. The kitchen borrows freely from different parts of the world while staying grounded in local produce and rustic, generous cooking. For those reluctant to leave, Kackelstugan also has Bed & Breakfast rooms available from May to September.
https://kackelstugan.com/
Lammet & Grisen has been part of Swedish holiday culture since 1969, when Jan Richert returned from Mallorca with the Spanish island’s spit-roasting traditions and adapted them to Öland. More than half a century later, the restaurant still draws generations of summer guests for whole lamb and pork, slowly turned over open fire and carved in front of diners. The mood is festive and deliberately unfussy, with long communal tables, large groups and generous servings of smoky meat, sauces and sides. Recently, the destination has expanded beyond the original restaurant. In 2025, Lammets Vingård was created next door, bringing together a vineyard, craft brewery, farm distillery, café, shop and accommodation. Solaris and Pinot Noir vines have already been planted, adding a new chapter to one of Öland’s most enduring food stories.
https://www.lammet.nu/
While Hotel Skansen in Färjestaden operates as a family-owned hotel, it has built an international reputation for whisky. Beneath the property lies Sweden’s largest whisky cellar, with more than 1,200 varieties from around the world and a standing as one of Europe’s most extensive whisky bars. Stone vaults, Chesterfield sofas and seemingly endless rows of bottles give the cellar the feel of a private collectors’ club. Tastings, lectures and personalised bottlings have made it a destination for whisky enthusiasts, while Champagne, wine and beer tastings broaden the hotel’s appeal for anyone interested in serious drinks culture. Upstairs, the restaurant serves seasonal Nordic food shaped by local producers and Öland ingredients, with menus created to sit naturally alongside the ambitious beverage programme.
https://www.hotelskansen.com/
