Ulrika Karlsson is a sommelier, restaurateur, and wine writer from the island of Gotland, Sweden. She runs the award winning restaurant Krakas Krog on Gotland, teaches aspiring sommeliers at Restaurangakademien in Stockholm, and writes about wine for various publications. Passionate about sustainability and small-scale production, she has a deep knowledge of natural wines and a love for sharing her expertise.
Please introduce yourself to our members
I am Ulrika Karlsson and I’ve been in the restaurant business for almost 25 years. I am originally from Gotland, Sweden but I left the island after school to seek adventure around the world. Currently, I run my own restaurant, Krakas Krog on the island of Gotland. I am teaching sommeliers at Restaurangakademien in Stockholm and writing articles about wine. And a lot of other things connected to hotels and restaurants.
Tell us about your current project
Developing Krakas in an ongoing project. Over the years we have decreased the number of guests to have the ability to increase the holistic experience. We are open only 4 months a year but extend the year with trips to wine regions and tastings in other places than Gotland.
Tell us about the restaurant scene on Gotland
Gotland is a summer destination and an unbelievably beautiful place, appreciated by people from all around the world. From May through September there are small, genuine restaurants both in the historic town of Visby and in the countryside. We do have a tradition of using many of the local ingredients, among those the lamb and some incredible vegetables stand out. Picturesque is a good word for describing the atmosphere on Gotland. The rest of the year, the island tends to go into its winter rest.
What are your favorite restaurants in Stockholm and Gotland?
I spend every other day in Stockholm and all my restaurant visits are there. It’s a city with a good mix of big restaurants, small places and tiny wine bars.
- The Sparrow is a favorite, a French bistro with a Swedish twist. Great wine list, casual food cooked with love and a wine bar which is nice to sneak by for a glass or two.
- Dashi is fantastic, this tiny restaurant delivers a great tasting menu in a relaxed atmosphere. The way they serve Japanese food in a Nordic ambience is impressive.
- Savant is a nice wine bar, located in Vasastan, a good place to pass by home from work. Mostly low intervention wines and simple but good food. Matbaren at Grand Hotel is a safe card among Stockholm’s restaurants.
Gotland:
- When I go out in Visby I prefer something relaxed but with the right “nerve”. Ett Rum för Resande is more of a café but lovely to sneak by for genuine, homemade food and service with a personal touch. Computers are forbidden and a good conversation is encouraged.
- Grannar & Vapendragare located in Fole serves wood oven pizzas in a beautiful garden. It’s only open for a limited time in the summer and the parking is packed with cars. Difficult to get a table but well worth the effort.
- Salthamn is a wild food restaurant in an amazing location. The old mink breeding farm is transformed into a place for sustainable food and organic gardens. They serve an uncomplicated menu made from daily fresh ingredients in a remarkable ambiance. Located only a few kilometers north of Visby.
"Ett Rum för Resande in Visby is more of a café but lovely to sneak by for genuine, homemade food and service with a personal touch."
What’s a new restaurant or hidden gem that you think is doing great things?
Both Persona and Ergo are doing good things for the restaurant scene in Stockholm. During a period several fine-dining restaurants have closed. Delivering a higher level of gastronomy gives Stockholm a more complex restaurant scene. Svedjan is a bakery where good things happen. And also Rosendals Trädgård with Paul Svensson as a new creative director.
What’s your favorite kind of restaurant and why?
I love details and restaurants with a lot of personality. Great food of course but also the knowledge of local ingredients and what is going on in the area around. A restaurant which delivers more than only an eating experience like Blue Hill Farm and Le Doyenné. The location is as important as everything else in the idea of the restaurant, I do appreciate a holistic point of view.
What are your three favorite food cities and your favorite restaurants in those cities?
- Copenhagen. Fantastic regarding food with Nordic identity. Noma has been my favorite restaurant for many years, Kadeau is another, Alchemist a third. Selma for something light and to Sanchez for a family dinner.
- Paris. La Doyenné feels like home but close to a big city. Great food in a remarkable environment. Arpège is a “feel good” restaurant, luxury but still personal. I visited the restaurant for the first time in 1999, ever since, I get a lot of inspiration when I go back. Freddy’s is worth a visit; this small wine bar has a good mix of classic and natural selection of wines. Ici Même is another good bar, great selection of natural wines.
- New York. Eleven Madison Park for their plant-based menus, impeccable service and great effort to create an updated experience. Burger joint is a place to hang out, good burgers in an unexpected place.I used to live in NYC for almost ten years, a great place back then was Union Square Café and it’s always nice to go back.
Who is an up-and-coming chef you are keeping an eye on?
Gustav Leonhardt, he was competing for Sweden in Bocuse d’Or 2025. Interesting to see what he is going to do in the future. Jessie Sommarström is a Swedish chef, extremely talented with an own mindset about sustainability and our Nobel Banquet chef 2024.
Who is a food expert whose restaurant recommendations you’d like to see?
Mathias Dahlgren, his deep knowledge about food is indisputable. And his point of view regarding restaurants, differs from other peoples. I do appreciate his experience both as a chef and restaurateur.
