Totally Stockholm 1
Matateljén opens a pizza place “You only regret w
hat you didn’t do,” they say and that’s just how the people behind the pride of Gamla Enskede, Matateljén, thought before expanding in the middle of the most severe restrictions this city has seen in the modern era. They are now opening Ateljéns Pizza in the restaurant Gaffeln’s old premises, serving up both traditional and innovative toppings. We don’t have a specific opening date yet, but according to Matateljén it will be “soon”. The best bartenders and bars For the first time in the 11-year-long history of Bartender’s Choice Awards, the Best Bartender award has gone to the same home for the second year running. This was the case both in Denmark, where Harry Bell at Tata came out on top, and in Sweden, where Hampus Thunholm at Berns in Stockholm took the coveted prize home. At the same event, A Bar Called Gemma on Grev Turegatan was declared the best cocktail bar in the land. For obvious reasons the usual gala night didn’t take place this year, and instead the winners were declared via a live streamed event on December 6. But for the organisers, cancelling the award show altogether was never an option. “It’s more important than ever before to celebrate and highlight the talent we have here in the Nordics. Especially in a year like this one, when the bar business has been brought to its knees,” commented Jakob Sundin, one of the founders of the Bartender’s Choice Awards. The BCA were instigated back in 2010, to raise the standard and the status of the bar industry. The idea was to do this through highlighting the best bars, bartenders and products that make up the Nordic cocktail scene. The organisation was originally founded in Sweden but has since then expanded to include Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland. Today the BCA are regarded as the most prestigious awards of their kind in the Nordic countries. Here are all of the Swedish winners of 2020: Best Cocktail Bar – A Bar Called Gemma, Stockholm Best Cocktail Menu – Häktet Vänster, Stockholm Best Bartender – Hampus Thunholm, Berns Most Improved – Stockholms Bränneri Best Signature Cocktail – Thai Basil, Asian Post Office, Stockholm A Christmas bar at Stureplan The Miracle concept began as a pop up-bar in New York eight years ago. The founders Nico de Soto and Greg Boehm filled the cocktail bar Mace with kitsch Christmas decorations, and served an array of various Christmas-themed cocktails. It quickly became all the rage, and earned its founders a feature on Late Night with Seth Myers. Since then, the concept has spread around the world. This year they will be represented at 150 different locations worldwide. One of them is Sturegatan 4. ”This is gonna be fun. After all these years, doing Miracle in one of my favourite cities and the home of Santa Claus makes total sense. Expect madness. We’re here to transport you to somewhere far from your worries,” says Nico de Soto in a press release. The bar opened in late November, helmed by Alex Skärlén and Ola Carlson, together with Nico de Soto. ”We are extremely excited to work with Nico again, to be able to do it in Stockholm, and to give Stockholmers this Christmas bar of all Christmas bars, Miracle, and to do it at as fantastic a location as Sturegatan 4. Even in 2020, there will be Christmas!,” the duo say. 21