seat38a

Can anyone recommend some traditional food restaurant in Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn? Looking for traditional food. We will be in Copenhagen for three nights and the other cities are just stop over on a cruise so a good lunch spot would be great.

Thanks!

tsastor

Since you are pressed on time you'd probably prefer a central location.

Stockholm old town: Den Gyldene Freden (serving Swedish tastes since the 18th century)
Helsinki city center: Zetor (started to preserve rural restaurant traditions in downtown Helsinki)
Copenhagen: any terrace, bakery or restaurant serving Smörrebröd (e.g. in the Ströget area)
Tallinn old town: Olde Hansa (medieval type restaurant)
Oslo: no idea. What is good tasting traditional Norwegian food? Last time I ate at TGI Fridays.

stut

Copenhagen has a lot of good restaurants - but a lot of tourist tat, especially around Nyhavn. The Madklubben chain has some good options (particularly the original one in Vesterbro) - not old-style traditional, but thoroughly decent food.

Then there's http://www.xn--spromenaden-ggb.dk/ - up by the inner lakes. That's more old-school. Very meat-and-two-veg.

Or, if you want down to earth, head for Chicky Grill on Halmtorvet for a gut-filling plate of meat/egg, boiled potatoes, cabbage and gravy in a café for the meat market workers. It's pretty cramped, grungy and smoky, but I still enjoy it despite myself...

There's much higher class around the Kodbyen, though. Paté Paté has some great food, there's the Kodbyens Fiskebar (mmm). And if you're lucky, you can get go to BioMio when they're serving rødgrød med fløde for dessert - downside is you have to order from the chef and so be able to pronounce it...

Lutefisk?

broenor

Two very traditional restaurants in Oslo near the cruise harbour is Engebret Cafe, http://engebret-cafe.no/ and Gamle Rådhus http://www.gamleraadhus.no/. They have lunch monday to friday. A more modern restuarant is Smalhans, http://www.smalhans.no/, but that a bit away from the city center

tsastor

Mother, is that you?

Alsacienne

Zetor in Helsink +1!

gnaget

If you want "traditional" food in CPH then for smoerrebroed the classic place is Ida Davidsen near Kgs Nytorv.

Otherwise for old school food then Rio Bravo comes to mind. It's an institution and looking at the menu it's about as old school Danish as it gets. http://www.riobravo.dk/menukort.aspx
It's famous because some politicians met there in the fall of 1983 to compromise on the budget, including the leader of Fremskridtspartiet (RIP). Not Glistrup (also RIP) since he had been jailed that summer.

Note that a lot of old school Danish bars and restaurants have a Western theme in the name and decor. The food and drink has no connection to the US.

I think traditional Danish food is awful and I would seek out more French inspired kitchens. Honestly, in DK traditional pretty much equals pretty bad, in my humble opinion.

FlyingJoy

Stockholm: Bla Dorren, Pelikan, or Kryp In
Helsinki: Konstan Molja
Tallinn: Vanaema Juures

seat38a

Thank you everyone for all of your great information!

ksu

Only for Christmas. I never eat the thing, anyway.

As for Oslo recommendations, Engebret is traditional, but pricey. For a very authentic Norwegian experience (i.e. Norwegian husmannskost - traditional ordinary dishes as us natives actually might eat at home) go to Kaffistova in hotel Bondeheimen. One block from Karl Johans gate. Self-service, no alcohol served (AFAIR).

The meatballs are a classic. Even more traditional are the potato dumplings on Thursdays. Prices are reasonable.

http://www.kaffistova.com/en/menues