Photo: © Welove2ski.com

Where to eat? Just about anywhere, that’s where. The restaurants in Are, Sweden are among the best we know in the mountains, and given the quality, prices are pretty reasonable too.

What’s more, there isn’t a fondue in sight. Instead, you’ll encounter lots of zesty Arctic berries, seafood, salmon and, of course, reindeer, all cooked with the kind of skill that’s usually reserved for the best city restaurants. No wonder they call this place Lilla Stockholm – Little Stockholm.

Here are the key places to target:

On the mountain

Buustamons is a mountain restaurant with rooms, tucked away on the slopes above the beginner’s area at Rodkullen. It’s also home to a rare private still. The food is superb – whitefish roe with potato fritters, Arctic char, and fillet of reindeer are among the standout dishes. The home-grown Schnapps could easily derail the rest of your skiing day. Buustamons is open for both lunch and dinner – you book a taxi to a rendezvous point on the slopes a snowcat will take you up at night.

In town

Supper, a groovy and superb off-shoot of a Stockholm restaurant, serves the best cocktails in town and Latin American food. Get a lot of mini-plates and share: ceviche, ginger and garlic prawns, whatever – it’s all good. Vinbaren Are is an upmarket and buzzing winebar in the middle of town with fierce competition for tables at the weekend. Lovely scallops, steaks, and lamb.

Villa Tottebo, set in an old hunting lodge which was moved in one go down the mountainside in the mid-1990s, this is another exquisite restaurant serving local specialities such as reindeer, salmon and elk. Fjallpuben, despite the name (Mountain Pub), is really a fine-dining restaurant, run by two well-known Swedish chefs and specializing in regional dishes such as Arctic char, whitefish roe and reindeer.

And don’t forget the cafes and bakeries

The Bahnhof cafe, next to the railway station is a great place to hang out, and eat sandwiches, big salads, and cakes – if you can get a table. Gradda Are, a hard-working bakery by the Brunkulla apartments and the VM8 lift is a good spot too and much quieter. Oh yes, and a stop for cream cakes at the Are Ski Inn, under the VM8 lift is essential.

1. 

   
   Guide to the Mountain
2. 

   
   Where to Stay
3. 

   
   Where to Eat
4. 

   
   Where to Learn
5. 

   
   Where to Party