4 Star Holiday Home in Uppsala-by Traum

With its white tiled walls and compact counter seating, this restaurant couldn't look simpler, but it is not a place to be underestimated. Classic Japanese sushi preparations soar to a high level thanks to the exceptional quality of the local seafood ingredients. Diners are all served at the same time, omakase style, with the signature soy-cured egg and the sake tasting menu proving the highlights.

With its pared-back feel, rustic exposed brickwork and buzzy vibe, this is just the place for a lively night out. It remains one of the hottest tickets in town, so try for a counter seat overlooking the kitchen if you haven’t booked. The concise menu includes modernised Swedish classics that are robust, well-composed and certainly deliver on flavour. Service is accommodating, warm and efficient.

The very definition of a neighbourhood restaurant, Babette is a lively, bustling spot with a buzzing atmosphere; arrive expecting to squeeze past chairs without stepping on dogs and to sit elbow-to-elbow with your fellow guests. The vibe is chilled, the music is good and the two chefs work away in the tiny kitchen completely unphased. Whether you’re popping in for a glass of wine and the pizza of the day or spending the evening over some ever-evolving small plates – such as ricotta Babette with mushrooms and potatoes or veal tartare with colatura and parmesan – you’ll have a great time.

You’re guaranteed a warm welcome at this sweetly run bohemian bistro. A communal table is at the heart of proceedings, but there are a few smaller tables and some counter seating available too. Starters merge into mains on the daily menu of unfussy, pared-back dishes, where skilful Mediterranean-inspired cooking keeps the focus firmly on the top-quality ingredients. They make their own ricotta on-site and the wood-fired oven is used to great effect, from baking bread in the morning to gratinating langoustines in the evening. Dinner is the main event, but they also open on Saturdays for lunch.

There’s a slightly ‘underground’ feel to this small bistro, both figuratively and literally; you enter via a few steps down from street level, into a ‘half-cellar’ dining room where the windows look out at pavement level. The concise, keenly priced tasting menu lists dishes that offer an impressive level of restraint and control, where sauces are a focus. You might find the likes of trout with tomato and langoustine sauce or onglet with ramson and fish sauce, followed by rhubarb with yoghurt and chamomile.

There is a wonderfully personal touch to this well-run Vietnamese restaurant, with posters and old photos adorning the walls, and an array of objects decorating the room. It’s an enjoyably relaxed setting for the cooking, which uses impressive ingredients – some of them from local producers – and mines plenty of flavour from simple-looking compositions. A light, smooth cream of corn sauce, for example, is a skilful and delicious accompaniment to quality grilled prawns.

Essence is the perfect spot for social types who like to mingle. Everyone is seated around a big counter and served at the same time, with Chef Stefan Taylor centre stage preparing the dishes and explaining their make-up. He works alone, so there’s a slight pause between courses, and it’s here when the atmosphere becomes animated. Stefan has an intuitive way of combining flavours and spends hours each week drying, pickling and preparing various elements in advance, including the likes of fiskpinnar trout, where he cooks and dries the bones, creates a biscuit and later fills it with a pâté of t