Katrinelund Sjökrog

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

On the southern shore of Lake Hjälmaren

Katrinelund Sjökrog sits right at the water's edge on the southern shore of Lake Hjälmaren, about 25 kilometres east of Örebro. For those arriving by boat, the pier is just 15 metres from the outdoor seating area — a detail that has made this place a summer fixture for generations of lake dwellers. Everyone else makes the drive along winding roads through the surrounding cultural landscape, and few regret it.

The White Guide awarded Sjökrog its Fine level recognition in 2026, noting how the restaurant draws an unusually broad cross-section of guests — teenage groups, families with children, couples, retirees — all drawn by the same combination of lakeside setting and a menu that, while focused, offers something for each of them.

Honest food from the region

The kitchen's philosophy is direct: the menu is grounded in Swedish soil, built around locally sourced ingredients and seasonal produce. Head chef Mark Monkman leads the kitchen with what the restaurant describes as "joy and humility in cooking." The menu runs the same all day, keeping things straightforward without sacrificing care or quality.

One dish that has become a summer signature is the fish and chips made with pike-perch from the waters of Hjälmaren itself. The white fish — mild, firm, well-suited to frying — is gently cooked until the surface crisps, then served with chips at the pier. It's the kind of dish that makes the location feel inseparable from what's on the plate.

Two rooms, one lake

When the weather turns, guests move inside to a bright dining room with panoramic windows and a maritime interior — the view over Hjälmaren remains constant. In summer, the dockside lounge and outdoor terrace fill quickly, and the bar runs alongside the à la carte menu throughout the day.

Sjökrogen is the seasonal centrepiece of the wider Katrinelund estate, which also includes a year-round guest house restaurant, accommodation ranging from standard rooms to a glass igloo moored at the jetty, and a raft that can be booked for private dining out on the lake. The kitchen also caters off-site, including events at Örebro Castle. But the core of it — honest Swedish cuisine, a short menu done well, and a table with an unobstructed view of the water — is what keeps people coming back each summer.