The story
Eksgården sits in the middle of the World Heritage-listed agricultural landscape of southern Öland, a stretch of island where the wind, the light, and the farming rhythms have shaped life for centuries. Lovisa and Gunnar, the faces behind the property, describe their approach simply: what they believe in, they share with their guests. Freshly baked bread from the on-site bakery, vegetables from Ölandic farms, and herbs from their own garden all find their way to the restaurant table — a direct expression of Swedish cuisine at its most grounded.
The White Guide has recognised Eksgården at a "very fine level," and the detail in their citation says everything about why. Chef Agnes Kubar Lundh — brought in as the kitchen's summer cook — brought a confident hand to the menu. A starter of burrata with baked and fresh tomatoes, lifted by a bright chimichurri, set an immediate tone of seasonal clarity. A main course built around lamb from Runstens gård, a farm just a couple of dozen kilometres north, showed equal care: long-cooked, tender meat served with a rich, buttered jus and a sharp garlic cream.
The Arctic char was equally impressive — baked to a precise 42°C internal temperature, the fillet resting in a delicate butter sauce topped with trout roe and finished with jalapeño oil. Freshly podded broad beans, root vegetables, and summer potatoes completed the plate. Agnes herself walked the room to describe the dishes to guests — the kind of small gesture that makes the difference between a meal and an experience. Across the menu, the abundance of fresh vegetables on every plate is a consistent and welcome signature.
Eksgården is a full farmstead hotel, and staying here means waking to that same philosophy: breakfast, the bakery, the stillness of the landscape, birdsong. The Swedish cuisine served at dinner is an extension of the place itself — unhurried, honest, and tied to the land just outside the window.
Recognition
Ambience
Location