Hermitage

If you're hungry and in the old town, Hermitage is ideal! It's an affordable all-you-can-eat buffet in a great central location. The food is nothing world class but affordable and pretty good. There was a nice salad selection, 2 of the 3 warm dishes were vegan, and fresh bread and soup. The whole tray of hummus was great to see!
Only downside is that we came in when it was almost full and it feels a bit cramped and crowded.

One further issue, perhaps not related to the restaurant, is the hare krishna people singing and dancing outside. No problem with that, but I had a big problem with one of them grabbing me by the shoulder trying to get me to join in, despite my polite refusals. We were originally going to Hermitage at lunchtime but decided to return later once they were gone.

Typical budget quality of several other Stockholm restaurants, and paradoxically expensive as well.

Buffet with typical vegetarian bean/spicy stews, rice, salads etc. Low value.

Used to have affiliation with Hare Krishna, you got a discount if you were a 'member' there. Used to sell HK's bread as well.

I've visited many, many times, but with age comes a quality requirement. Avoid. This place will never change.

I stopped in for the dinner buffet and was pleasantly surprised. The restaurant is small, but the food was quite delicious. It had a very homemade quality to it, and it was healthy and hearty. While not cheap (120kr for lunch, 130kr for dinner) I found it to be worth the price. I'll definitely be going back!

Was in Stockholm over Christmas for the first time, as tour leader for a non veggie group. So, not much time to check out veg. restaurants. I stumbled upon Hermitage during our Christmas morning walk and was delighted to find out they'd be open both on Christmas evening and the next day. I'd read the reviews on Happy Cow, so knew about the 'pay before you help yourself to as much food as you wish' formula. The young man at the counter put me wise as to the only non-vegan dish that evening and was absolutely charming. It was particularly nice to have some vegan fruit tarts to choose from as a dessert (not included in the buffet price). The place is very cosy and I ended up having a lovely conversation about turning vegan with the couple of students sitting at the table next to me. Since the whole meal had been such a pleasant experience I went back the next evening rather than trying out another restaurant from the list found on Happy Cow. The food itself was wholesome and tasty and it was nice to have both salad and hot dishes to choose from, including some delicious falafels and roasted potatoes + a bortsch soup. If you want to round-off the meal with a speciality tea, I'd highly recommend the "White Rose" one which the delightful young man behind the counter had suggested. If like me, you love it so much you want to take some home, they sell boxes of it at the Organic bakery almost across the road from the Hermitage. It brings back lovely memories of my visit every time I drink a cup of it. If I were to go to Stockholm again, I'd certainly visit the Hermitage again. The price of 130 SKR for the buffet is very reasonable for Stockholm (or compared with other countries such as France for ex.) So all in all a most pleasant experience and I was particularly grateful that the lovely family from Albania who run the place bothered to open over the Christmas period incl. Christmas day. I wish them continuing success.

This vegetarian restaurant ... 'the only one in the old town' was perfect for a relaxed easy dinner/lunch.

The staff were slightly odd; they walked away initially then came back to us and served us. The younger man seemed a bit unsure of what he was doing. In short you'll need to serve yourself and not rely on them to direct you. There is water at the end of the counter near he loos for free with glasses beside it. There is coffee and hot water and mugs by the counter where you pay. Pay before you eat. I think it was 135 kroner for the buffet each. This seems fairly standard prices for Stockholm.

The food was lovely and plenty of it. The staff were able to say which buffet items were vegan (all but one the night I went) and I had plenty of options. There was hot currys and stews and rice or potatoes and los of yummy salad items.

We went back for 'Fika' one day ... Swedish coffee and cake. The guy serving us said all the cakes were vegan so I chose a nice toffee looking nutty tart and a green tea. He offered me cows milk (after the conversation) about being vegan which I only spotted by asking to see the box. This put doubt in my mind that he understood 'vegan' and I was eating a non vegan cake. I double checked and he assured me it's vegan but I'd lost my confidence in him. It did taste a little cows milky (bad aftertaste) but I can't be sure.

Overall they had good food but perhaps language and understanding was a slight barrier on the second visit.

I would go again but I would ask 'is there milk or eggs in this?' Incase it was the younger guy serving me.

Hermitage is located right in Gamla stan, where I presume locals only ever go to show their visitors around. At the time of my visit, the price on their web site was obviously outdated. Even though I notified them of that fact, they still insisted on trying to charge me slightly more than announced. To which I in response decided to go for merely a petit bowl of lentil soup rather than what I initially intended. At the time, it seemed like a better deal. Except really, it wasn't. I left still hungry, and highly unsatisfied.

Updated from previous review on 2016-09-12

Recently spent some time travelling in Stockholm and as usual checked happy cow before I left.
Hermitage is located just on the edge of the old town, the tourist area, and so is easy to get to on foot from where I had been wandering about all day.
On first impression, the place was packed! I wasn't sure we'd get a seat as the only empty table had a reserved sign on, but the counter staff said it was ok to sit there.
The place is small and was busy. There was much shuffling of chairs and tables when people wanted to stand up and squeeze past.
However, that didn't bother us at all.
The food was reasonably priced - 130 SEK for a buffet plate (cheap for Stockholm!), and there was a decent choice of salads - quinoa, bulgar wheat, humous, etc. as well as some hot choices - potatoes and lasagne (with cheese on).
Overall, a nice safe option to call in when visiting or travelling.

For my taste the food was ok and worth a try. But not that much that I would visit again. The variation of the buffet dishes were not that big either. The staff was very friendly and the restaurant is located in a nice area. Water is included in the price which was 130 sk

Nice fresh salads and pulse dishes, has some dairy so make sure you check the dishes if you are vegan. Good find in the old town.

The place is perfectly placed in the beautiful Gamla Stan. Even though I would have expected something more expensive, it was really cheap for the amount of delicious food that you can serve yourself in this buffet.
Everything was tasty, from the soup to the cold or warm buffet.
It was comfortable and warm.

The restaurant is perfectly located in Gamla Stan and offers a buffet for lunch and dinner.
I was a bit disappointed as the buffet is quite small but the food is really good and tasty (a bit salty though).
The evening we went there people kept coming and going and as the place is rather small, it was kind of difficult to help yourself easily at the buffet.

we came there around 7pm, and the buffet was still full of food-which was good. everything was vegan apart from 1 pasta dish. good hummus, very good cabbage salat and brown rice. everyrhing you could have wanted for a nice dinner. the price also wasn't that bad considering the city centre placement and Stockholm..:)

When I was last in Stockholm I visited here often as I was staying across the street and the vibe was alright. A lot of passerby tourists end up here, but I also met some vegans & vegetarians. Their all-you-can-eat deal is great if you're really hungry, but I often opted for a light meal, dessert, and coffee. Some items contain dairy so be sure to check even if something looks vegan. Overall, quite good.

We have visited this restaurant twice during our stay in Stockholm.
On our first visit we had all you can eat menu, for fixed price we were provided with plates and bowls and were able to choose from indian style soup, two main dishes, potatoes, bulgur and rich salat bar. Everything was very tasty.
On our second visit we had just two different cakes and tea. My partner choose almond cake (he got almost double portion for normal price) and it was very good, I had cake with various nuts but it looked better than tasted because it was too hard.

Great vegan buffet. Get there early for the best stuff. Everything was vegan on the buffet except for one obvious cheese dish. Staff was friendly and explained that the fruit dishes were the only baked goods vegan. I really enjoyed the potatoes, noodle dish, and curry soup. Great place to enjoy a cup of tea and watch the world walk by from the patio seating.

Nice place with vegan food, lots of choices and delicious food. Will go back wen in Stockholm!

Being located in the center of the old city, the atmosphere is wonderful! Overall the food is great but not exceptional. It is a small restaurant and only a few options for the buffet. Overall I definitely recommend it.

We had the lunch buffet on our first day in Stockholm as we were walking around Gamla Stan. The buffet seemed small, but it was really a lot of food, especially with the extra drawers of food that we didn't notice at first. The buffet had a couple of vegetarian items which the staff pointed out to us. I wish they'd be all vegan since they are so close to it anyways. It was a late lunch, so the place was not crowded and we enjoyed a leisurely lunch with drinks and a lingonberry tart too. Location is definitely a plus too.