"Stefan Karlsson's one-star open kitchen near Götaplatsen, six courses for SEK 1,255 — book it to impress clients in Gothenburg."
SK Mat & Människor is the personal restaurant of chef Stefan Karlsson, whose initials give it its name, at Johannebergsgatan 24 in the Lorensberg district near Götaplatsen. It has held a Michelin star since 2015 and kept it in the 2025 guide. The format is open and personal: the kitchen has no walls, the chefs sometimes serve the plates themselves, and the menu follows the Swedish seasons. See our Gothenburg dining guide for the rest of the city.
Stefan Karlsson was named Swedish Chef of the Year in 1995 and has cooked for Nobel Prize dinners, and the cooking here is precise modern Swedish. The signature people remember is a blackened scallop with grilled cream, the cream smoked by dropping hot coal into the pot as it cooks. The current carte runs to halibut with vendace roe and oyster, and a beef tenderloin with stuffed morels. Menus are set lengths: four courses at SEK 940 and six at SEK 1,255, with matched drinks packages. For more in this register, read our guide to the best tasting menus worldwide and our list of tasting menus worth flying for.
The dining room is small and intimate, built around an open kitchen so the chefs and the guests share the same space. Sound stays at an easy hum, lighting is low and warm, and the tables are spaced for conversation. Dress is smart-casual, in the relaxed Gothenburg way. With only a handful of tables and one main seating, the evening never feels rushed once you sit down.
Book SK Mat to impress clients because the open kitchen gives the table something to watch and talk about, the set menus take ordering off the agenda, and a Michelin star signals you have chosen well without being stiff about it. Six courses at SEK 1,255 is serious without being extravagant by Nordic standards. Take the drinks pairing and let the chefs lead. See more restaurants to impress clients.
Not for a quick or casual bite. The set four- and six-course menus run two hours or more, and the room is built for a planned dinner rather than a drop-in.
Yes, if you want Gothenburg's most personal Michelin table. Stefan Karlsson has held a star since 2015, and the open kitchen puts the chefs an arm's length away. At SEK 940 for four courses and SEK 1,255 for six it is reasonable for the level, and the seasonal Swedish cooking is precise. Book ahead, as the room is small.
Plan a couple of weeks ahead for a weekend. Reservations go through the restaurant's website, and the small room with one main seating fills first on Fridays and Saturdays. Midweek is easier. The kitchen serves Monday to Saturday from 17.00, so an earlier sitting is the simplest table to land for a business dinner.
The blackened scallop with grilled cream is the plate most associated with Stefan Karlsson, the cream smoked by adding hot coal to the pot as it cooks. The set menus change with the season, so trust the kitchen and take the drinks pairing. Recent menus have featured halibut with vendace roe and a beef tenderloin with morels.
Yes. The open kitchen is a talking point, the set menu keeps the meal simple, and the Michelin star does the signalling for you without a formal, stiff room. Take the six-course menu and the drinks pairing. For other rooms built for business, see our impress-clients guide.
Book through the restaurant website. The small room has one main seating, so reserve a couple of weeks ahead for weekends.
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Stefan Karlsson's open-kitchen room earns a place on our ranked list of tasting menus worth a journey.
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