Villa Källhagen

Brunch by the Water

3.5 of 5

Brunch buffets have a bad name, and mostly they earn it. Villa Källhagen is on Djurgården, beside the water, in a place that looks more like a country house than a hotel. The setting does a lot of heavy lifting before you reach the food.

The brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 to 16:00 and costs 485 kronor per adult. Children under four eat free, ages four to six pay 125, and seven to twelve pay 185. The spread covers freshly baked bread, classic favorites, salads, creative cold dishes, composed hot dishes and a dessert table that looks like a trap for adults. Mimosas, cocktails and sparkling wine are on offer. That is a lot of range for one price, and the hours let you stay long enough to eat in rounds, the only civilized way to attack a buffet.

Book through their online system, and book early for a sunny weekend. Eat the cold dishes first, then the hot, then the sweets, and walk the grounds in between. It is a slow meal for a slow day. Family-friendly, a bit celebratory, and gentler on the wallet than the fine dining down the road on the same island. Hungry people should plan to arrive around noon and not make other plans.

Order this: The weekend brunch buffet, Freshly baked bread, The dessert table, A mimosa or sparkling wine
The damage: $$$ (485 kr per adult)
Go: Saturday or Sunday, with a booked table
Find it: Djurgårdsbrunnsvägen 10, 115 27 Stockholm