FEATURE STORIES

Skellefteå by night

Skellefteå's restaurant scene has undergone a rebirth and now offers everything from hipster-boosting microbreweries to trendy wine bars and sophisticated, high-level cocktail hangouts. S/Å sent out Jonas Pekkari to bring his diary and take the pulse of the Skelleftea night.

16:05 THE CORNER

We start the “evening” with an early afterwork at the classic The Corner at Guldtorget. Here it soon becomes clear that Skellefteå residents have a much better work ethic than Umeå residents, as the test patrol is quite alone in the room. We immediately make a fool of ourselves by trying to order “a gallop” (small beer in a wine glass) and are met by a meaningful look and the message that there is “40cl Norrlands Guld”. Got it. 16:30 it rattles and every table is full. The place has everything we demand from a pub on a corner: wonderfully sour atmosphere, cold beer, face tattoos and very brown-toned interior. Passed with flying colors.

Type of tavern: Classic pub

Suitable for: Anyone who appreciates the value of life

17:02 KORK VINBAR

We leave the familiar safety of the pub environment to sneak into acclaimed newcomer Kork Vinbar. The restaurant opened in the spring of 2023 and offers a wide range of wine, small dishes and bistro food. Here we once again manage to mess up when we ask for a glass of red “without so much serotonin”. A plus for the sommelier who sympathetically did not pretend to hear that we had mixed up one of the brain's neurotransmitters with sulphites that are supposed to prevent wine from oxidizing. A glass of full-bodied chianti and a good portion of goat cheese later, we had to rush on to botanize further in the restaurant jungle.

Type of tavern: Wine bar

Suitable for: Cozy dates, hanging out at the bar with your best friend and anyone who knows the difference between serotonin and sulfites

17:52 TAPS&

The Piteå brewery "This is How" has set up bars along the Norrland coast under the Taps& banner, with a slightly different food profile in each location. In Skellefteå's case, New York-style pizza is served, something we unfortunately miss out on tasting as the test patrol immediately gets caught up in an intense pool match that leads to harsh words, cheating accusations and wild chance encounters. Other guests and staff show an almost angelic patience as yet another mis-hit sends the billiard ball into the restaurant at the risk of the public's life and health. Skellefteå people are really insanely nice! 90 minutes later we have said thank you and sorry to all our new friends, and managed to down at least three Norrbotten beers each. A job well done.

Type of tavern: Relaxed beer garden

Suitable for: Visiting writers, home brewers and anyone wearing a hat indoors

19:25 DON & DOLORES

One of the city's newest additions, Don & Dolores, serves Italian traditional food and Neapolitan pizza, and there's no doubt that the concept is a hit with Skellefteå residents - every table is packed. Fortunately, there are seats at the generous bar and the staff guide us through the beer menu. There is a reasonable selection of Omnipollo - beer brewed in a church so it must be good! After a cozy bar hangout, the test patrol concludes that a power nap is needed to have a chance to get through the rest of the evening, and we stop at the hotel to rest.

Type of tavern: Italian neighborhood coziness

Suitable for: Exactly everyone except people with gluten allergies

20:35 MISS VOON

19 floors up in Sara Kulturhus we find the eclectic Miss Voon, serving a mix of Asian fusion and Scandinavian fine-dining. Once again we park ourselves at the bar but this time with a slightly senseless view of Skellefteå. We try Arctic char tataki with hazelnut and hokkaido pumpkin and yakitori with shiso pickles - divinely good. It may be the most tiring reconnaissance in living memory; but here they have really managed to lift the big city feeling in the middle of Norrland. No one will admit it, but Umeå residents are insanely jealous of Sara Kulturhus. It is an abysmal wound in our local patriotic soul.

Type of tavern: Fine dining and cocktails

Suitable for: Those who have just received their salary and are not afraid of heights

21:35 BRYGGARGATAN

Now it's a hurry! The test patrol will take the DJ booth at Lion Bar (former Rustiqe) by the river at 22:00, but no Skellefteå visit is complete without a visit to Bryggargatan. Here, an Old Fashioned with a chocolate twist is intensively sipped, which raises both the mood and the blood sugar before we leave next door to make Skellefteå's night owls shake their asses and make bad decisions.

Type of tavern: Restaurant and bistro with cocktail bar

Suitable for: Anyone not wearing a hat indoors

21:55 LION BAR

For those of you looking for a worn-out sunkpub filled with sticky floors and existential angst, the new Lion Bar in Skellefteå will probably be a disappointment. For all the rest of us, a positive surprise! After all, this is a full-scale nightclub and by midnight the dance floor is boiling. The venue happens to be one of the city's best, with river views and ample square meters, and Skellefteåbon has taken advantage of that. Fest lives here. After a long and ambitious bar round, it takes atmosphere to keep us on our feet, and the crowd at the Lion Bar delivers that in spades. A perfect end to a full evening in a pub town that is growing like crazy.

Type of tavern: Pub/night club

Suitable for: Anyone who likes beer and/or dance floors

Jonas Pekkari is a 44-year-old copywriter, DJ and extremely experienced pub crawler.

He was born and lives in Umeå but describes his relationship with Skellefteå as

“uncomplicated” as he does not possess the slightest trace of hockey interest.