Blackbird
“Gothenburgs classic fully vegan Pub.”
When you ask long-term vegans in Gothenburg where to eat, they will usually tell you Blackbird. Started in 2015, Blackbird managed to get quite the reputation fast in the city as a fully vegan pub, even with their own production of raw ingredients such as Seitan or Tempeh. Sounds good so far, so let’s go!
I have been aware of Blackbird for a very long while, but I have never managed to eat here. For two reasons, firstly, the menu is a little bit too “Swedish pub” for my liking, but secondly, Blackbird is somewhat awkwardly located at Stigbertsliden. It’s very close to the main hubs such as Järntorget (or rather Masthuggstorget) and Stigbergstorget, but just far enough in between, to always be a bit out of the way. It doesn’t help, that it really isn’t obvious to bypassers that there is a restaurant here.
When you manage to find it, the inside will welcome you warmly. Plenty of plants, dark interior and decorations and it just feels like a cosy old pub that has been overrun by vegans. And I mean this in the best way possible.
Generally quite busy, but we managed to get a table without a booking. Lucked out a bit. Menu at this time was more focused on standards such as Wrap with a side of fries, a Seitan cutlet, or a Swedish taco bowl (they call is mexi bowl). On top of that they have some starters such as cheese balls or nuggets.
Food came quite fast after ordering and extra shout out to the waiting staff double checking allergenes when asked and unsure. This is how you do it!
But what about the food then? Well, it’s pub food, but vegan. In pretty much every way. The cheese balls were really nice, but definitely fried for too long with this type of breading as they were very hard to bite through. The nuggets were also overfried, but the inside is Seitan, so it was hard to bite through and then to chew. Taste-wise it was pretty empty, but the sauce helped with that.
When it comes to mains, we had the wrap and chimi cutlet. The former is packed to the brim with fermented cabbage and pickles, as well as hoisin tofu. The Tofu has seen also too much heat, but the overall flavour profile doesn’t fit with the acid and umami. Normally there would be shiitake in this one on top, which would probably overpower everything. Acceptable. The side of garlic fries was top notch though.
And lastly the cutlet. Generally alright, but the topping of chimichurri really didn’t work with the Seitan steak. And in combination with the side sallad with miso dressing and the very traditional oven potatoes this didnt work at all. It’s alright piece by piece, but in combination this is off.
And that’s it. Prices are alright and adequate, but the food is just average. Mainly the flavour profiles don’t seem to work out together and the execution is a bit off by having everyyhing basically just too long in the fryer/oven.
Price:
4x Cheese Balls: 45 SEK
3x Nuggets: 79 SEK
Wrap with Tofu: and side of fries 179 SEK
Cutlet: 195 SEK
The Verdict
Blackbird is Gothenburg. The vibe, the crowd, the location, it’s all pretty much an essence of the spirit of Gothenburg. As a fully vegan pub, it’s highly regarded among the scene and it definitely is a safe space in that perspective. The food is hereby a mix of mainly Swedish pub classics. Your nuggets, cheese balls, fries, wraps and basically imitations of meat dishes with their self-made Seitan. Often with some sort of Asian influence like Hoisin or miso.
But in all fairness, the food just is not for me. Generally the flavour profiles are off (acid-umami balance) and you need to bring good jaw muscles with you, cause everything is rather chewy and cooked beyond ready. Whether it’s Seitan or Tofu, it all is very very done. The cheese balls are the highlight, but those could also use some minute less in the deep fryer.
So, all in all, the food is too heavy for my likings and nothing to come back to. The atmosphere is great though, the staff is nice and taking an extra step, and I can see myself having some drinks and a small snack.
3/5 Leaves
Pro
Really cosy atmosphere
Good crowd/staff
Fully vegan with passion
Con
Food is very Swedish pub food
Generally too heavy flavour profiles
Execution so so (too long in the deep fryer, flavours don’t match)
Location
Stigbergsliden 3
Opening Hours
Mo: closed
Tu-Th: 17:00 - 22:00
Fr-Sa: 17:00 - 23:30
Su: closed
