Old Corner
“Pizza is the most sold food item on New Years in Sweden”
I used to love coming to the Old Corner in Gamlestaden. Already when I was a student this was a good place to “sink in” after playing some Beach Volleyball at Kviberg. Later on, it was a common place due to the proximity of my back then girlfriends flat. And to top it all off: the Old Corner has been known for a large vegan menu on their food. It’s been a while, and Swedish New Years requires some Kebab Pizza, so it’s time to revisit!
Located right at Artillerigatan 14, basically across the old SKF headquarters, the Old Corner is difficult to miss, but also blends into the scenery. Gamlestadens main road is busy, tight, but the wooden wheel at the entrance marks the spot.
The inside is as you would expect from a pub that has been around since the early 20th century. It’s cute though and generally well maintained, but don’t expect anything but a pub.
The most interesting, and bizarre, thing is though the menu. Openly promoted as “classic and vegan”, there is an entire green section of Swedish comfort food, fully veganised. Ranging from your burgers, to nachos, to pasta and, of course, pizza. Prices are mostly fair, especially for the pizza, that doesn’t get the “vegan” surplus as is often the case. And you can get anything veganised, which is impressive.
Important to note is though, that this is Swedish pizza, and that is a whole world in itself. From standards like Hawaii, to the Swedish classic Kebab, all the way to the abomination of an Africana with bananas and peanuts. Be careful what you choose.
We went for the New Year’s standard, a kebab with fries, and another classic, a Hawaii. Judge me, I don’t care.
Waiting time was a bit longer, probably as the vegan pizzas needed a separate process, but once arrived, they look just like the real thing. While the Hawaii really looks more standard, the Kebab(ish) is spiced up with some lettuce, fresh tomatoes and feels generally much more rich.
When it comes to the taste, it’s comfort food as you can expect. The individual ingredients are all a bit on the low-end side, and clearly lack taste, but as an overall composition it works well. The Kebabish pizza works definitely better with it’s variety of fresh toppings. The Hawaii gets a bit boring after half of it, as the vegan ham just doesn’t have much of taste, and neither does the vegan cheese. But that’s alright. In the end, you come here for the comfort, not the exquisite taste.
Price:
Vegan Pizza: 89 - 154 SEK (depending on type)
Pasta: 159 - 168 SEK
Dessert: 85 SEK
The Verdict
The Old Corner is a typical Gothenburg pub, but with an impressive vegan twist. A large menu, specialised in Swedish comfort food, but veganised, is just something odd to see. Prices range from 89-154 SEK for a vegan pizza, which is very fair and there is clearly no “vegan tax” as other places would charge. In terms of quality, I’d recommend the vegan Kebabish pizza. A Swedish classic, topped with some fresh lettuce and tomatoes. And if you want to do it the right way, add fries. The ingredients themselves are rather tasteless, but as a whole it does the trick.
However, it’s a once-in-a-year kinda food. So save your New Year’s days to visit the Old Corner for some proper Swedish Pizza. It’s culture in it’s own way.
4/5 Leaves
Pro
Impressive vegan menu
Cosy pub with nice staff
Fair prices
Con
It’s still just Swedish comfort food and a once-a-year experience
Location
Artillerigatan 14
Opening Hours
Mo-Th: 14:00 - 01:00
Fr-Sa: 12:00 - 02:00
Su: 12:00 - 00:00
