Röda Sten Restaurang
“Meze by the water”
If you know Gothenburg a little bit better, you know that Röda Sten is a really cool area to hang out, especially in the Summer months. Thankfully, there is also a restaurant in the building at Röda Sten that will cater to your fika or food needs. They have changed their concept here and there a few times, but are essentially still the same. They pride themselves with being vegetarian/vegan-friendly for the least, so here we are.
Full disclosure, I have been to the restaurant fairly often. There is a reason, however, why I don’t go there more often and we will touch upon that in a moment. But the location is simply fantastic and sitting by the river close to the seaside and under the iconic Älvsborgsbron is something cool in any case.
Inside, it’s organised like a café. You order at the bar, and then the food has to be picked up by yourself once ready. You get those pucks that vibrate when ready. On the menu you have a variety of changing fika, often with a few vegan options. For real food, this is where my issue comes in. They have a Meze plate, and… that’s it. It hasn’t changed in years, and I doubt it will ever change. The only dish as a vegan is a Meze plate. And don’t get me wrong, at 169 SEK that is great, it’s a big plate and all, but sometimes you feel hungry and would like something else. For a place that calls themselves vegan-friendly, this is a bit of a disappointment to have that one dish. That’s what every other restaurant (mostly) is doing as well.
In any case, what about that Meze plate? Well, it’s fairly good. Fatoush is no Fatoush, but just a sallad without the iconic pomegranate syrup nor the fried bread, the hummus, baba ganoush are good, the rice is there to fill you up and there are three falafel that are okay on top of some store-bought liba bread. It’s a decent plate, it will fill you up for the price and the quality is all in all good, but not impressive. So, whenever I eat here, I am happy with that. But at the same time, Gothenburg is filled with great places for Meze, so it’s also not like Röda Sten is offering here something outstanding either. Especially since the authenticity is a bit lacking anyways.
And that brings me to my conundrum. It’s a good place, well located, the prices are fair, the quality of ingredients is good, but as a vegan I still feel a little bit less welcome. I don’t mind the Meze plate, but I can’t eat it too often, especially since I’d rather eat it at another place like Silvis or Mosaik instead if I feel up to it. So, mainly I come for the drinks, I guess.
Fair disclaimer: for lunch it is different and they experiment more, but that’s a very low customer base I’d dare to say.
Price:
Meze plate: 169 SEK
The Verdict
Röda Stens Restaurant prides itself as a vegetarian-/vegan-friendly, but the non-lunch menu is offering very little in that regard with just a Meze plate available (next to some fika items). While the atmosphere is great, the food quality alright and the prices fair, this is still a massive let-down in that regard. Nevertheless, the Meze plate is good, if not really authentic and definitely not close to the better ones you can have in Gothenburg, it’s something I can come back to and be content with. At only 169 SEK this is really nothing to complain about. But, sometimes I would like to see some more inspiration on the menu as is done during lunches. And in all honesty, I think for lunches this is a horrible location and way too secluded if you don’t happen to work 10 minutes walk away.
So, it’s a good place, but the lacking offer makes me come not too often.
3/5 Leaves
Pro
Great location
Fair prices
Con
Only Meze plate for vegans
Location
Röda Sten 1
Opening Hours
Mo: 11:30 - 17:00
Tu: 11:30 - 20:00
We: 11:30 - 21:00
Th: 11:30 - 00:00
Fr: 11:30 - 20:00
Sa-Su: 12:00 - 20:00
