Swedish Julbord: What’s on the Christmas Table and Where to Book One in 2026

Updated 2 November 2026. Dates and prices are from each restaurant’s own 2026 pages; food background from Visit Sweden.

The word julbord means “Christmas table”. It’s the big buffet Swedish families eat on Christmas Eve, and the one offices and groups of friends book at restaurants for weeks before. For a visitor it’s the easiest way to taste a proper Swedish Christmas without being invited to someone’s home.

This guide covers what’s on the table, how to eat it, and where to book one in 2026. I don’t live in Sweden, so everything below comes from Visit Sweden and the restaurants’ own booking pages, checked today.

What is a julbord?

A julbord is a smörgåsbord built around Christmas food. Visit Sweden describes it as the buffet families gather around on Christmas Eve, which is the main Christmas celebration in Sweden, and also a staple of workplace Christmas parties. Because so many groups go out for one, restaurants run special julbord seatings at set times, from lunch to evening.

It’s not a quick meal. Visit Sweden calls it a leisurely, multi-course affair that starts with glögg and a gingerbread biscuit. Grand Hôtel’s evening seating in its Vinterträdgården hall lasts three hours, which gives you an idea.

What’s on a Swedish julbord

Every restaurant has its own spin, but the core dishes are the same. Here’s what the Swedish names on the cards mean.

Herring and fish

• Sill (pickled herring): usually several kinds, in mustard, dill or other sauces. Visit Sweden notes that many families make their own from herring in brine.
• Gravlax: cured salmon, sliced thin. Smoked salmon often sits next to it.
• Seafood: more of it on the west coast, where Liseberg’s Hamnkrogen builds its julbord around fish and shellfish.

The ham, meats and warm dishes

• Julskinka: the Christmas ham, boiled, coated in breadcrumbs, served cold in slices with mustard. Visit Sweden calls it the crowning glory of the table.
• Köttbullar: Swedish meatballs.
• Prinskorv: small cocktail sausages, a favorite with kids.
• Revben: short ribs.
• Janssons frestelse (Jansson’s temptation): a gratin of potato strips, onion, anchovies and cream. It only joined the table in the 1940s, according to Visit Sweden.
• Rödbetssallad: chopped beetroot salad, plus plenty of boiled potatoes.

Vegetarian and vegan options are now common, including veggie meatballs and ham. Check the menu when you book.

Desserts and sweets

• Ris à la Malta: cold vanilla rice pudding, usually with orange. Traditionally an almond is hidden in it, and whoever finds it is supposed to marry next.
• Knäck: a chewy butterscotch toffee with almonds, set in tiny paper cases.
• Ischoklad: small chocolates that melt the moment you bite them.
• Pepparkakor and lussekatter: gingerbread and the S-shaped saffron buns that also show up around St. Lucia Day on 13 December.

What to drink

Julmust is the one to try even if you skip everything else. It’s an alcohol-free soft drink that Visit Sweden compares to a cross between cola and root beer. Adults may get julöl (a dark seasonal beer) and snaps, which is usually drunk with a short song. When people raise a glass they say “skål”.

A practical note on glögg: supermarkets sell alcohol-free glögg and spice mixes, but the alcoholic version is only sold at Systembolaget, the state-run liquor stores. If you want a bottle to take home, plan a stop there.

How to eat a julbord without overdoing it

Don’t load one huge plate with everything. The usual approach is several trips with a clean plate each time, roughly in this order:

• Glögg and a gingerbread biscuit while you wait for your seating.
• Herring with potatoes and bread, then the salmon and other fish.
• Cold meats: ham with mustard, pâtés, sausages.
• Warm dishes: meatballs, prinskorv, ribs, Jansson’s temptation.
• Rice pudding, cheese, then the sweets and coffee.

Go easy on the first two rounds so there’s room for the warm dishes.

Where to book a julbord in 2026

Thousands of places serve a julbord in season. These three are easy to reach without a car and have published 2026 dates and prices.

Solliden at Skansen, Stockholm

Solliden is the historic restaurant building inside Skansen, the open-air museum on Djurgården. After a renovation, its halls reopen for julbord this year with chef Leif Mannerström behind the menu, according to Skansen. It runs from 12 November to 25 December 2026, from lunch to evening, and the price includes entry to Skansen. That makes it a natural pairing with a weekend at the Skansen Christmas market, which I cover in my guide to Christmas markets in Sweden.

Children 0–4 eat free; ages 5–14 pay 500 kr at lunch and afternoon seatings and 695 kr in the evening. Prices are per person.

Grand Hôtel, Stockholm

Grand Hôtel faces the Royal Palace across the water, and its julbord is one of the classics in the city. There are two options:

• Verandan, with a view of the palace: opening night 26 November at 18:00, then 27 November to 23 December with seatings at 12:00, 15:30 and 19:30 for 1,195 kr. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (same three seatings) and on 26 December (13:00 and 18:00) it’s 1,595 kr. Children 4 to 11 pay 595 kr. You can cancel up to 48 hours before.
• Vinterträdgården, the hotel’s big historic banquet hall, with a pianist: 1,395 kr, children 4 to 11 595 kr. Doors open between 18:00 and 19:00 and the seating lasts three hours.

Building a Stockholm trip around it? My 3-day plan for Stockholm in winter with kids covers museums and getting around.

Liseberg, Gothenburg

Liseberg, the amusement park in the middle of Gothenburg, runs three Christmas menus. Every pre-booked julbord includes entry to Christmas at Liseberg, which saves you a separate park ticket. You pay when you book, and cancellation is free up to four days before your visit. For the park’s open days and hours, see my Liseberg Christmas market guide.

At all three, children 2–6 pay 125 kr and children 7–12 pay 250 kr. Hamnkrogen serves alcohol-free glögg and gingerbread on its veranda 30 minutes before each seating. Liseberg’s pages note that prices can change.

A julbord with kids

The Nissebord at Liseberg is built for families: a smaller julbord where the Christmas classics share space with pizza and sliders, finished with candy and soft-serve ice cream. With children 2 to 6 at 125 kr, it’s the cheapest option here by far. In Stockholm, Solliden makes the better family day out, since Skansen entry is included and kids under 5 eat free. Book a lunch or afternoon seating, then walk the park and the market as it gets dark. Children’s age bands differ, so check when you book: 4 to 11 at Grand Hôtel, 5 to 14 at Solliden, 2 to 12 at Liseberg.

Christmas Eve in Sweden: what to expect

In Sweden, 24 December, not the 25th, is the big day. Families have their julbord at home, Santa (jultomten) hands out presents in person, and at 3:00 pm much of the country watches the Donald Duck Christmas show, “Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul”, on TV.

Want the full meal on the day itself? Grand Hôtel (Verandan) and Solliden both serve on 24 and 25 December 2026. The greeting you’ll hear is “God Jul”, and after Christmas, “God fortsättning” (roughly “enjoy the rest of the holidays”).

Tips for booking

• Book early for weekends. Julbord season is party season for Swedish workplaces, so Friday and Saturday evenings in December go first.
• Check the cancellation rules. They range from 48 hours (Grand Hôtel Verandan) to four days (Liseberg).
• Plan around the trains. If you’re moving between cities, see where to go in Sweden for how the main bases connect by train.

Comparing Christmas trips? In Germany the food happens outdoors at the markets instead of at a long table. I wrote up what to order there in my guide to German Christmas market food and drinks on Vacation in Germany.

Read next

• Christmas markets in Sweden 2026: dates and hours
• Liseberg’s Christmas market in Gothenburg
• Stockholm in winter with kids: a 3-day plan
• St. Lucia Day in Sweden

Hej då (bye for now),
Brian

Sources (checked 2 November 2026)

• Julbord dishes, Christmas Eve, glögg and Systembolaget: Visit Sweden, Swedish Christmas food and How to celebrate Christmas in Sweden
• Julbord format and season: Visit Sweden trade, Festive foods and traditional treats
• Solliden dates, chef, Skansen entry: skansen.se; prices: sollidenpaskansen.se
• Grand Hôtel: Julbord på Verandan and Christmas buffet in Vinterträdgården
• Liseberg: Julbord & julmenyer, Hamnkrogen, 1923 Grill & Bar

Photo: a home julbord in Sweden by David Castor, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0).