Sturehof ’s history spans over a century. It all started in 1897, when Ernst Marcus opened the German-style beer hall, Malta. In 1905, Marcus changed its name to Sturehof and the Marcus family ran the restaurant until 1976. Sturehof ’s current owners have drawn great inspiration from this era in terms of interior design, food, ambiance and service. The inauguration of Kungsgatan in 1911 was the start of Stockholm’s transformation into a big city. Stureplan became a key meeting point for affluent Stockholmers. Thanks to the Marcus brothers’ extensive travel and experience in working abroad, Sturehof was transformed into Stockholm’s first seafood restaurant. A combination of courage and innovative ideas lay behind the success of Marcus’ new concept. Fresh seafood was sourced from Marcus’ relatives living on the island of Möja in the Stockholm archipelago and on the west coast of Sweden. People mainly drank beer in those days. However, the Marcus brothers had accumulated a cellar full of wine imported during their extensive travels, which is one of the reasons that Sturehof became associated with wine. Many of the items featured on the menu today – such as bouillabaisse, sotare (grilled Baltic Herring),assiettes assorties, strömming (small fried Baltic herring), turbot with browned butter and the daily selection of other Swedish husmanskost (traditional fare) – date back to the restaurant’s early days. In April 1995, Sturehof was acquired by PG Nilsson (who also owned Tranan, another renowned Stockholm restaurant and bar) in collaboration with Pelle and Björn Sturén, Niclas and Håkan Erikson and Staffan Lindgren, all owners of PA & Co. Designer Jonas Bohlin was brought in as artistic director to restore Sturehof to its former glory and revamp the restau- rant into what it is today.
