Slottspaviljongen

Although it is not located in the castle itself, this is the restaurant affiliated with Gripsholm Palace. It's on the edge of the grounds, and located right off the path leading from the palace to the town. We were never disappointed with any of the slottscafeet (castle cafe) dining experiences that we had anywhere in Sweden. My daughter, who spent much more time in Sweden than me, says that restaurants near tourist destinations tend to be pretty universally good, unlike the tourism situation in the US. Because Sweden has a fairly short summer, most of the year-round business comes from locals, who won't abide poor food, so only the quality places survive. This particular place is a glass walled pavilion style building, which is perfect for a relaxing lunch. I somehow managed to miss taking pictures of this spot, but I'm posting one shot of a railroad turntable, where you can see the restaurant in the upper left corner. Also, I'm posting a couple of other pictures looking back toward the castle, and towards the town of Mariefred, hopefully showing that the location is convenient from everywhere. I didn't see a Yelp entry for the castle itself (I suspect my Swedish search skills are sub-par). So, if you find yourself at this restaurant, do not miss the castle - it's the National Portrait Gallery, as well as a spectacular building. We made one of my all-time favorite day trips to Gripsholm, by taking a train from Stockholm, and a bus into town. Highly recommended.