Going out in Trollhättan

Eating out in Trollhättan ... (of course on Saab tracks)

Update December 2013

In Trollhättan there are many good restaurants, as well as in the surrounding area. With Saab history, there is the downtown area Butlers, Named after Keith Butler-Wheelhouse, the first Saab boss with GM origins. Butler-Wheelhouse has made many friends during his tenure in Trollhättan and is still very much there. Note: not everything from GM was really bad.

Butler's Restaurant
Butler's Restaurant

Since, according to the story, 1992 in Trollhättan no suitable restaurant for international visitors, he initiated together with the then boss of Volvo Aero the founding of the Butler. Meanwhile, there is not only the restaurant. A cozy pub and a nightclub were added.

The restaurant is still good, price and performance are correct, the quality of the kitchen beyond any doubt. Service is warm, and like almost everywhere in Sweden, Butler also has free internet access. If you can not find a place in the restaurant, reservation is highly recommended, you can go around the corner in Butler's Mexican Bar and Nightclub.

The old, cozy pub, actually our insider tip, has been 2013 history since the winter. The new, with some effort designed bar is very stylish. But just Mexican and no pub. It lacks the cozy atmosphere of the old establishment. The food is still good, but designed purely for the country cuisine of Mexico. Who asks the nice service, always gets a seat. Either with friendly Swedes at the table or after a short wait your own.

In Butlers you are in the middle of life. The Swedes like to go out on the weekend. Whether live music, bachelor party, we've already experienced everything in the Butlers, and every time it was fun.

Below the Swania Hotel on Strandgatan is the Strandgatan Bistro. A very Swedish, traditional bistro with lots of delicious temptations on the counter. Anyone planning a diet should stay away. In summer you sit right on Göta Älv with an almost maritime flair. In the evenings, the Saab City nightlife rages here with a young crowd. As is so often the case in Sweden, self-service is also popular in Strandgatan Bistro.

The Juno passes the Strandgatan Bistro
The Juno passes the Strandgatan Bistro

Canteen on the factory premises

You can really get up close and personal with a visit to the canteen on the Saab factory premises. In the powertrain complex next to the Lean Nova building, the canteen is on the ground floor and can be entered without access control. The operator is an external service provider, the food is so ... well ... canteen. At lunchtime you sit among former or current Saab employees. With a bit of luck, there will be a familiar face among them.

You can park your car in front of the door, and sometimes you can see a pre-series electrosaxa on the way from the Powertrain area to the main gate.

And then there was the story of fast food ...

Actually, you can completely avoid fast food in Sweden. The country's cuisine is too tasty, and in almost every restaurant there are also homemade hamburgers. Anyone traveling in Sweden should, if the issue can not be avoided, ignore the American restaurant with the golden letter.

The restaurant chain MAX offers hamburgers and what belongs to them, better, fresher, healthier. Whereby with the healthier one such thing, but there has MAX vegetarian burger or fish burger or just with poultry. Fresher, however, you should take literally and plan a few minutes more time.

If fast food then .... Max
If fast food then .... Max

In Trollhättan you can find the MAX if you drive over the Stallbacka bridge towards Vänersborg, on the left in Överby or in the city center. Of course we prefer the MAX in Överby - with good reason.

View from the Max directly to the Saab factory
View from the Max directly to the Saab factory

Because you can, depending on the weather, admire the Saab density from the restaurant or from the terrace. Or look from a seat in the middle of the restaurant directly to the Saab plant. The Saab logo in the field of view, the fresh burger tastes particularly good, of course. This is of course a bit crazy, but normal would be boring.

One should not be afraid of visiting Max. Even if you do not speak the language, you can continue with the order with English or German. Or try some basic Swedish terms and then get a lot of sympathy.

Text: tom@saabblog.net

Pictures: saabblog.net