We wish you a warm welcome to Kallas Stadskrog. Come anytime to get a bite to eat and to enjoy a glass of wine, or to find out what our chefs have created from the best possible raw materials known to us.
Food and drink
Our restaurant in town offers varying dishes with a seasonal twist. Our chefs are experts in combining local and locally grown ingredients with flavours from near and far.
During the summer months, you can enjoy your meal outdoors on our terrace. We gladly invite you to savour our special terrace menu or to just enjoy a glass of wine or pint of beer.
Whether you come for a glass of wine, dine on our terrace, or stay indoors for a three-course menu, you are always welcome.
Simple, easy-going and agreeable — it doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.
What’s on the menu today?
We change our menu according to what is on offer and the season.
Each week, we post our lunch menu on Kallas Stadskrog’s Facebook page and on Åland’s Lunchguide.
Getting here
Norra Esplanadgatan 2, Mariehamn
The building
This magnificent location in the centre of Mariehamn was once the site for a wallpaper factory. Torsten Montell, an architect from Helskinki, designed the building and contractor Axel Lindholm built it. The building is a governor’s house; the ground floor was built of stone and the rest of the building was built of wood. This type of construction originated in Gothenburg, and it was one of a kind in 1920’s Mariehamn. The top floor has two flats, while the first floor was intended for office space and a restaurant.
The Kronan restaurant opened its doors straightaway once the construction of the building was finished. Although it was the time of Prohibition, there were rumours that the regulars and the crew on ships docking in Västra Hamnen (west harbour) may have ordered the house specialty: “silver tea”, which was hot water, milk and sugar spiked with spirits of 96% alcohol volume. Once Prohibition ended, Kronan became fully licensed to serve alcohol, and Alko opened in the same building. As a state-owned organisation, Alko had, and still has, exclusive right to buy and sell alcoholic beverages. Today, however, other shops may sell alcoholic beverages less than 5.5% in alcohol volume.
Café Gillet operated in the building from the 1950s to the 1970s and it had a reputation for the best plank steak around. Then, in 1976, the popular family-owned Bistro Erica opened its doors. Bistro owner Lasse Pihl wanted to offer the people of Åland the atmosphere of the tavern life of bygone days in Mariehamn. On 22 June 1976, he reported in the Ålandstidningen newspaper as follows:
“I’m going to apply for a license to serve beer and wine. I’ve already looked into it. But before I can get the license, the authorities want to see how we operate. Gillet’s reputation wasn’t quite up to par in the eyes of both Alko and the police.”
Eleven years later Bistro Erica had to close its doors because its lease expired without the possibility to renew it, and the gentlemen’s tailor shop, Zygos, on the west side of the building wanted to expand.
Over the years, the building has housed a barber shop, a watch and goldsmith’s shop, a tailor and a bakery. In 2008, restaurant operations began once again in the building when Umbra opened its doors. Today, the building is owned by Odd Fellows Stiftelse Securitas.
Come and experience the history of days gone by!
Parties and groups
We are more than happy to help you organise an evening with your loved ones. A birthday celebration, a wedding reception, a dinner with relatives or a conference—we can accommodate as many as 80 people.
Send us an email to booking@stadskrog.ax or call us on 04573460427, so we can organise everything to your liking.
Foto: Per Erik Berglund
Kallas SkärGård
We would also like to extend a warm welcome you to our restaurant and archipelago café SkärGård in Sandö on the island Vårdö. Here, you can enjoy excellent food and drink or a cup of coffee with a home baked pastry in a genuine, peaceful rural environment. Kallas SkärGård is open year-round.
