Grädde Swedish Restaurant Opens on Elm Street

Grädde, a Swedish restaurant, has opened up on Elm Street serving traditional Swedish food prepared by owner and head chef, Margaret Lager.    

After running her own restaurant in Sweden for 20 years, Lager decided to make the move to America with her family. She knew she wanted to have something of her own and continue making the Swedish specialties she was familiar with.

Lager visited a friend in Westfield years ago and always said that if she ever moved to the states she would open up a restaurant in the town. The spot opened at 13 Elm St. on Dec. 1.

Lager said some of their more popular items include, Toast Skagen, which is made of small pink shrimps, mayor and dill. The main thing is dill in Sweden,  she said.

Another favorite is the Beef Rullader.

She explained that it’s a totally different food experience than you would get from a steak, although the same type of meat.

“It should really be tried by everyone,” Lager said.

When asked what people should know about Swedish food and what Grädde has to offer, Lager said it’s that the food is pretty rich in taste.

“We have a lot of flavor in our food,” she said.

As the restaurant gets settled, they are learning more about what people enjoy and plan to expand and update the menu to the public’s liking.

They also plan to tailor the menu for families on Saturday and Sunday.

“We are going to have something for children,” Lager said.

She added that in Sweden the children usually eat what adults are eating, but in American it tends to be different.

Also, the restraint is seasonally offering Glögg, which is traditionally warm wine served with spices, but they are offering a non-alcholic version. However, if you bring your own wine to dinner, they can create Glögg with it.

“We always enjoy Glögg until the end of the year,” Lager added.

Fore more information on Grädde, contact them at 908-232-1227 or grade@verizon.net.