Elias Karroum is a well-known restaurant entrepreneur who has touched the taste buds of many. He brought Lebanon to Stockholm with Beirut Café, and now it's time for him and the Swedish cuisine to move high up in Östermalmshallen. INRIKES checks in for lunch at the newly opened restaurant Hedvig.
PHOTO IVAN DA SILVA / ZAPP

It smells new, the wood is freshly painted, chandeliers made of round balls in matte glass are accompanied by globes in fluted glass, the bar is well stocked and the bar stools are upholstered in leather.

On my way to restaurant Hedvig I make a mistake – I end up at Beirut Café. I entered from Nybrogatan instead of turning around the corner to Humlegårdsgatan where the actual entrance is. But I get help, I am guided through one restaurant that connects to the other, both one step up from Östermalmshallen and with a phenomenal view of the commerce below. Suddenly I find myself in the bar at Hedvig. We are a group of guests who are going to taste the food and soak up the atmosphere. It smells new, the wood is freshly painted, chandeliers made of round balls in matt glass are accompanied by globes in fluted glass, the bar is well stocked and
the barstools are covered in leather. Brass details are a recurring element. Dark wood chairs with arched backs – high seating comfort, I note a while into the meal. Behind the interior design concept we find Filip Svensson and the architectural firm Skuggan, he says:
– The restaurant's balcony is designed as a living space that interacts with the movement and life of the market hall – like an outdoor terrace that merges with the pulse of the city. A selection of starters is served. Classic
Toast Skagen, old man's porridge on breadcrumbs, raw steak and duck liver pâté. Of course there is also an SOS all-you-can-eat on the menu. My personal favorite is the old man's porridge.

SO WHY HEDVIG?
After almost 20 years in Östermalmshallen, the year was 2006 when Beirut Café Deli opened here, Elias Karroum has gotten to know the premises. He says:
– From Beirut Café we saw that the veranda was empty. All the restaurateurs in Stockholm have looked at the premises. In the end we took the plunge. It happened quickly after we decided, the contract was signed the day before Christmas Eve. The name Hedvig is taken from the church Hedvig Eleonora which is located on the other side of Östermalmstorg. At Hedvig, classic Swedish home cooking is prepared with the ambition of creating a Swedish food centre – a Swedish
food destination.
– We want it to feel like Hedvig has been here since the hall opened in 1888, says Elias Karroum, and adds:
– We are here to stay. The location in Östermalmshallen is perfect for Hedvig, as the hall has been included in a list of ”The World’s 7 Best Market Halls” and many international guests find their way here. Are they curious in Swedish
home cooking, Hedvig is an obvious choice. It's time for a main course and I've chosen a steamed cod loin served with poached egg, shrimp, horseradish and browned butter. A hard-to-match
classic, but perhaps not nearly as classic as Hedvig's meatballs, cream-stewed pytt or mushroom-filled kroppkakor. After over three decades in the restaurant industry, Elias Karroum has now found his way back to Swedish home cooking.

HOW DID IT START?
Elias Karroum got his interest in food from home. He grew up with his mother Rose and her Lebanese stews and meze. Going to a restaurant was never an option. Growing up, he played football, first in
Sundbyberg then in BP, in the role of forward he played in the A-team, and played in, among other things,
four junior internationals.
– I thought I was the best in the world, no one could stop me.
He bought a café, and then a lunch restaurant in Sollentuna. Here he learned to cook Swedish home cooking. The businesses were sold and Elias Karroum received an offer to start working at Operakällaren and
Stallmästargården. Here he now had the opportunity to combine work in the kitchen with playing football for Café Opera. Now he had to learn restaurant cooking from scratch. But the hierarchy in the kitchen was strict. One day he had a fight over a sack of potatoes that did not live up to the standards according to what he describes as – the screaming, bitter kitchen masters.
– I resigned, the fact that they just threw away all the potatoes still bothers me to this day. Instead, he opened a franchise restaurant at Åhléns, their first. Vegetarian, wok, cakes and pasta were on the menu. His friends insisted that he should serve Lebanese food.

BEIRUT CAFE?
So in December 1999, Beirut Café opened at Engelbrektsgatan 37, focusing on traditional Lebanese food. The newly opened restaurant received great reviews and then it took off. The people from Östermalm who lived nearby came, people who had been to Lebanon came. And even world celebrities came; Max Martin, Justin
Timberlake, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira and Zlatan to name a few
some. Today, and since 2021, Beirut Café is located in Östermalmshallen.
– To this day, I can't drive past Engelbrektsgatan without checking it out, that's where it all started, says Elias Karroum as we sit at the top of the tower room, the so-called Bird Room.
– with paintings of birds on the ceiling. The venue is a Chambre Séparée with space for up to 16 guests. We drink coffee, and talk about then and now.

THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY?
Today, an important equation is to solve the staff, to put together a good team. It's about professional pride and about small things like telephones. Elias Karroum also highlights that the service staff must understand that they are partners with the restaurant. If they do a good job, everyone benefits from it. He sums up the key to success with the words:
– To love what you do.

PEAK?
– Beirut Café, his answer is as short as it is obvious.

THE FUTURE?
“Getting through the current recession is a first interim goal right now,” Elias Karroum states when we ask about the future. Today he runs six different units in Östermalmshallen. He is satisfied, and in front of
He is very happy that he has his family involved in the activities. The key person is his mother.
Rose, who is now 80 years old, comes in three days a week and guides the staff at Beirut Café in how to make all the delicious dishes her way. She also often takes the time to prepare for Sunday lunch.
– Sunday lunch at my mother’s is a highlight, there are always between ten and 30 of us, concludes Elias Karroum. Lunch is rounded off with a fried camembert with cloudberries and walnuts. On the way out, I think of that sign that came loose on the stairs up to Beirut Café, when I went the wrong way. It advertised the departure from Stockholm to Beirut. A journey that is here portrayed by the two very different cuisines but with a shared passion for flavors.

ELIAS KARROUMS' TIPS FOR SUCCESS IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY

• Offer a good product.
• Keep track of personnel costs.
• Purchases are important – dare to negotiate

ELIAS KARROUM IN THE ÖSTERMALMS HALL
Beirut Cafe Deli, opened in 2006.
Beirut Cafe, here since 2021.
Bistrot du Passage, here since 2022, French bistro.
Paula's, here since 2024, café and wine bar.
Gabagool, here since 2025, Italian food.
Hedwig, latest addition and here since 2025, Swedish classic home cooking