PM & Vänner

Verdict: Worth the effort to book, especially if wine matters as much as food

PM & Vänner holds a Michelin star and scores 87 points on La Liste (2025), making it the most credentialed restaurant in Växjö by a significant margin. If you are planning a special occasion dinner in Småland and want serious cooking backed by one of Sweden's most decorated wine programs, this is the booking to make. The effort to get a table is real — plan at least three to four weeks ahead, more for weekend evenings.

The Restaurant

PM & Vänner at Västergatan 10 operates as a gastronomy hotel with multiple formats under one roof: an ambitious bistro, a gourmet restaurant, a bakery, and the rooftop bar TAK. For a special occasion, the gourmet restaurant is the relevant room. Chef Anders Lauring runs a kitchen anchored in regional Småland produce interpreted through a Nordic-meets-French lens — a combination that explains both the Michelin recognition and the €€€€ pricing.

The sourcing philosophy here is central to the value proposition. Småland is a region of forests, lakes, and agricultural land, and the kitchen draws on that geography directly. This is not a Stockholm restaurant transplanted to the provinces; the regional identity shapes what appears on the plate. If you are comparing this to, say, Vollmers in Malmö or VYN in Simrishamn, the terroir specificity of PM & Vänner's sourcing is a genuine differentiator, not a marketing claim. For diners who want to understand a place through what it grows and catches, the menu here is worth the price of admission.

The wine program is exceptional by any Swedish standard and arguably the strongest reason to book the full experience rather than eating elsewhere. Star Wine List has ranked it consecutively from 2019 through 2025, appearing in the leading listings each year. Wine Director Per Anders Jörgensen oversees a cellar of 6,200 selections and roughly 20,350 bottles, with particular depth in Burgundy, Rhône, Bordeaux, Champagne, Italy (Piedmont and Tuscany), California, Germany, and Austria. Wine pricing sits at $$$, meaning expect many bottles above $100, but the breadth of the list means a knowledgeable sommelier can find options at different price points. For a celebration dinner where wine pairing matters, PM & Vänner is in a different league from anything else in Växjö.

Rooftop bar TAK offers cocktails and views and functions as a lower-commitment entry point if you want to experience the property without a full dinner commitment. It is also a sensible option for a post-dinner drink after eating elsewhere in the city.

Booking Reality

This is a hard booking. Michelin-starred dinners in small Swedish cities do not get easier to reserve just because they are outside Stockholm. The restaurant opens Monday through Saturday from late morning into the night (Friday and Saturday until 1:00 AM), with Sunday dinner running 17:00–22:00. Sunday evening is often the most accessible booking window, but do not rely on a last-minute table. Contact the restaurant directly , no online booking method is confirmed in our data , and build in at least three weeks of lead time for weekday dinners, four to six weeks for Friday or Saturday.

For a special occasion, the combination of the gourmet restaurant and a hotel stay on-site removes the logistics problem entirely. Staying at the gastronomy hotel means no transport pressure, which matters when you are committing to a serious wine pairing.

Practical Details

How PM & Vänner Fits the Wider Sweden Picture

For context on where PM & Vänner sits within Swedish fine dining: Frantzén in Stockholm operates at three Michelin stars and represents Sweden's highest tier. PM & Vänner at one star is several steps below that ceiling, but it is meaningfully above what you would find at most regional Swedish restaurants. Compared to Signum in Mölnlycke or ÄNG in Tvååker, PM & Vänner's wine depth is a clear advantage. If you are already travelling in the region and weighing whether to detour to Växjö, the answer is yes, provided wine and regional Nordic cooking are priorities.

Also worth knowing: Kafé de luxe and Villa & Trädgård de luxe offer lower-commitment options in Växjö if the full PM & Vänner experience exceeds your budget or occasion. See our full Växjö restaurants guide for the complete picture, and our Växjö hotels guide if you are planning an overnight stay. For drinks, the Växjö bars guide covers the rooftop TAK alongside other options.

Explore More in the Region

• Knystaforsen in Rydöbruk , worth knowing if you are travelling through Småland
• A Little Party in Halmstad , a creative option if your route takes you west
• 28+ in Gothenburg , for reference on Sweden's broader fine dining range
• LYST in Vejle , Nordic creative cooking just across the border in Denmark
• Our full Växjö experiences guide and Växjö wineries guide