The story
Wild River is a New Nordic restaurant in Vindeln, Sweden, at Solviksvägen 10, beside the Vindel River. The White Guide awarded it Masters level in 2026. The kitchen works with Västerbotten ingredients and changes its menus through the year.
Freddy Holmgren and Emma Wåhlstedt run the restaurant, and Freddy cooks alongside chefs Samuel and Ivan. The menus change often, but the idea stays the same: Västerbotten produce at the centre, cooked with high ambitions. Emma gathers wild ingredients from the surrounding forests, mostly in summer. The team lets dishes take their time so that flavours can develop.
The restaurant names its producers openly, from Järvtjärn's outdoor pigs and Rusksele Smokehouse to Västerbotten cheese and Norrbottens Destilleri. It will not describe an ingredient as local when it cannot grow in the region at that time of year. Sometimes nearly everything on the plate comes from Västerbotten. Other times a local ingredient only adds depth to a dish.
The restaurant started in 2018 as a summer kitchen at Mårdseleforsen, then moved downstream to its current site. Guests can dine indoors or outside, with a table that looks over the river. You order and pay at the till, then sit down and enjoy the meal. The staff make everyone feel at ease, and the team asks that children who come to some events sit still and keep the table calm.
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History
Today, beside the roaring Vindel River in Vindeln, you will find the Wild River restaurant. The couple behind the restaurant, Freddy Holmgren and Emma Wåhlstedt, both have their roots in the rich soil of Västerbotten. The Wild River journey began in 2018 with a summer restaurant at Mårdseleforsen, six miles north of its current location. The restaurant quickly gained a reputation for its unique atmosphere, and despite its remote setting, visitors from increasingly far-off places began flocking in. Moving downstream has made it possible to operate on more days, bringing joy to all who wish to enjoy the restaurant’s culinary experiences year-round, as well as to the owners, who can now fully unleash their creative potential and bring to life the ideas that have been simmering away.
Wild River struck like a comet from the foodie heavens last summer, quickly becoming a talking point all the way to Umeå, 130 kilometres downstream the scenic Vindel River. A young and hungry trio had taken over a modest eatery by the popular Mårdsele Rapids, where the eponymous nature reserve draws vast numbers of visitors every year. With this new team of cooks and servers, though, nature may just get eclipsed. Food – with its origins, flavours and the craftsmanship that goes into preparing it – is what this place is about. Ingredients are brought from nearby woods and lakes, and refined in the kitchen with a sense of curiosity and commendable finesse. Things are allowed to take time here, so that flavours have a chance to develop. The setup is simple: order and pay at the till, then sit down and enjoy. The staff’s hospitality deserves special mention – they make everyone feel comfortable and welcome.
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