There’s one Swedish meatball certainty: It must be served with creamy gravy. From there, meatball paths diverge.
Just as many home cooks put their own spin on the holiday classic, restaurants do, too. Ground beef and pork is the traditional meaty makeup, but you’ll also find chicken, plant-based, bison and wild rice in the mix.
Sides range from mashed potatoes to noodles and garlic toast. Lingonberries are the preferred accompaniment, but cranberries will do in a pinch, a welcome pop of color to the tasty but pale plate. Even the gravy will vary: always creamy, but sometimes with “flourishes” like mushrooms and mustard.
The hallmark of Swedish meatballs is the spices used to make them — primarily nutmeg and allspice — which is why creamy gravy is such a cozy partner. (Similarly, Italian meatballs, infused with Parmesan and oregano, make them a natural with tomato sauce.)
But no need to wait for a holiday to enjoy this Midwestern staple. These Twin Cities-area restaurants are ready to bring you comfort and, trust us, joy.

Russell’s
This new bar and restaurant has more than a bit of Minnesota supper club in its DNA, including the menu addition of Swedish meatballs. The difference here is that a black pepper-flecked chicken sausage stands in for the standard meat mix and it is served over cremini mushrooms. The cream gravy can be sopped up with the slices of grilled baguette included. For $16, it serves as either an entree or a hearty starter to share with friends. (Joy Summers)
$16; 656 Grand Av., St. Paul; russellsstpaul.com

Torsk at Bar Brava
This two-person pop-up inside Bar Brava’s natural wine bar knows how to build a plate of rich comfort food with Scandinavian flair. Sydney Reuter and Axel Pineda both used to work at Fika, but they also come to this cuisine through taste memory and passion: Pineda in childhood and Reuter who leaned into her Nordic heritage and travels through Norway. Together they build plates of sumptuous gravy poured over tender meatballs with just a bit of crust and top it off with the necessary pops of lingonberries over a landscape of mashed potatoes. The result is heavenly and pairs exceptionally with an Alsatian riesling, which Brava owner Dan Rice recommends to balance and enhance those decadent flavors. (J.S.)