A place to meet, to eat a meal and have a glass. Thats how Stockholmers have perceived Tranan since 1929 and still do it today, over 80 years later. Tranan has been open seven days a week and has been at the same address, Karlbergsvägen 14, throughout this time. Already in the 1930s, regulars called Tranan for the “club”. Also the fried herring with mashed potatos have been on the menu since Tranan opened.

The interior that today would be called scaled and consciously simple was originally not for aesthetic reasons. The furniture during those times at the beer cafes was provided by the breweries as part of the service. Several of that typical furniture have been at Tranan there since its inception. The large windows with free access from the street were a requirement at that time from the police. The beer cafes also were not allowed to have the curtains closed.

Tranan was originally open from 05 to 24. The waiters at beer cafes were women while the clientele consisted of men. The waitresses who worked the evening shift followed by the morning shift were sleeping in the “beer couches” inside the kitchen. The selling of beer started already at six o’clock. The first morning hours the guests had usually a sandwich and drank preferably hot beer. As early as nine, builders would start filling up the rooms for lunch. Those who behaved drunkenly or tried to get a jam in the toilet were dotted. Two dots meant shutdown. In this simple and popular environment, the poet and bohemian Nils Ferlin felt welcomed. Ferlin was one of Tranan’s early regulars and used to sit leaning over a beer and writing poetry on the back of the receipts.

Tranan was founded in 1929 by Erik Lindén, who operated the restaurant for 30 years, until 1959. After that, his daughter, Marie-Louise Öhrn, took over and managed Tranan until 1983, when the premises were bought and renovated by the restaurateur PG Nilsson. In the spring of 2005, Tranan was taken over by the current owner – Mac Donald Lundgren. At the start of 1929, the cellar bar was a fine dining room with soft carpets and a trio with cello, piano and violin that entertained the guests with music. After the Second World War, when an extended tunnel construction made Odenplan a place most rushed past, the dining room was closed again. Until the 80’s he had a seed and then a furniture store in the basement before it was again incorporated with the restaurant.

The tradition of music in the basement has been kept alive. Among the artists who gave concerts down in Tranan’s bar are Tom Waits, Lloyd Cole, Lyle Lovett, Digital Underground (with a young Tupac Shakur), A Tribe Called Quest, Craig David and A Camp.