Last Updated: September 14, 2022
Best Restaurants in Oslo
If you are heading to Oslo, Norway then you are in for a treat as both Oslo and Norway are one of my favorite places. The city of Oslo is home to an awesome atmosphere and amazing cuisine while Norway offers some of the most spectacular landscapes you might ever see.
Between Norway, Oslo, and what comes with it, you are set for one of the best vacations you might have ever been on.
But, let’s focus on Oslo, and even more so on the best restaurants in Oslo. Oslo is a melting pot of some of the best Scandinavian food around from fresh fish and Norwegian scallops to grilled reindeer and more.
It’s not just about the local food either as Oslo’s best restaurants also offer up an intimate dining experience with cuisines from around the world.
Here are the best restaurants in Oslo to choose from while you’re enjoying the Norwegian capital.
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Arakataka
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First up and one of the most popular restaurants in Oslo is Arakataka located at Mariboesgt Gate 7. This is quite a unique restaurant as it is more like two restaurants in one.
You can choose to dine in the more fine dining section which offers up five-course tasting menus or you can choose from the à la carte menu too.
Imagine tasty delights such as raw trout with dill, king crab on fermented celeriac bread, fresh cod, and more that are a part of the tasting menu and à la carte too. You will also find international dishes as well as nordic ones on the menu.
Your other option is to hang out in the other part of the restaurant which is a wine bar come food bar. It is a great place to try wines while having some delightful little bites to go with it. The wine bar is open until 1:00 AM, making it one of the best places in Oslo to eat late!
Vinoteket
Vinoteket is another great Oslo restaurant especially if you want to experience pizza like you never have before. You’ll find it on Henrik Ibsens gate 60a and you are in for something new by going there.
Vinotek is a wine and pizza restaurant run by Beniamino Bilali, an Italian chef that has redesigned pizza in a way that offers the richest of Italian toppings or Norwegian classics that you wouldn’t expect to see on a pizza.
Let’s start off by saying, the pizzas are very good and this starts with the excellent sourdough base that is thin, stretchy, airy and crispy. The sauce is also to die for which gives the pizzas another big tick, and it is up to you how daring you want to be with the toppings.
One of the braver options is a pizza with truffles, fish roe, dill, crème fraîche, and scallops – a pizza one would never think of.
Maaemo
Maaemo is one of the most frequented restaurants in Oslo as it offers a more intimate dining experience and is often referred to as being more than a restaurant. Expect to spend the whole night here as you explore the vast menu of things you have probably never tried before.
The set menu is a total of 26 different plates with wine pairings that bring out every taste available. Each dish is stunningly laid out, delicious, and bold. One of their signature dishes that blows everyone’s mind is the reindeer heart, fried rye-bread cream, and spruce juice with a disc of mead gel.
It is not hard to see why this restaurant is in the Diner’s Club’s top 50 restaurants and has two Michelin stars. You will leave here having been on a taste experience like never before.
Kolonihagen
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Sitting in one of the coolest areas of Oslo is a restaurant you simply do not want to miss. Kolonihagen has a rustic main dining room that feels akin to a barn and this matches their wholesome and brilliant food perfectly.
This spot is all about natural dining and this means sustainable cooking, organic ingredients that are locally sourced, and promoting a healthy lifestyle. The menu changes with the seasons and the dishes are a mixture of French and Norwegian cuisines fused together.
If you come here for lunch, you will be offered the French & Norwegian fusion menu which includes specialties like wild mushroom soup and fire-grilled reindeer. If you head here for dinner, their seven-course tasting menu is fantastic and will blow you away.
Fuglen
If you are looking for one of the best coffees in Oslo or one of the best cocktails then you should go to Fuglen on Universitetsgata 2.
This coffee shop has been going since 1963 and the interior hasn’t changed one bit, and to add to its charm, everything in the shop is for sale, including the chairs you will sit on.
The space doubles as a vintage furniture business so everything you see, you can buy, from Scandinavian designer lamps to pictures on the wall.
The coffee and tea are excellent thanks to the pro baristas and at night, the coffee shop becomes a hip cocktail bar with a great vibe, fun atmosphere, and delicious drinks.
Be sure to spend a morning and a night in this epic establishment, there really isn’t anywhere else like it in Oslo, so grab a coffee in the morning and then a cocktail before or after dinner at one of the other restaurants featured in the article.
Sawan
Sitting on President Harbitz’s gate 4 in a very well-to-do part of Oslo is the legendary Thai restaurant of Sawan that is set in a very traditional Norwegian decor, so it is a fantastic merger of the two.
You might be thinking that Thai and Norwegian don’t quite mix but Sawan goes further than just Thai food and also explores a lot more of what Asian cuisine has to offer. Sushi and sashimi are a huge part of the menu and since Norway is about fresh fish, raw fish couldn’t be more appropriate.
The Thai food and fish dishes at this restaurant are absolutely incredible and if so desired, you can even book a private dining room for your evening, something that is common in Norway and should be in the rest of the world in my opinion.
Vippa
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Vippa is not just a restaurant, it is a huge warehouse space at Akershusstranda 25 on the port of Oslo that brings together a ton of culture in a lovely way.
The sunset views over the water are stunning, it has a casual but fun, young vibe, and it is also a music center so be sure to look at what is on and time it with a performance that is up your street.
There are multiple restaurants inside Vippa for you to choose from too and they are from around the globe. You have the choice of sampling dumplings from Kinabolle, shawarma and Syrian street food from Aleppo Bahenbek, and fresh seafood delights from Albatross.
Once you have chosen your restaurant and food, sit back and take in the view, grab a beer, and spend the whole night here enjoying the cultural hub and great people.
Sentralen
Sentralen offers up both sides of Oslo’s dining scene with a fine dining and elegant restaurant on one side and an adjacent co-working space/cafeteria on the other that specializes in epic pizzas.
The posh restaurant sits inside an old bank with a grand interior. It specializes in a seasonal menu using locally sourced ingredients fused with global flavors. The small plates are excellent and are also heaven for vegetarians.
Imagine smoked beetroot with horseradish, egg yolk, and tarragon or baked cauliflower with hazelnuts, and miso and you will get the idea. The deserts are hard to beat too and feature locally sourced ingredients too.
Whether you go to the fine-dine restaurant, chilled cafeteria, or both, you are in for a treat.
Bass Oslo
Sitting in the Grunerlokka neighborhood of Oslo on Thorvald Meyers Gate 26c is the excellent but lowkey and chilled restaurant Bass Oslo. This spot is all about the interior as much as it is about food with its chic decor from exposed walls to great art.
When it comes to the food, expect some Norwegian classics like fresh turbot poached with a white wine sauce or halibut. Most of the food comes on small plates so it is great to order a few along with wine and enjoy it with your buddies.
Hanami
Hanami is without question the best Japanese restaurant in the city and it is unique since it is the only one that practices robata.
The robata technique involves only grilling fish and meat over simmering embers with no flames, and you can only use white-oak coal to do it. This provides a very unique and incredible flavor.
As you might expect, sushi and sashimi are also on offer at this restaurant and it is some of the best you will find in the city. They do their utmost to source the freshest fish and prepare it using the best methods possible.
About the Author Anna Timbrook
Anna is the co-owner of expert world travel and can't wait to share her travel experience with the world. With over 54 countries under her belt she has a lot to write about! Including those insane encounters with black bears in Canada.
