Where To Eat In Oslo – Best Restaurants In Oslo, Norway

Last Updated on 13th July 2023

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If you’re looking for the best restaurants in Oslo, Norway then you’ve come to the right place!

During our 3 days in Oslo, we ate at so many great places and while you’re not likely to find too many cheap restaurants in Oslo, I can guarantee that you’ll find some truly great places to eat in this post!

Oslo left a lasting impression on me and with its eclectic combination of ingredients, flavours, stunning settings and intriguing dishes, so did its food scene.

Check out my ultimate guide below about where to eat in Oslo and my recommendations for the best restaurants in Oslo, Norway!

The best Oslo food and drink tours and attractions

1. Oslofjord Cruise with Seafood Dinner
2. Fjord Evening Cruise with Shrimp Buffet
3. Electric Boat Cruise With Brunch
4. 3-course Dinner Cruise in the Oslofjord
5. Street Food Culture Walking Tour

Where to eat in Oslo

Before we even went to Oslo, we knew just how expensive food and drink could be so we anticipated in advance not eating out for every single meal.

Having said that, whenever we travel, we try to stay in a self-catering apartment, which makes it much easier and more affordable as we don’t have to spend money on three meals a day eating out.

We usually head to a local supermarket and pick up some supplies for breakfast food and sandwiches that we can take with us during the day. However, we did still eat at some great restaurants in the city, so here’s my list of where to eat in Oslo for first-time visitors!

Read more: Travel Tips For Visiting Oslo, Norway

1. Pizza Crudo – where to eat in Oslo

We visited Pizza Crudo pretty much as soon as we arrived in Oslo as we’d been up since 2 AM and we were both absolutely starving.

Pizza Crudo is located inside Paleet, a shopping centre on Karl Johans gate which is the main street that runs through Oslo. It’s also part of an eating area with two other restaurants; Sabaki and Public.

While pizza obviously isn’t synonymous with Norwegian cuisine, we didn’t really care too much at this point and just wanted something carby, delicious and greasy to indulge in.

The dough was wonderful; soft and chewy with a lightly crispy crust and the tomato sauce and cheese were in ample supply. We were originally planning to share one, but I’d definitely suggest going for one each if you’re pretty hungry; they’re sure to fill you right up!

• Margarita pizza: 179kr (£16)
• Ham pizza: 195kr (£17.50)

2. Den Glade Gris – where to eat in Oslo

Den Glade Gris was on our list of places to eat in Oslo long before we even arrived in the Norwegian capital!

The traditional Norwegian restaurant offers a hearty selection of meat and fish dishes, with enormous portion sizes and exquisite flavours. Every time we walked past the restaurant it was absolutely heaving, so we both knew that it was going to be one of the best restaurants in Oslo.

I ordered the beer-battered fish and chips, served with pea mash and tartare sauce. In my opinion, there’s no better fish and chips than when it’s from your local fish shop, served with lashings of curry sauce. However, my dish at Den Glade Gris offered up stiff competition for my local chip shop back home.

While it wasn’t served with curry sauce, the fish itself was absolutely delightful. The batter was light and crunchy and incredibly flavoursome and the fish itself was flaky, white and so tasty.

Matt opted for Den Glade Gris’ signature dish; the pork knuckle served on a bed of mustard mash with vegetables.

The pork knuckle is promised to have been marinated and slow-cooked on the grill for at least five hours before serving, meaning that the crackling is deliciously crispy and the meat is wonderfully tender.

It certainly lived up to both our expectations (of course I had a little taste!); the pork meat was in plentiful supply and the crackling was absolutely delightful. The portion size was huge and we both agreed that if you’re not a big eater, then you might want to consider sharing one of these bad boys!

Matt and I aren’t typically dessert people but after eating so much salty meat and rich flavours on our trip to Oslo, we found ourselves craving something sweet after almost every meal.

Our dessert of choice at Den Glade Gris was the chocolate mousse served with berries. The mousse was incredibly creamy and rich and was the perfect way to finish our last meal in Oslo!

• Fish and chips: 206kr
• Pork knuckle: 299kr
• Chocolate mousse: 112kr

3. Mirabel

The food at Mirabel’s has made its way onto our list of the best cuisines we’ve ever eaten (and we’ve eaten at a lot of places!).

My main course of choice was the bacon-wrapped tenderloin with Mediterranean vegetables, creamy bacon sauce and a baked potato with homemade spiced butter. It was without a doubt one of the best dishes I’ve ever eaten on holiday.

The beef tenderloin was succulent and tender and paired with the creamy bacon sauce, it had a delectably divine taste.

I’m not really a vegetable person but I polished the whole lot off in this dish as they were honestly just that good. I swapped my jacket potato with Matt’s serving of Mirabel’s version of dauphinoise potatoes which was an excellent choice as they were the idyllic accompaniment to my beef and bacon ensemble.

Matt’s main course of choice was the moose tenderloin with honey chanterelle sauce, vegetables and dauphinoise potatoes (which we swapped).

According to Matt, the moose tenderloin was the best cut of meat he’s ever had and the dish as a whole was one of the best things he’d ever eaten; which for a couple of foodies says an awful lot about the quality of food at Mirabel.

Moose is quite an eclectic choice of meat for a regular restaurant but it made a regular appearance on menus at different restaurants throughout Oslo so if you’re a meat eater, I’d recommend sampling it because the meat was juicy, tender and full of flavour.

For dessert, we went for the chocolate fondant made with dark chocolate that came equipped with vanilla ice cream and berries.

The chocolate sauce inside the fondant was incredibly rich and decadent and the exterior was warm and crisp; it paired perfectly with the vanilla ice cream and I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this indulgent dessert!

• Moose tenderloin: 369kr
• Beef tenderloin: 329kr
• Chocolate fondant: 109kr
• 2 sex on the beach cocktails: 129kr each

4. Rorbua – where to eat in Oslo

Rorbua restaurant resides on the seafront in Aker Brygge and is a very highly-rated restaurant in Oslo.

Matt and I aren’t really the biggest fans of seafood but as we were in the capital city of a seafood-loving country, we felt it was only apt to at least try a variety of food that came from the sea right in front of us.

For his main, Matt choose the barbecue skewers of whale, deer, moose and reindeer that were served with fresh salad, roasted potatoes and a sour cream and ram onion dressing.

The moose and reindeer offerings on the skewer were wonderfully cooked and incredibly tender cuts of meat; the deer was a little ‘gamey’ for Matt. The whale on the other hand was a slightly obscure offering and wasn’t really what we were expecting.

It was quite bland in flavour and was probably the chewiest meat on the skewer. It was an experience to try it out but I don’t think either of us is a converted fan…

The accompaniment of vegetables, however, was perfect for the skewers dish and overall Matt thoroughly enjoyed his slightly eccentric meal.

My choice of main course at Rorbua was rather out of my comfort zone; I’m a meat eater but I usually tend to stick with the same sort of cuts of meat so I was excited to branch out with my food in Oslo.

I went for the moose, reindeer and deer dish that was cooked in a creamy wild sauce with bacon, onions and mushrooms. It was served with mashed potatoes and cranberries and was absolutely, utterly divine.

The flavours of the meat were truly piquant and unique but thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless. The accompanying mashed potato was a welcome addition to the dish as it was ideal for mopping up the rest of the stew sauce. This was such a great meal and an incredible restaurant with a thriving atmosphere; definitely one of the best places to eat and drink in Oslo!

• Barbecue skewers: 349kr
• Meat stew: 315kr

Drinks/snacks – where to eat and drink in Oslo

As the food in Oslo is so expensive, we decided to have smaller snacks and meals to try and save money on food and drink.

Here are some of my top recommendations for the best drinks and snacks in Oslo.

5. United Bakeries

United Bakeries have a few cafes dotted around the city but the one that we went to was located inside Paleet (the shopping centre where we ate at Pizza Crudo on our first day).

The eatery offered a plethora of delicious-looking sandwiches, breakfast options and cakes. We opted for a simple ham and cheese sandwich on a white baguette as we intended on saving our appetites for a more substantial dinner later that day.

The sandwich wasn’t particularly anything to shout about but it was tasty enough. I’d have liked to try out more of the breakfast menu, however, as the eggs and bacon dish looked truly scrumptious!

• Two cheese and ham sandwiches: 75kr each

6. Café Europa

We stopped off at Café Europa on our first day in Oslo while we were waiting to be able to check into our apartment.

It’s quite a spacious cafe, with plenty of seating areas and plush furniture and decor. We were practically the only people in the cafe when we visited, save for a group of businessmen who were ironically tucking into huge pints of beer…

Our hot chocolates were rich and creamy and served in glasses as opposed to mugs which I don’t usually like but the heavenly taste of these hot chocolates meant that I could look passed that minor detail!

• Hot chocolate: 46kr each

7. Nobel Peace Prize Center

Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of our hot chocolates at the Nobel Peace Prize Center (although there is a snap of them over on my Instagram Stories!).

The hot chocolates themselves were average as the cafe specialises in unique blends of coffee; so I’d recommend going for a more luxurious coffee if you pay a visit here.

However, we still thoroughly enjoyed tucking into a warming hot chocolate inside the Prize Center as it was such a unique place to enjoy a hot drink!

Our drinks were also the cheapest item of food and drink that we bought during our entire trip!

• Hot chocolate: 39kr each

8. The Scotsman

The Scotsman pub is located on Karl Johans Gate and is the largest pub in Oslo. It’s incredibly warm and welcoming inside, with plenty of seating areas both upstairs and downstairs.

The only downside is that a round of drinks is incredibly expensive (around £10 for each drink!) but then you can pretty much expect that from anywhere in Oslo when it comes to alcohol!

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Have you ever been to the Norwegian capital? Where did you eat in and drink in Oslo? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter at @imjustagirl_16.