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"Bergen is the city with the ocean and sea completely in its stomach," someone once said. Bergensers love their seafood dishes: Fiskepudding (fish pudding), fiskekaker (fish cakes), fiskeboller (fish balls), and fiskesuppe (fish soup). Delicious renditions of such classic dishes show up on local menus with great regularity.Any B
"Bergen is the city with the ocean and sea completely in its stomach," someone once said. Bergensers love their seafood dishes: Fiskepudding (fish pudding), fiskekaker (fish cakes), fiskeboller (fish balls), and fiskesuppe (fish soup). Delicious renditions of such class
"Bergen is the city with the ocean and sea completely in its stomach," someone once said. Bergensers love their seafood
"Bergen is the city with the ocean and sea completely in its stomach," someone once said. Bergensers love their seafood dishes: Fiskepudding (fish pudding), fiskekaker (fish cakes), fiskeboller (fish balls), and fiskesuppe (fish soup). Delicious renditions of such classic dishes show up on local menus with great regularity.
Any Bergen dining experience should start at Fisketorget, the fish market. Rain or shine, fresh catches go on sale here in shiny, stainless-steel stalls. The fishmongers dole out shrimp, salmon, monkfish, and friendly advice. Usually, they have steamed reker (shrimp), or smoked laks (salmon), served on a baguette with mayonnaise and cucumber—a perfect quick lunch. As for desserts and snacks, skillingsbolle, a big cinnamon roll, or sommerbolle, the same with a custard center, are both popular. Lefse is a flat cake of oatmeal or barley that has a sugar or cream filling. Like other major Norwegian cities, Bergen has international cuisines, including Tex-Mex, tapas, Mediterranean and sushi. Some Oslo celebrity chefs—for example Bølgen & Moi—have also opened restaurants here.
This restaurant, one of the best seafood restaurants in town, is named after the unicorn that adorns the doorway of the old wooden building in which it is housed. It may look old-fashioned, but there's nothing medieval about Enhjørningen's menu—it's contemporary Norwegian and it changes according to the day's catch.
With an artful location in the KODE 4 museum and next to the Grieghallen concert hall, Lysverket offers New Nordic cuisine that makes clever use of seasonal, local ingredients in dishes like roasted redfish with grilled lettuce or king crab with nasturtium puree. The restaurant only offers a 10-course tasting menu, and has one Michelin star. The spare dining room is the best of Scandinavian design, making a meal here a pleasure for both the eyes and the mouth.
In a 300-year-old building on the wharf, it's no surprise that the charming To Kokker has crooked floors and off-kilter molding. Ranked among Bergen's best restaurants, it serves excellent seafood and game prepared the traditional way with a contemporary twist. The menu---think fillet of venison with blackberry sauce---changes with the season and is always based on seasonal produce.
A gorgeous glass ceiling covers the main dining room at this restaurant, one of the best in Bryggen. There's also a terrace if you're here on a warm evening. The kitchen hopes to bring "the fjord, the forest, and the farm" to your plate with a menu based on local ingredients, all of it elegantly presented. Look for dishes like sea urchin chowder or halibut with garlic cream.
The elegant but spare mirrored dining room at this local favorite puts all the emphasis where it should be: on the creative dishes coming out of the kitchen. And you'll get to sample quite a few of them, depending on whether you opt for the "half menu" consisting of 7 courses or go all the way with an 11-course extravaganza. These traditional recipes are works of art, thoughtfully conceived and brilliantly presented. Bare has one Michelin star!
Hearty Norwegian country fare suits the cozy dining room, which has a handsome fireplace, oil paintings depicting the city's maritime past, and wooden display cases filled with model ships and other artifacts. A reindeer fillet in a cream sauce comes highly recommended, as do the monkfish and the venison. Dining here on lutefisk or pinnekjøtt in the holiday season (mid-November to Christmas) is a time-honored tradition for many Bergensers, and tables for this time period are booked as early as the January before.
The beer couldn't be any better than at the waterfront Bryggeriet, which brews its own at its restaurant on the pier at Zachariasbryggen. The gleaming copper vats, tucked away behind a pane of glass, give the place a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Look for the strikingly modern glass building tucked between two clapboard houses.
A classic, this eatery sits in a pretty clapboard across from the National Theater. During the day it's the place to grab a bowl of fish soup for lunch or more substantial fare like panfried salmon for dinner. It becomes more of a bar later in the evenings, and can get crowded on the weekend.
If you want to sample the best local dishes, Colonialen 44 Restaurant should be on your list. The four-course tasting menu focuses on traditional Norwegian recipes paired with international cooking techniques. The result is heavenly dishes like lamb with cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.
Kong Oscars gt. 44, Bergen, Vestland, 5017, Norway
Located in Bergen's bustling fish market, this eatery takes advantage of the fresh seafood in icy display cases not far from your table. In warm weather, the umbrella-shaded terrace is the place to be, and the best seating is at the tables is located in the two glass cubes with unobstructed views across to Bryggen. The kitchen has a strong focus on sustainability and uses only local suppliers who share that philosophy.
In a former sardine factory, Kafe Kippers specializes in seafood dishes like arctic char with artichoke, radish, and dill or steamed mussels with herbs and garlic. This large outdoor café on the waterfront is a pleasant stop for lunch or at sunset when you can warm up with a cozy wool blanket and enjoy a spectacular view of the North Sea.
Kulturhuset is a hub for music, art, design, architecture and food. The restaurant's main focus is being green and sustainable, and it offers a wide range of vegetarian and vegan dishes, but also serves meat and fish.
The casual, uncomplicated dining room at Marg & Bein is just a taste of what you're going to experience: a meal where the dishes are simple and straightforward. The kitchen here focuses on keeping the old food traditions alive and utilizing all parts of the animal, like the cheek and the marrow. The menu changes week to week, and sometimes even more often when the chefs are inspired.
Traditional Norwegian meals served in generous portions are on offer at this street-corner eatery. Grab one of the stools facing the street and enjoy a hearty meal as you watch the passing parade. There's a nice selection of wines, beers, and ciders.
Travel through time at this nostalgic venue full of traces of Bergen's proud past---from the well-used copper pots hanging on the wall down to the vintage dishes that arrive at your table with a flourish. With a great love of Norway's traditional food, the restaurant focuses on what it gets from local farmers and fishermen.
Housed in an 18th-century wine cellar, this atmospheric restaurant is known for its convivial atmosphere and unpretentious, authentic Norwegian fare. This is a good place to try reindeer steak or whale carpaccio. In the evening you're likely to spot local authors, actors, and musicians meeting over a glass of beer.
Øvre Ole Bulls pl. 6, Bergen, Vestland, 5012, Norway
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