200 Best Restaurants in Norway

This is the restaurant to visit on a dark starry night when you need warming up with a candlelit dining room, five-star service, and fine French cuisine. This Michelin-starred spot is famed for its confit du canard that's prepared table-side with the utmost finesse and a passionate sommelier who guides you through the Champagne region and beyond. Foie gras and oysters with gold caviar highlight this rich and decadent experience.

Located on a dock extending into the fjord, this eatery is tucked inside a 1920s building that once served as a waiting room for ferry passengers. Today, it's a popular summertime destination for locals who love the picture-perfect terrace.

At this seaside restaurant, the à la carte menu celebrates fresh, local ingredients—including fish caught by the team themselves and stockfish prepared traditionally (long air-drying process without salt). With a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere and attentive service, it’s the perfect place to enjoy an authentic taste of northern Norway. Venue rentals are also available for special occasions.

Named for the remote Lofoten Islands, this Aker Brygge mainstay is considered one of Oslo’s best destinations for seafood, from Maine lobster to Greenland shrimp. It has a bright, minimalistic interior with harbor views and a sunny patio. There's an excellent three-course menu if you can't decide.

Discover the heart of Norway’s seafood traditions at Lofoten Seafood Center. Founded in 1980, this family-owned company has grown from salmon farming into a fully integrated enterprise—from hatchery to export—and at the visitor center, guests can explore the story of whitefish and salmon, learn about sustainable production methods, and enjoy authentic tastings that connect Lofoten’s heritage with its modern seafood industry.

Enjoy a Danish-Norwegian meal with a stunning view of the magical forest surrounding Oslo—thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows, nature’s practically part of the dining experience. Choose from the à la carte or set menu—come summer, many of the ingredients are picked straight from the restaurant’s kitchen garden—but don’t skip dessert, as they’re all made in-house by the restaurant’s pastry chef. This place started as a cabin back in 1916, but after World War II, the Norwegian government gifted it to Denmark in gratitude for sending about two tons of food and clothes every day during the war. If there's time, pair your dinner with a hike on one of the forest trails around the hotel.

An award-winning eatery in the heart of Bodø, LystPå takes pride in presenting beautifully prepared dishes in an atmosphere that feels anything but pretentious. The signature dish is stockfish, but the wide-ranging menu features everything from scallops to monkfish. They are renowned for having one of Norway's best wine lists, and the staff is extremely knowledgeable about pairings. There is a large terrace out front, and cooking classes if you want to eat this food for the rest of your life.

Fit for the explorer in need of a hearty lunch or dinner, this much-loved game restaurant is run by a dedicated Austrian hunter, angler, and forager named Markus Nagele. In the center of the Old Town, the old-fashioned dining room offers generous servings, friendly locals, and a lush courtyard for outdoor feasting.

Featuring famous sourdough pizzas, this tiny osteria has the traditional checkered tablecloths and striped awning that call to mind the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Serving the city's most authentic pie—head and shoulders above its overpriced competitors—the eatery takes things one step further with refreshing yet strong cocktails or classic aperitifs served while you wait.

Attached to a well-known guesthouse on the island of Manshausen, the restaurant's three-course menu varies with the seasons, reflecting the availability of produce, seafood, lamb, reindeer, or moose. If you're taking the trip out here for lunch or dinner, remember that dinner reservations must be made at least 24 hours in advance.

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.

Looking for all the world like a Parisian bistro, this restaurant in the heart of Grünerløkka serves French-inspired cuisine to a bohemian crowd. It’s a relaxed, artsy place with paintings and prints covering the sunny walls, and candlelit tables. 

Longyearbyen’s most unusual and eclectic restaurant is located at Mary-Ann's Polarigg hotel in a vintehage (greenhouse or winter garden) and is, by far, the greenest place in all of Svalbard. Try whale, seal, and reindeer—or beef and salmon if that's more your style—in the heated, glass-enclosed garden that lets the midnight sun in all summer long. 

This indoor market is where everyday shoppers, famous chefs, and tourists come to browse the stalls of more than 30 different vendors selling everything from Portuguese desserts to Hungarian wines to Norwegian cheeses and jams. Drop by for a snack or a whole meal.

Many locals will direct you to Melkebaren to sample the møsbrømslefse, a local specialty of cheese melted on flatbread. The extremely popular café has an outdoor terrace and baristas adept at making various types of coffee, including the cortados and lattes you know from back home. There's a wide range of pastries like tasty cinnamon buns and macarons. The cozy and intimate interior makes the perfect escape from Bodø's winter weather.

Located at Ole Bull Scene—Bergen's largest privately owned venue for comedy revues, theater, and live music—this restaurant is perfect for a nice, quiet lunch or a meal with friends before experiencing the city's nightlife. Using the best local ingredients, the kitchen is inspired by cuisines from around the world. 

Step into the heart of Norwegian comfort at Mormors Café, a cozy family-run spot. With a menu inspired by “grandma’s kitchen,” everything is made from scratch with fresh, local ingredients—from traditional baked goods to hearty breakfasts and flavorful lunches. Its welcoming atmosphere makes it the perfect gathering place to share good food and feel right at home.

In the middle of Dombås, Moskusgrillen serves traditional Norwegian dishes ranging from potetball (potato dumplings often served with meat) to elk burger. If you're looking for something more familiar for the kids, there are a dozen or more kinds of pizza that you can enjoy on the outside terrace. The atmosphere is casual and informal, making it perfect for a quick meal.

The city's most popular Japanese restaurant—the name means "fresh and raw" in Japanese—has garnered enthusiastic good reviews for its izakaya (traditional pub) atmosphere, its robatayaki (barbecue) dishes, and, of course, its wide array of sushi. On one of the smaller streets just behind Bryggen, it's stylishly decorated and has huge windows that let in lots of light.

The menu at this Italian eatery is inspired by the cuisine of Rome, so the pastas and pizzas are made with fresh ingredients and are always delicious. There's a comfortable two-level dining room, but most people prefer the leafy courtyard where blankets and heaters ward off the chill. Desserts range from gelato to tiramisu to chocolate soufflé.

This much-adored family-friendly Italian chain always delivers with dazzling harbor views, comfy furnishings, and a friendly staff. You can dine outside under pretty parasols even if the weather is a bit chilly, thanks to blankets and heat lamps. 

If you're with a group that can't decide what to have for lunch or dinner, you can sample every cuisine from Nordic to Mexican to Indian to Japanese at this brightly lighted, well-designed market a short walk from Central Station. With 16 food stands (Hungarian goulash, anyone?), several bars, and a huge seating area with picnic tables, it's a bustling place where everyone seems to be in great spirits.

Exploring the culinary past of the Lofoten Islands, the kitchen here has gained credibility by using as many local ingredients as possible and employing modern cooking techniques to create spectacular dishes. The menu regularly changes based on what is available that season. The interior is cozy yet sophisticated, and the staff is exceptionally friendly and passionate about the dishes they serve.

The Grand Cafe gets all the attention, but the Grand Hotel's more casual—but still quite beautiful—lobby restaurant is what Bohemian dreams are made of, with marble, gold, crystal, and velvet adding a luxurious touch. Underneath a spectacular glass ceiling, the dining room is a place where locals come to see and be seen. This is also where the famous playwright Henrik Ibsen used to have lunch.

This smart little patisserie serves French-influenced lunchtime fare like croque monsieur or quiche with broccoli or bacon and an impressive array of freshly baked pastries and cakes. Afternoon tea has taken Oslo by storm in the past few years, and Pascal's version has a French twist with cakes, macarons, and chocolates. Whatever you go for, make sure to come early, as the kitchen closes at 5:30. This is the original Pascal, but you’ll also find branches at Tollbugata 11 and Prinsensgate 22 in downtown Oslo and at Ullevålsveien 47 just north of the city center.