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We've compiled the best of the best in The Western Fjords - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Looking for all the world like a traditional chalet, thanks to the massive beams and honey-color wood floors, you'll feel the Scandinavian hygge (coziness) as soon as you walk inside. The restaurant focuses on fresh local ingredients while encouraging creativity among its chefs. This makes for an exciting menu where traditional flavors meet unusual cooking techniques.
Today's catch is all over the menu—crayfish, klippfisk (fish salted and dried in the sun on slabs of rock), and grilled monkfish, to name a few—at this casual eatery. The seemingly mismatched, umbrella-shape roof atop this rectangular blue waterfront restaurant offers a lesson in Norwegian history, culture, and cuisine: it's where locals of yesteryear dried fish by night. It's the modern-day preparation, though, that's earned the restaurant a status as one of the best in town. There’s a brasserie on the second floor, featuring a bar and a DJ on weekends.
Given Bryggekanten’s close proximity to the ocean, it's no surprise that it's decorated in a maritime style. Naturally it has lovely views from the dozens of windows, the fish dishes are superb, and the soup is a local favorite.
In the Myrdal train station (you get here by train or foot), Cafe Rallaren caters to travelers during the busy summer season. It serves local dishes in a diner-style atmosphere, and also offers bicycle rentals and luggage storage. Hikers often fortify themselves here with Norwegian waffles and other sweets displayed behind the counter.
This mountaintop café covered with a dramatic glass canopy has tremendous views over the surrounding peaks, islands, and fjords. A wraparound terrace opens when the weather allows, and it's a popular spot for lunch, or an ice cream, after climbing the steps to the Kniven—aka Mount Aksla—scenic overlook.
This region's best-kept secret, this little red house perched at the water's edge serves delicious traditional dishes. Close to a pristine glacier, towering mountains, cascading waterfalls, and a shimmering lake, the scenery makes a visit to this laid-back eatery well worthwhile.
Another contender for the best fish restaurant crown in Kristiansund, Sjøstjerna matches its zeal for klippfisk with major skills in hospitality to create an exceedingly warm and convivial environment. In addition to intimacy of the relatively small space, the vast assortment of Norwegian folk art and fishing-related artifacts hanging from the walls adds a refreshing and well-designed layer of intrigue on an otherwise typical menu of bacalao, blandaball dumplings, and klippfisk.
At Utne Hotel, this charming restaurant offers a five-course set menu featuring traditional dishes made with locally sourced ingredients. The evening begins with a shared presentation about the hotel's rich history, offered once for all guests before dinner is served. Advance booking is essential.
