28 Best Restaurants in Trondheim to the Lofoten Islands, Norway

If you drive to the end of the Lofoten Islands, you absolutely must stop at this traditional Norwegian bakery famous for its cinnamon buns. The bakers use traditional methods, so the pastries are always at their freshest.

This chic, modern café-restaurant is popular for its sunny terrace and straightforward food that always hits the mark—think juicy marinated jumbo shrimp, lobster soup, and a large selection of pizzas served hot from a wood-fired oven. It's an equally good stop for lunch, dinner, or an afternoon coffee with a delicious dessert.

A Trondheim institution and award-winning gastronomic dining room near the water, where you'll find all the best organic produce from farms around Trondelag in traditional Indian dishes, from tandoori to masalas to biryanis and dopiazas. As a nod to Northern Norway and Sámi culture, there's the notorious jahangiri with Røros reindeer.

If it's mushroom season, your plate will be awash with chanterelles and fresh herbs; there will always be something pickled, and if you're lucky some local wild salmon or roast pork or goat cheese. There are salads, savory pancakes, tarts, and open sandwiches that almost distract you from the on-site bookshop and library.

For all the hyped natural wine bar-cum-bistros that now characterize casual-elegant, fun modern boozy dining in all major cities, there's one that sets the benchmark. In Trondheim (world-class chefs now flock/return to set up kitchens that feast on the land's fruits), Spontan is that one. Now in a much larger space, housing provocative art, open kitchen and visible wine cellar, this restaurant serves beguilingly fresh small plates that burst with color and character: char, scallop, chicken liver mousse, king crab.

Most dishes (note the cute, bric-a-brac pantry-like glass and earthenware) are served as melt-in-the-mouth bites, with radical accents and meticulously paired pours to compliment. Summer-in-a-bowl raspberries with milk ice cream and Comtè-filled petit-fours will leave you sounding off to fellow winer-diners around the world about this spontaneous find on a cobbled old street near the water.

A significant but worth it NKr 1,100 for the full tasting menu, NKr 875 for the generous wine pairing---with a smaller but just as robust and beautiful menu available for NKr 600/NKr 585 and bar snacks if you're just here for drinks.

You'll feel right at home in this lovely restaurant in an elegant 200-year-old log farmhouse three miles from Brønnøysund, and its equally beautiful garden. Along with the wood-paneled, tapestry covered dining room, the Angel Lounge's cozy chairs are perfect for enjoying coffee and dessert, and the Aquavit Bar invites you to sip a glass of wine at your leisure. Traditional gourmet fare is lovingly prepared with herbs and produce from a charming kitchen garden, which you are encouraged to enjoy while touring the beautifully landscaped grounds. In summer (mid-June to mid-August) you can enjoy lunch or teatime in the garden café. The restaurant encourages diners to call ahead with any special dietary requests and is especially welcoming to children.

If you're a meat lover, there's no place better to sample a perfectly grilled steak in Trondheim. The three-course tasting menus let you start with inventive seafood dishes (smoked halibut tartare, perhaps, or black pepper crab) before moving onto the main event. Vegetarians can choose among a variety of expertly prepared side dishes. With long banquettes lining the wall, the interior has an old New York vibe.

If you're feeling competitive, this American-style steak house hosts a steak-eating contest featuring a 45-ounce cut. It specializes in beef but has an extensive menu with something to appeal to everyone, even vegetarians. The atmosphere is relaxed and laid-back, perfect for groups of all sizes. The eatery is in the center of Harstad, meaning it's probably a short walk from your hotel.

A spacious outdoor terrace and seafront location with unparalleled views over the harbor and distant mountains assure Bryggerikaia a steady clientele. But it's the menu of fresh seafood—local mussels, shrimp, and salmon, for starters—and market-fresh produce, as well as hearty meat dishes, that keep diners coming back. There's live entertainment in the bar on weekends.

One of the most famous restaurants in Trondheim, Fagn has won international awards for its inventive cuisine that harks back to the dishes that many Norwegians ate during their childhoods, then takes them in new and unexpected directions. No need to decide among the many interesting flavor combinations: you'll have a front-row seat as the chefs in the open kitchen prepare 10- or 20-course tasting menus. No one will rush you through your meal---in fact, they urge you to spend the whole evening in the ground-floor dining room. There's also a more casual bistro on the second floor, also offering multicourse curated menus.

Leading pasta and pizza joint, slick and sophisticated rather than a family trattoria vibe, and reliably authentic Italian fare. The set menu is worth a look—it's brimming with locally cured artisanal delights.

This restaurant in one of the region's most beautiful villages takes you back in time and serves superb local dishes. From the cozy and rustic dining room you have views of the ocean and mountains beyond. The building itself dates back to the 1700s and has a warm fireplace for cold, wintery days.

The expression was introduced by the legendary Norwegian television chef Ingrid Espelid Hovig: find out its meaning when you visit.

Attached to the art museum is this café-bistro darling from chef Lars Laurentius who founded famed restaurant Troll. Catch the seasonal herbs and garden finds with the reddest local salmon on your plates here, plus perhaps a mushroom and chilli soup garnished with parsley. Open-faced sandwiches and fresh local juices also apply. You're surrounded with imposing dramatic wall sculptures from famed artists.

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.

Special in-house all-day dining at a high level, and attached to a known guesthouse on the island Manhausen, you can expect copious shellfish, lamb, reindeer, and moose. It's a 1½-hour express ferry ride from Bodø. If you're taking the trip out here for lunch or dinner, take the full menu and enjoy the stunning display of the landscape around you, and on your plate.

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, including tasty cinnamon buns and macarons. The cozy and intimate interior makes the perfect escape from Bodø's winter weather.

The decor of this extremely popular restaurant is minimalist, allowing the impressive dishes to take center stage. To add to the drama of the restaurant, the chef cooks and plates the food in full view of patrons, making for an interesting dining experience. The food itself is locally sourced and highlights the best of northern Norway's finest ingredients, from the sea to the land. The menu rotates with the seasons, but usually includes reindeer prepared in various ways.

At "the happy calorie," you'll find a luscious selection of cakes, tarts, cookies, ice cream, freshly baked bread, and other treats along with a nice hot cup of coffee. There's also a tempting array of savory sandwiches to pack up for an excursion or a picnic on the beach.

Lokalmatbutikken means "the local food shop" and is the place in Brønnøysund to sample the true local fare, with top-quality artisanal specialties from throughout the region. The café serves lunch and dessert with hot beverages, or you can choose from a wide variety of prepared foods to eat in or take out.