Midrange
Arakataka
The most upmarket offering in Oslo's Bermuda Triangle of cheap eating, Arakataka manages to pull off decent French and Mediterranean cuisine at decent prices.
Kampen Bistro
Lovely neighbourhood joint with brilliant food and occasional free concerts.
Lanternen
Salads, sandwiches. The herring is good.
Mucho Mas
Cal-mex joint offering huge meals, but reports say quality has faded. Another branch near the crossing of Hegdehaugsveien/Sporveisgata in Homansbyen tram 11-19 to Rosenborg does little to redeem this.
Oriental
Brilliant all-Asian restaurant with inventive dishes.
Intermezzo
East-Asian and sushi.
Bangkok Thai
Some call it the best Thai restaurant in Oslo. Sloppy service and the use of frozen vegetable mix detract severely from what could have been fantastic.
Odonata
Enjoy this unique design experience. This used to be the old Oslo airport in the 50's and is now a cafè with a great lunch menu and various cakes and treats.
Pizza da Mimmo
Vying with Oslo Ladegård and Villa Paradiso to have the best pizza in Oslo.
Tabibito
They have 30 years of asian cooking experience, resulting in asian gourmet dishes from 98 nok for 3 course meny.
Restaurant Eik
The least upmarket of the central gourmet offerings, Eik consintently get rave reviews and doles out a fine five-course gourmet menu for around NOK 400. Fantastic. Bib gourmand award in the Michelin guide.
Gate of India
Good Indian restaurant.
Restaurant Eik Annen Etage
When Eik took over the sadly missed gourmet Annen Etage, the food actually got better and cheaper.
Villa Paradiso
Excellent pizza at Grünerløkka.
Restaurant Victor
Oslo's best suburban offering, with innovative and fabulous food. Prices to match, though, even if their afternoon special after 4pm at NOK 145 is a relative bargain.
Elvebredden
Inside the Design and Architecture centre, Elvebredden has some fantastic lunch offerings as well as stunning, but fairly upmarket, main dishes in the evening.
Siam Oriental
Friendly Thai ladies doles out fabulous shrimp dishes.
Bombay Darbar
200 tables and bland Indian-ish food.
Smia
Atmospheric restaurant in an old wooden house area with tons of charm.
Delhi Tandoori Restaurant
Looks scruffy from the outside, but don't let that fool you. A fantastic Indian restaurant with all the trimmings.
Sult
Good neighbourhood-gourmet style food, with an ever-changing menu, and vegetarian options this place is unfortunately shut down.
Tintin
Sushi and korean dishes.
Xich-Lo
A central, more classy Vietnamese eatery with great food.
Oslo Ladegård
Fighting it out with Villa Paradiso and Pizza da Mimmo to provide the city's best Italian pizza.
Plaka Athena
A Greek haven in suburbia.
Olympen / Lompa
One of the best known and largest places in east Oslo. Restaurant, beer Hall, nightclub and roof terrace. Recently refurbished, with classic Norwegian food.
Falcon Crest
Stylish offering with brilliant food and reasonable prices for western Oslo. And yes, it is named after the 80's soap opera.
Top end
Theatercaféen
Pretending to be a classic upmarket Wiener Café with a continental menu. What you get on the plate may only have a passing resemblence to the description on the menu. Staggeringly overpriced and excrutiatingly "culture-posh", you might just get better food from the Asian take-away in the removable kiosk across the street for a fraction of the price. However, being "the" classic Café in Oslo, the experience may just be worth it if your wallet is running thick.
Dinner
One of the finest Chinese restaurants in Europe. Specializes in the Szechuan and Cantonese kitchen. Their Peking Duck, which must be pre-ordered the day before, is a true feast.
Ekebergrestauranten
An architechtural monument, this place offers gourmet dining and Oslo's best views. Hugely popular but the service can disappoint.
Feinschmecker
A feast for everyone involved, except perhaps your wallet. Exquisite dining at corporate prices.
Bølgen & Moi
Modern restaurant in the Frogner district. They've also got branches at Tjuvholmen and in Nydalen amongst other places.
Nodee
All-Asian gourmet offering just close to Frognerparken.
Palace Grill
Highly recommended gourmet restaurant where the menu changes daily according to the chef's mood and available ingredients. A ten-course meal costs about NOK 850 per person. Only 23 seats and no reservations, but a good bar to while away the hours waiting for food.
Restaurant Oscarsgate
Always world-class food. Edging up for their second Michelin star, they still only hold one, while Oslo's finest chefs rave about them. Norway's finest restaurant by far. After the demise of Bagatelle, this tiny hole-in-the-wall gourmet retreat offer the finest in Nordic experimental cuisine, only rivalled by their "cousin" in Copenhagen, NOMA. The location seem modest but the experience is overwhelming. If you want to be in for a culinary treat of a lifetime in Oslo, here's the spot. Booking absolutely, absolutely essential.
Statholdergaarden
Arguably one of Oslo's finest seatings. Set in a beautiful 1800-century mansion, the combination of very friendly staff and extraordinary dishes makes it well worth its one star in the Michelin Guide. Not one to miss.
Hos Thea
A small place with outstanding food, small seasonal menu.
If price is no object, there is some very fine dining to be found. If there is anything Oslo has a lot of, it is expensive restaurants.
There are a lot of both expensive and cheap places to eat in Oslo. The cheapest restaurants are Asian restaurants which in many cases serve good food at low prices.Check the menus on the door.
Buy at least one 19NOK Hotdog. They are referred to as "grillpølse" or "kjempegrill" and they are great for keeping the low blood sugar troll at bay and to increase your weight! Other street snacks are also available throughout the city, but it's usually more expensive than in comparable cities elsewhere.
Aker Brygge tram 12, bus 21, 32, 33 or 54; stops Aker Brygge, Vika Atrium or Bryggetorget is a waterfront located south of the city hall. During summer the area is very noisy and vibrant. There are outdoor restaurants and bars almost everywhere. Be sure to get some tasty sea-food or whatever else you like to eat while you are there, or just enjoy your cold beer in the summer sea-breeze. Be advised that this is also the most expensive area in Oslo to dine or drink, so unless the weather is good, you can just as well stay indoors somewhere else.
Sven's, located near Vika Atrium, offers a fast food version of a traditional dietary staple - lutefisk. Sides include herring, pickled vegetables, and salted meats. Because of the amount of lye used to treat the food, be prepared to sign a waiver designating power of attorney upon entry. Closed Mondays.
You are also close to most of the restaurants, bars, or nightclubs located within the city center. A key reference point will be Stortingsgaten, running parallel to Karl Johans gate, both running eastwards from the Royal Palace this is also the main shopping area. While both of these streets have a few restaurants and nightclubs, most will be found in one of the side-streets running out from them, or parallel to them. It doesn't matter much where you start, you will find restaurants, bars, and nightclubs almost anywhere from the subway station Nationaltheatret at the west, to far beyond Oslo central railroad station on the east. There are several other areas, such as Grünerløkka tram 11-12-13 to Nybrua, Schous plass, Olaf Ryes plass or Birkelunden, MajorstuenT-bane, tram 11-12-19 or bus 20-22-25-45-46 to Majorstua, and Grønland T-bane to Grønland, bus 37 to Tøyengata or bus 60 to Norbygata that are worth checking out. Be advised that nearly all bars and nightclubs close at the same time, so if you want to get a taxi back to your hotel, try to leave a few minutes before the rush starts.