Mainly coffee
Mormors Stue
In the centre of town, this cafe has a cake-buffet on sundays, 69nok for as much cake and tea/coffee as you can eat and drink. carrot cake, cheesecake, apple cake, chocolate cake... all are totally edible. the free coffee's not up to dromedar standards by far, but do go in a group and hang out for an hour or two. it's a good way to spend a hung over sunday afternoon. opens at 1pm on sundays, be sure to arrive on time to ensure you have place to sit.
Choco Boco
Solsiden. a good coffee-bar with italian-style coffee and exotic specials like snickers coffee. lovely cakes as well. decent, free wifi access.
Dromedar Kaffebar
Nedre bakklandet and nordre gate. the best coffee in norway save tim wendelboes in oslo, ultra-top-quality coffee comes with the typical laid-back trondheim atmosphere thrown in for free, especially at their bakklandet outlet. plain awesome. no wifi access.
UFFA
(http://www.uffa.no/), innherredsveien 69c. the uffa-hus ungdom for fri aktivitet is a autonomous youth-center in trondheim with a lively history of 25 years. you'll find concerts of regional, norwegian and international punk, hardcore and metal-bands for decent prices. during the week they serve cheep vegetarian food. the uffa house sadly burned down in late december (http://www.adressa.no/nyh...).
Mainly alcohol
Fru Lundgreens
Olavskvartalet. in the basement of the concert hall, fru lundgreens looks like the inside of a lung but has good, cheap beer and a brilliant jukebox. crowd is rock. pooltable in the back. prices vary on time, but always good value. the food of the day is good if you need something with your beer.
Studentersamfundet
Elgeseter gate 1. a big, red, round temple to partying. major concerts coincide with political meetings, discussions, wine tasting, disco, football matches and... you name it. you are certain to get lost in the mazes of this wonderful house. fairly empty in summer and on weekdays, but on term time weekends it's good. expect to pay around nok 30- 60 in the door on weekends, more if there's a major concert going on. the place is run by approx 1300 student volunteers who do everything from serving drings, rigging concerts, sing in samfundets choir, play in samfundets symphony orchestra and hold political debates. befriend anyone who works there, and try to gain access to their private quarters. most volunteers are enthusiastic people that often are easy to befriend if you e.g. is a foreigner showing interest. the private quarters are secluded areas where the volunteers hang out after "work", and is an even more elaborate maze with some 20 pubs that stays open all night and day... and night again...
Kieglekroa Pub
Kongens gate 30. pretty nice place to start your evening. half-welcoming prices and good music. try the "kjeglespill" in the basement - amusing, addictive and its for free!
Den Gode Nabo
Bakklandet. just across the old town bridge and down a scary-looking staircase, this is a brown fisherman's pub in an old warehouse. as atmospheric as it gets, they have trondheim's most lovely outdoor seating in summer. the place is divided between the "grown ups section" by the entrance, and the "student section" further in. popular amongst students and all others and not too expensive if you prefer the regular brands. furthermore, they have an exceptional range of beer and a friendly and knowledgeable staff who are always happy to suggest new things to try.
DownTown
Near the crossing of nordre gate and fjordgata, it is widely known among students due to its pianobar. cheap beer during the week 19 nok for 33cl and a lot of international students, especially on thursday.
Blæst
Solsiden. in the new solsiden complex at nedre elvehavn, blã¦st is the best and most affordable offering. discos and major concerts are held. good outdoor seating along the whole front, but blã¦st has the cheapest beer of the 6-7 pubs there.
Cafe 3b
Brattã¸rgata. 3b is an institution in trondheim. leading on in the "big beer war" of the -90's, it was dirt cheap for years. now it's more expensive, but it's still an enjoyable, black hole catering for rock and indie kids of every denomination imaginable. hiphop kids have their own private dungeon down the corridor behind the bar in the basement.
Credo
Credoveita behind byhaven shopping centre. above the credo restaurant is the 3b for grown ups. rock and indie for people who know their musical history, and the occasional live gig of guaranteed quality music. entrance in the dark alley around the corner from the restaurant. hard to spot unless the smokers are taking fresh air.
Bar Circus
Olav tryggvasons gate 27. small, quite popular pub/venue and almost always very full - but that's not just because of the music or location, but because of the beer price which is cheap in norwegian terms 36,- for 0,4l.
Carl Johan
Nordre gate. the northernmost end of nordre gate is the hub of trondheims nightlife, with mainstream discos, sausage kiosks and lots of drunk, well-dressed people. carl johan is a straightforward pub with more relaxed ambience than most offerings in the area.
Familien
Dronningens gate 11. plays all kinds of music and caters to all kinds of people. a nice place if you want to dance, discuss or just drink with the other people. cheap beer before 11pm.
Mormors Stue
Although being a cafã©, it's most known as becoming the cheapest place to buy beer, which at the same time provides a nostalgic atmosphere. the down side is that you have to come early to be sure to get a seat, and that it closes early.
Bakklandet Skydsstation
Ãvre bakklandet. doubles as a cosy cafe-cum-pub at night.
Cafe Ni Muser
Prinsens gate. their outdoor section is packed with artsy types in summer. a lovely spot to get imbibed, just by the cathedral.
Trondhjem Mikrobryggeriet
Prinsensgt. 39. a brewery pub offering a range of beer brewed in-house about six kinds plus a seasonal special. prices for a 0.5l about 50% higher than elsewhere, but the only place in town to offer an ipa and a bitter from tap - along with the other four. substantial food is served, too.
Kvilhaugen gård
Tyholt bus 60 to kvilhaugen. if you venture out of the centre to get your beer, make it here. wonderful outdoor seating with views of most of trondheim. inside, it's an old farmhouse with plenty of atmosphere.
Kjemikjellern
often pronounced sjemisjeller'n by drunk students visiting from southeastern norway, a great place for getting drunk in the weekends, very cheap beer and booze. try befriending some local students and you might get to taste some lovely karsk.
Trondheim has a rocking nightlife. However, everything closes fairly early, meaning that there's a well developed culture for after-parties in homes. To find one, the area just outside Downtown and Harvey's in Nordre is the best bet, or befriend someone working at the Studentersamfundet, that can take you into the private quarters of the house. They are only allowed one guest each...
Learn the customs if you want a good time... essential words are "Vorspiel", referring to the pre-parties people have before they go out, and "Nachspiel", the after-parties. Vorspiels are necessitated by the very high prices in bars and clubs... the idea is generally to drink as much as you can before going out, spend as little as possible while in the venue, and drink more afterwards.
Also, beware of the stringent regulations governing the sale of alcohol! You can only get drinks of strength 4,7% or less from regular shops. So, only beer. Also, they stop selling beer at 8PM sharp on weekdays, 6PM sharp on Saturdays and they don't sell it at all on Sundays... a legacy from Christian Democracy. Beware of the alcohol-free beer too, there's lots of it, and many people drink it if they are driving... if you see beer that seems cheaper than the rest, check the strength!!
If you want wine or spirits, you'll need to find a Vinmonopolet, the state-run liquor stores. There are only a few in Trondheim, and they close early, 5 or 6PM during the week and 3PM on Saturdays. Sunday? Forget it. The most central one can be found in "Søndre gate", as well as in Byhaven mall, Solsiden mall, Valentinlyst mall, City Lade mall and CitySyd mall.
The cafe scene in Trondheim is the best developed in Norway, with tons of fine coffee-and-cake spots around. Most double as pubs during the night.