Kaffetid

As people in Oslo brace for one of the hottest summers in recent years, the city’s cafés are bursting with ideas and creativity in crafting their summer menus. Some are sticking to their signature summer drinks, which have already become classics in the collective memory, while others have come up with new ideas and completely broadened the horizon of the city’s café scene. The following are five places this summer offering the most outstanding summer drinks in Oslo. ...

Papegøye, originally named “Neongrut”, is an all-vegan cafè in the day and a wine bar in the evening. Papegøye means “parrot” in Norwegian, a bird that can “speak many languages and gather all sorts of colours” and it will best represent the customers and shop, according to the owners. Hence the name change. Seating area Located at the heart of Tøyen, the café features a rustic interior design on the verge of urban ruin, with a large naked brick wall running behind the service counter, vintage furniture and green plants. Thanks to the high-ceiling and carefully matched Ikea lamps, the space feels airy and bright. ...

With an area of 8 sq.m, Kiosk! is arguably the smallest coffee bar in Oslo. Located inside a renovated petrol station from 1935, the mini-coffee bar features a dashing bright turquoise blue strip wrapped around its roof, adding a touch of lively cheerfulness to the whole neighbourhood. Façade of Kiosk! The owner and the brain behind this bubbling creative oasis is Kari Anne Solfjeld Eid, an experienced entrepreneur and designer who has also founded the Oslo-based design agency Hoi! and Whee!, a cargo-bike rental subscription provider. ...

With its grand opening celebrated only 3 days prior to our visit, this café could hardly be any newer. Located at the border of Sagene and Grünerløkka, only a few minutes walk away from Alexander Kiellands plass, Hernández has everything of a chill yet well-groomed neighbourhood bakery. Large windows bring lots of sunlight to the small space The interior is simple. The floor and ceiling is bare concrete. A couple small wooden benches with four small wooden tables, with four orthogonal bar stools facing the outside seating area. ...

When in Beijing, one is spoiled for choice with restaurants serving the famous Beijing roasted duck. Quanjude (全聚德), for example, is a well-established brand with many locations across the city, though it seems to have become a bit out of touch with the younger generation. Da Dong (大董), with an impressive 160-page menu full of duck dishes, has earned a Michelin star—which also means its prices can be higher than many others. ...

Fuglen opened its first shop in Tokyo’s Shibuya district in 2012. By fusing Norwegian vintage furniture design with coffee, it managed to create a distinctive identity and quickly became one of the most popular cafés in the city. On our last day in Japan, we decided to pay them a visit. Today, Fuglen has five shops in Tokyo alone, including a roastery that roasts beans for other Fuglen shops across Asia: one in Fukuoka, one in Seoul, and one in Jakarta. Out of the five shops, we chose the Sangubashi (参宮橋) location. ...

In Oslo’s café scene, Fuglen’s story is a legend that has been told a thousand times. It was one of the forerunners of the third-wave coffee movement, and it remains a proud Scandinavian coffee representative with true international influence. Today, it is still one of the most popular cafés and roasteries in Oslo and Tokyo—arguably two of the world’s most important coffee cities. Fuglen Gamlebyen ...

Imagine a forest. Then a river, meandering through it with a steady stream throughout the year. Sitting on a gentle slope high on the riverbank is a three-storey red-brick building, its middle floor home to a café and bar, with its chimney rising above the trees. Better still—a few steps further up the slope, there’s a sauna, large enough to seat 14 people at once. Through the sauna’s wide window, you can watch snowflakes drift in the still winter air, and in summer, the gentle breeze ripple through the lush green leaves. This is Kruttverket. ...

A good neighbourhood café takes many forms. Dapper Bar, a stone’s throw from Grünerløkka’s bustling Olaf Ryes plass, combines a fashion shop, café, and wine bar in one. Starting out as a fashion boutique offering clothing, accessories, and apothecary products, Dapper has since expanded into a broader lifestyle brand that includes a bistro in Oslo’s vibrant Bjørvika district, as well as this café-bar. The bar first opened its doors in 2019 and has quickly established itself as a popular meeting place for both locals and tourists. ...

Oslo does not lack laptop-friendly cafés—but some are friendlier than others. Pust (meaning “breath” in Norwegian), located by the bustling Majorstuen subway station—a major transit hub in Oslo’s affluent western district—is one of the most popular spots for those looking to settle in with a book or get some work done on their laptops. Thanks to its close proximity to the University of Oslo’s main campus, the café quickly became a favourite meeting place for students when it opened its doors back in 2016. The interior follows a classic urban-industrial aesthetic, with factory-high ceilings that enhance the sense of airiness and space. At the far end of the large inner room, three rows of wooden staircase seating invite even larger groups to gather. In summer, when the weather is kind, guests can also choose to sit outdoors in the café’s spacious backyard. ...