Frogner, the residential borough in the West End, has been the most popular area among the upper class in Norway since the 1990s. Thanks to its central location, beautiful parks and villas, the area still boasts the most expensive property prices in the country today.
Majorstuen, a highly affluent neighbourhood, sits at the heart of the borough. It is also a bustling shopping area and transport hub. The area is also a vibrant cultural centre, given its proximity to the University of Oslo, Vigelandsparken and the National Library, to name a few. One can find several nice specialty cafés in the area. Some can be filled with students reading for their exams, such as Pust. Some can be more chill and relaxing neighbourhood cafés, such as Havens Kafé. Cafés in this area, compared with those at the ambitious and aspiring Bjørvika, are generally calmer and more chill and more elegant. This is perhaps part of the charms of the old money?
Pust Kaffebar
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.
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Bib Roastery
Babbo Collective, a chain of two restaurants and two cafés owned by the Danish restauranteur Lennart Petersen, opened its own roastery.
The newly opened roastery, named Bib Roastery, occupies the location next door to the Babbo Collective Parkveien shop in Western Oslo’s affluent Vika area.
Bib roasts their coffee using a Stronghold S7X roaster
Lennart Petersen—Owner of Babbo Collective
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Havens Kafé
About 10 minutes walk from Majorstuen subway station and camouflaged by idyllic greenery, Havens Kafé lies at the heart of the affluent neighbourhood Fagenborg. The location has witnessed several attempts to establish a neighbourhood café, and Havens is the latest one since 2023.
Interior
The space inside the café is fairly compact, with only four window counter seats and a tiny table occupying the centre of the room. Interior was decorated in a simple, elegant retro-style. We came to the café on a sunny Saturday morning. There was a group of elderly ladies sitting in the corner, chatting over their morning coffee, a mother with her son sitting next to us by the window. More people chose to take their seats outside in the small garden. Some of them came for a coffee and some pastries after jogging. Some were still in their morning routines reading the newspaper over their brunch. This is clearly a café geared towards people living in the neighbourhood.
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