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.

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.

The café has a small counter but it boasts a curated selection of pastries from some of the best bakeries across the city: their croissants are from Mendel’s, other puff pastries from Gladbakst, scones from Åpent Bakeri, and cakes from Lyds Gluten Free.

We have long been a fan of Gladbakst and decided to check out the pain suisse. Consistent with Gladbakst’s style, the pain suisse was light, airy and very tasty, with a strong aroma, which was further enhanced by the chocolate fragrance. The crust, however, was a bit spongy, and not flaky as you’d typically expect from puff pastry. We suspected it was made at least a day before.

Coffee served at Havens is sourced from Fuglen and Tim Wendelboe. The cappuccino we ordered was made with beans from Fuglen and tasted exceptionally good. There were also beans on sale to take home from both places.

All in all, Havens Kafé is well worth the visit if you happen to be around area: delicious pastries (better if they were fresher), great coffee and a very relaxing vibe. The icing on the cake is that just across the street, you will find the high-end deli Havens Kolonial. There, you will find premiere produce from all over the world, which are not so easy to find in the supermarkets. After all, this area seldom misses out on the good stuff.