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.
The idea behind combining a fashion store with a café, according to the brand’s founders, was to make the space more accessible to everyone. Take a stroll through the clothing section and you’ll discover an array of well-known Scandinavian fashion labels, including Acne Studios, A.P.C., Libertine-Libertine, and F5 Collections (the brand behind Kuro café).
The café area features a simple, open-plan layout in classic Scandinavian minimalistic style, furnished with warm wooden elements. Thanks to the factory-high ceilings, the owners have added a mezzanine floor, accessible via a couple of flights of stairs next to the counter. Upstairs, there is ample seating and a pleasant view overlooking the ground floor.
As for drinks, Dapper currently serves coffee brewed with beans roasted by Fuglen Roastery. The shop used to host monthly coffee events, where one could sample beans from renowned European roasters such as Prolog and April from Copenhagen, Bonanza from Germany, and KB from France. If you’re in the mood for something special, ask the baristas behind the counter—you might be pleasantly surprised.
On the counter, you’ll also find pastries from some of Oslo’s most beloved bakeries, such as Gladbakst (@glabakst), along with gluten-free options sourced from Lyd’s(@lysd).
In the evening, the café transforms into a wine bar, offering a curated selection of wines as well as ciders from small-scale Norwegian producers. Bright, airy, and spacious—and welcoming to pets, toddlers, and baby strollers alike—Dapper Bar sits at the heart of Grünerløkka, offering one of the most relaxed and inviting spots for a good cup of coffee in the city.