Few names in Oslo’s bakery circle can invoke as much respect and awe as Ille Brød. Established in 2015 in a home kitchen in Western Oslo’s Bygdøy area, under the name “Bygdøy surdeigsbakeri” (“Bygdøy sourdough bakery”), the half-serious-half-hobby micro-bakery gradually took shape, and eventually in 2017 moved into a proper production facility on Lakkegata, where the shop is still located today. The two founders, Martin Fjeld og Casper Lugg, are both from Fredrikstad, a city roughly 90 km south of Oslo. In their dialect, «ille bra» (which can be loosely translated as “awfully good”) is a phrase commonly used to describe something particularly good. Jokingly, the two young bakers started to refer to their particularly successful bread as «ille brød» (something to the effect of “awfully (good) bread”). Hence the bakery’s name. ...

Since its opening in early 2022, Kuro has quickly established itself as a unique neighbourhood café in Grünerløkka, attracting a large flock of regulars in this young and vibrant leisure area. Backed by a fashion brand named F5, which is owned by the family of three Krystad Marthinsen brothers, the coffee bar was planned from inception as an extension of the fashion brand universe, an open space where Scandinavian fashion design meets the coffee culture. ...

If you recognise this tea room, you have beaten 80% of the people living in Oslo in terms of knowledge of cool places in the city centre. This is the underground tea room of Paper & Tea, the Oslo shop of the Berlin-based tea brand, located right across Prinsens gate from Oslo’s landmark department store Steen & Strøm. Hidden tea room Inside the shop, teas are showcased in seperate sections based on their types and origins. The green tea section offers a wide selection of Japanese green teas whereas in the oolong and black tea sections can one find more teas of Chinese and Indian orgins. ...

The Little Pickle, a Michelin-guide restaurant located on the edge between Grünerløkka and Tøyen, opened its own bakery and café. The newly opened bakery and café has assembled a talented Japanese team, who have been active in Oslo’s food and coffee industry in recent years. Among them are the restaurant’s baker and pastry chef Nozomi Miyawaki (宮脇のぞみ) and her husband Tsukasa Miyawaki (宮脇司)—the couple used to work at Ille Brød, one of Oslo’s best known sourdough bakeries, and Ayae Maki Fredheim (真木彩衣), who used to roast at Lille Oslo Kaffebrenneri and now running her own independent roastery Hibi Kaffe. Even though Hibi is still in its early stages, the roastery has already attracted attention in the industry, and is today the coffee provider to the bakery Farine, restaurant Panu, as well as Michelin 3-star restaurant Maaemo. ...

Java has become a landmark coffee shop right by St. Hanshaugen park ever since it opened its doors in 1997. Its owner–and the main barista–Robert Thoresen, originally trained as an architect, is one of the leading figures of the third-wave coffee movement in the Oslo coffee scene. The original plan, according to Thoresen’s interviews with local newspapers, was that the coffee bar should serve as the front to his architecture studio. Yet Thoresen got so fascinated by the coffee business and went on to win a string of illustrious coffee-related titles including the first edition of the World Barista Championship in Morocco in 2000. ...

Jean-Louis Monteil, a veteran baker, started his own shop in Torshov. What he didn’t expect, however, is that popularity would come so fast and so suddenly—literally overnight. Menu The bakery, La Bakeri de Jean, is located at Bentsebrugata 11C, right by the Akers river, on the ground floor of a residential building. We arrived on a Saturday. Around 11 o’clock, a small queue had already formed outside. Standing in the queue was a mixed group: young people coming alone or with friends, families with small children, middle-aged neighbours dropping by in jogging suits. What they all waited for were the freshly baked cinnamon buns. ...

Nestled away in a courtyard inside the Hackesche Höfe, Ben Rahim, named after the Tunisian-born founder, is a specialty café that features coffee with an arabic influence. Inside, the shop looks quite different from Mitte’s typical minimalistic café décor, with Persian rugs covering the floor and Islamic tiles on the wall, emphasising its ethnic identity and arabic flavour. Hand brew I ordered a caffè latte and J had a handbrew, and we were both super happy. With its slightly dark flavour and smoked fragrance, I think it was one of the best caffè lattes I have had throughout my trips around Europe, and J thought the handbrew was equally good. If you intend to find an equivalent place in Oslo, I can only compare Ben Rahim to Tim Wendelboe. When it comes to the caffè latte, I think Ben Rahim is a clear cut above Supreme Roastworks. Mind you, the latte cost 6 euros while the handbrew 9 euros for half a liter. It was on the pricy side, but we both thought it was worth the money. ...

Despite the rising popularity of cardamom buns (“kardemommebolle” in Norwegian) and other newcomers over the past decade, the cinnamon bun (“kanelbolle” or “kanelsurr”) retains its dominate position among the Scandinavian pastries. For most Scandinavians, the cinnamon bun is not just a traditional pastry for the afternoon tea break (“fika” as they say in Sweden), but also a symbol of leisure and unconditional happiness deeply rooted in memories since childhood. In 1999, the first Cinnamon Bun Day (“Kanelbollens dag”) was instituted by the Swedish Home Baking Council (Hembakningsrådet) on October 4th to celebrate and promote the pastry. Since then, the Cinnamon Bun Day has become an annual theme day across the whole Nordic region. Following is our list of the best cinnamon buns you can find in Oslo: ...

Kaffe Lykke has rather peculiar opening hours: 8-15, Monday to Friday. Such a “lazy” schedule does not seem to impart the impression that this place is here for serious business. This hasty conclusion, however, cannot be farther from the truth. The fact is that the café is owned by the Oslo municipality and is used as a training venue for young adults in Grünerløkka borough ranging from 18 to 25 years old. Some of them might have dropped out of school, some might be struggling with addiction issues. The café is the place where they can gain some initial working experience before going into the society. ...

Since its opening in April 2020 during the covid pandemic, Kveitemjøl (meaning “wheat flour” in Norwegian) has quickly become one of the most popular bakeries in Oslo. Its location at Aker Brygge, the bustling commercial and shopping centre by Oslo harbour, certainly helped. More important is the man behind it all: Nils Olav Heggdalsvik, a veteran baker who used to be on the Norwegian national baking team. The first item from Kveitemjøl that caught the attention of social media is their cube croissants—a cube-shaped croissant filled with Norwegian plum jam and coconut panna cotta, and was sold “at record speed”, according to local newspapers. To make it more interesting, the shop makes different flavours depending on the season. ...