Cafe

Oslo has seen many cafés with birds in their logos (such as Fuglen, Pust and Papegøye), but one of the latest newcomers draws its inspiration from tropical rainforests. Located inside Nordstrand Kulturarena (Nordstrand Cultural Centre), Lovinda Kafé & Bar opened its doors in August 2025. This location has witnessed many attempts to establish a neighbourhood café. Almost a year ago, Iva Kastelec, a sourdough baker, teamed up with chef Thea Marie Fongaard to open a French bistro that doubled as a café and bakery during the day, only to shut down in June 2025. ...

In Oslo’s café and bakery scene, the opening of Bakeriet ved Credo (Credo Bakery) by late autumn 2025 is a landscape-changing event. This is one of the chain reactions triggered when Heidi Bjerkan, arguably Norway’s most renowned chef, decided to move her Michelin-starred restaurant, Credo, from Trondheim to the Norwegian capital. Born in 1970 in Trondheim, Bjerkan has a stellar career behind her. Despite her youthful dream of becoming a pilot, Bjerkan was quickly attracted to the high-paced restaurant business. After becoming a professional chef, she worked in a series of renowned restaurants, including Claridge’s in London and the cruise ship Queen Elizabeth . ...

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. ...

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. ...