Restaurant Guide Norway 2024: The Best Wine Lists in Norway
The restaurant at Vossevangen in beautiful Voss, one of Norway’s most celebrated nature areas, has a small French-inspired menu featuring local produce. You can “build” your own meal, with different price options for the number of dishes you choose. With very few exceptions, Elysée offers its clientele most wines in their extremely well-stocked cellar by the glass. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better – or larger – selection anywhere.
In 2012, just 14 months after opening, chef Esben Holmboe Bang’s restaurant Maaemo was awarded two Michelin stars. The third came in 2016. The Danish chef does modern interpretations of traditional Norwegian dishes and focuses on ingredients from all over the country in this unique restaurant in Oslobukta, the city’s newest neighborhood.
Norway’s latest addition to the three Michelin star pantheon was established by Chef Sven Erik Renaa and his wife Torill in 2009. Re-Naa is located inside the Eilert Smith Hotel in Norway’s oil capital Stavanger. Re-Naa focuses on creating the most delicious dishes using regional produce paired with an amazing wine selection. The tasting menu is approximately 25 servings.
The beautiful one Michelin starred Speilsalen (Hall of Mirrors) is situated inside the luxurious Britannia Hotel in Trondheim which was renovated back to its former glory a few years ago. Head Chef Håkon Solak handpicks local produce showcasing the best seafood, meat and vegetables from the region of Trøndelag in Norway.
The steak house inside the legendary Hotel Britannia in Trondheim is a beef lovers dream. The restaurant is divided into two areas: the à la carte restaurant, specialising in cuts selected from the dry-ageing refrigerator; and the grill table side, a unique dining experience where guests can grill their own food. Head chef is Odd Ivar Jørgensen.
“Island Gastronomy” is the term Bocuse d’Or winner Ørjan Johannessen has coined for his new, highly ambitious restaurant Mirabelle, located in Bekkjarvik, a small cluster of houses on the island where he grew up. Arrive with ferry from Bergen or by car and be amazed by his inventiveness and skill showcased in a 15-course set menu reflected in the local culinary heritage, focusing on the very best seafood you can get – and more.
Hallingstuene is a classic restaurant run by renowned chef Froda Aga and his wife Berit Kongsvik, located in Geilo, a small mountain village, between the equally awe-inspiring Hardangervidda and Hallingdal, showcasing Norwegian nature at its rawest. The food of course reflects this, and you can expect the very best mountain trout, reindeer, venison, lamb or grouse to name some eternal highlights of the region.
Lysebu hotel and restaurant is located in the surroundings of Holmenkollen at the edge of Nordmarka, the huge, wooded area north of Oslo. Every month the chefs at Lysebu compose a 3-course menu based on the finest seasonal ingredients. You can then choose from two to five of the courses and sample wonderful Nordic dishes, or simply choose from the varied à la carte menu. Wine Spectator has continually since 2005 rated the wine cellar as one of the best in the world.
Vinland is an informal brasserie in the former US embassy in Oslo. The menu consists of classic and modern dishes designed by chef Charif El Messaoudi. You will find wild fish and organic chicken on the menu alongside French oysters and Norwegian langoustine. The wine cellar is curated by wine director Francesco Marzola.
Located on the second floor of Hotel Continental, above Theatercafeen, the people of Eik took over the hotel’s legendary gourmet restaurant some years ago, turning it into a more modern, but still classic fine dining restaurant. Guests choose from a 3-, 4- or 5-course menu, and even though the menu appears “safe” you’ll most likely be in for a surprise or two. The wine list is extensive and very good.
Arne Brimi is a true living legend in culinary Norway. He created Vianvang as a gourmet destination situated in the mountains of Jotunheimen. As it’s not a proper road all the way, guests will need to walk the last 500 metres to the doorstep of this beautiful place. The four-course menu consists of appetisers, entrees and mainly one fish- and meat dish, served with Brimi’s famous sauce from 1984 and a dessert to finish. The wine selection is also quite impressive.
Having faced Karl Johans gate, Oslo’s main street, since its’ opening in 1874, Grand Café has been an iconic restaurant. Back in the day it was frequented by the likes of Henrik Ibsen, Edvard Munch and other greats of Norwegian cultural life, and if that kind of gentry doesn’t appear these days, it’s still an atmospheric restaurant with a decent menu. Per Krohg’s enormous painting of the notorious Kristianiabohemen on the inner wall is worth a visit alone.