Adventure Norwegian traditions

In recent years, people have opened their eyes to distinctive Norwegian raw materials, products and procedures. Several chefs swear by good, local, Norwegian ingredients and many restaurants combine old cooking traditions with an innovative twist.

Gamle Tårnhuset restauranton Kolbotn, Hellviktangen on Nesodden and Sjøboden in Son are some of the places focusing on providing the total experience, tempting with great locations, charm and history associated with the food and the place.

Watch the film ‘Table Tales’, where Helene Jahren, owner and manager of the restaurant Gamle Tårnhuset shows off the possibilities in the area around Kolbotn - one of many good reasons plan a weekend trip exploring Greater Oslo!

The importance of quality

High quality does not have to leave you penniless. The food can be simple, but still bring out the taste of the good ingredients. It is the quality of the raw materials that is most important.

Vito’s restaurant in Vollen plays on flavors from Italian cuisine combined with quality ingredients. Here you get good traditional dishes and exciting drinks at an affordable price.

Smelters Mathus at Bærums Verk is not only one of those who specialize in good, pure flavors, quality products and local production - here you can choose from interesting food courses where you learn how to cut lamb or make your own sausages.

Experiences food in unique surroundings

Konferansegården Smakfulle Rom in Lillestrøm offers food in a class of its own in distinctive surroundings of its modernized barn. 24 beds and a breakfast you won’t soon forget –this is an idyllic place for a seminar. Here, all the guests eat around a large common long table! With the food placed in the middle of the table, it is a wonderful way to connect with other guests.

In beautiful surroundings on historical grounds, you find Norway’s oldest eatery, Værsthuset at Bærums Verk. The old log house was built in approx. year 1640 and started with a desire to get control of all the drinking amongst the workers at the towns Ironworks. The building is today protected by the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage, and it is said that the old restaurant is haunted.

Along the Oslo Fjord you will find architectural masterpieces such as Ingierstrand Bad Restaurant. The restaurant opened in 1934 and has become a Norwegian iconic building. The building is made in a well-known functional style and the architects themselves stated that their goal was to adapt the building to the hilly terrain "so that the landscape beauty is pronounced, and the area is not over-furnished". The venue has a menu consisting of simple, good and healthy alternatives that can be enjoyed either in the restaurant, on the rock at the water's edge, or beachside.

Knowledge of taste

Did you know that Norwegian aquavit must be made from potato spirit based on 95% Norwegian potatoes? Or that the company Arcus, Norway's largest producer of spirits, stores over 7,000 oak barrels filled with aquavit? You can learn all this knowledge when you visit Destilleriveien 11.The company has kept several of the recipes from old Norwegian distilleries where many of those used today have remained unchanged since the 19th century.

New microbreweries are constantly being established and several places offer beer tasting and courses. In Parken Mikrobryggeri at Vitenparken in Ås, they brew their own beer for serving, but also for taste and knowledge experiences. At Kringler guest house by Gardermoen, they have their own farm brewery. The beer is hand-brewed so that each brew gets its characteristic taste. Here you can tour the facilities while testing exciting flavors of drinks and snacks.

Short-distance food

Good taste comes from good ingredients, and Greater Oslo’s farm shops, Gårdsbutikkene, gives you short-distance food of quality. Here you will find the best selection of local food and drink. Fresh vegetables, eggs, freshly squeezed juices and home-made delicacies are just a small selection of what you can look forward to. Several farms also offer accommodation - it is a great way to get close to culture and local history, often creating experiences you won’t soon forget