Thon Hotel Oslo Panorama

Re: Cheaper eatings places and supermarkets!

by hexelein

Supermarkets: There is one grocery shop, Rema 1000 (or possibly Rimi, I always confuse the two) in the central station, down by track 1. There's another grocery shop, Kiwi, inside Byporten shopping centre, which is in the same building as the central station. For yet another one, go down to the underground station, cross over into Oslo City (another shopping centre), and there's one in the basement. Can't remember which chain this is, but it's pricey and has a better selection than Rema/Rimi/Kiwi.

There is at least one supermarket on Aker Brygge (again, not entirely sure which one, but it could be Rema). There are also some smaller corner shops in the area around your hotel.

There should be some supermarkets in Bogstadveien as well, but it's been ages since I've been.

Quick guide to Norwegian supermarkets. Rimi, Joker and Kiwi are rather cheap, Rema 1000 too, but normally a Rema will have a better selection. If you shop at Kiwi, you can save some money by buying bad fruit/veg and sell back to the shop for twice the amount you paid (I have a tip about this with details). Spar, Meny, ICA, Ultra are all more expensive and carry a wide range of posh things. Bunnpris is just expensive without being any better than the low price chains.

Restaurants.

There is a very good Indian not too far from your hotel. It's called Mr India and is situated right opposite the stock exchange (Børsen). Just walk towards that awfully large pink building (known as Havnelageret; the harbour storage) down by the water, which should be clearly visible from the street your hotel is on.

Aker Brygge is an expensive place to consume anything, but there are a couple of nice restaurants there. Lofoten is a posh(ish) fish restaurant, which I've personally never been too, but family and friends love it. Rorbua, which is a pub, is another and cheaper option with nice (northern) food and friendly staff. I can't even remember the names of any other eateries there, but many serve dull and bland food, and get away with it, seeing as there will always be tourists even if the locals stop going there.

It's not exactly in any of the areas you mention, but I still want to mention the little Italian al fresco café behind Oslo Cathedral (Stortorget tram and bus stop). It's a very nice place to relax and have a bite to eat on a warm and sunny day.