Bergen Restaurant Tips by FletteMette

Restaurant Name: The Fish Market

There really is no better place to grab a quick snack or lunch on a warm, sunny summer's day... At the Fish Market you'll find a large variety of baguettes and bread rolls with smoked salmon or fresh shrimps - or why not buy half a kilo of freshly boiled shrimps and peel 'em yourself. Maybe get a crab shell (the cooked and picked crab meat is served in the crab shell - it comes with a little plastic fork and is ready to eat) - or what about some fresh fish cakes? Elk burgers? Fish & chips? And of course, don't forget all those delicious Norwegian fruits and berries! Strawberries, plums, cherries, raspberries, blueberries - mmm yummy!

Contrary to what you might think, the Fish Market really isn't a particularly expensive place to shop.

There are a few benches right next to the Fish Market, but here's a tip if you want to sit and enjoy your meal in a slightly quieter place: there are also some benches out on the pier (Shetlands-Larsens brygge). Or why not walk to one of the parks in Bergen, for example Byparken (which is surrounding the lake right in the centre of town, a five-minute walk from the Fish Market).


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Theme: Seafood
Comparison: about average

Directions: By the bay, in the town centre.

Restaurant Name: Vågen fetevare

The atmosphere at Vågen Fetevare is quite hard to describe - a couple of rooms with all sorts of old, mismatched furniture, book shelves with old books and bric-a-brac, the walls are decorated with old posters, postcards, drawings, paintings, newspaper clippings...:o) In summer you can enjoy your coffee or your *blings* in the somewhat cramped backyard.

Vågen Fetevare is a popular spot for breakfast or lunch - on the menu you'll find *blingser* (A large slice of *really good* bread with cold meat, cheese (Brie, Jarlsberg, the Norwegian specialty *brunost* or a selection other cheeses), shrimps, tuna... You can also get toast and various salads.

In addition to all kinds of coffee, tea, mineral water etc, you could try the smoothie (Which is nice, but rather expensive at 49 kroner for a quite small glass) or the freshly squeezed orange juice. (40 kroner).

My favourite is the *blings* with Brie, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, peppers and rocket salad - which costs 56 kroner, not at all bad. The staff will make the *blings* (or baguette or toast) just the way you like it, pick your favourite ingredients.

Vågen Fetevare is a friendly, cosy place - popular among the local students, but you'll find all kinds of people here...:o) I wasn't going to write a tip about Vågen Fetevare, I *was* planning on keeping this brilliant place a secret....but I've decided to be nice and share...;o)


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Theme: Other
Comparison: less expensive than average

Address: Kong Oscarsgate 10
Directions: Five minutes from the Fish Market. Kong Oscarsgate starts by McDonalds near the funicular station.

Restaurant Name: Dromedar Kaffebar

Dromedar has outlets in a couple of cities in Norway, and was one of the first proper coffee bars to open in Bergen, back in 1998 - and it is still a popular place. Dromedar offers various types of coffee (obviously), and in addition you can get smoothies, tea, hot chocolate, juice - and a quite limited selection of cakes and sandwiches. (When in Bergen you should try the local specialty, the *skillingsbolle* - a cinnamon bun, which of course is available at Dromedar...:o) The bread used at Dromedar comes from the bakery called Godt Brød, which has a few outlets in town and offers *yummy* bread from organically grown ingredients.

The coffee at Dromedar is excellent, and the baristas working at Dromedar tend to do very well in various barista championships...!:o)

Oh, and if you're on your own and would like some company, know that there are small goldfish bowls on some of the tables...;o)

Opening hours:
Monday - Friday: 0730 - 18
Saturday: 10 - 18
Sunday: 11 - 18


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Theme: Coffeehouse
Comparison: about average

Phone: +47 55 55 85 86
Address: Strandgaten 81
Directions: In the northwestern part of Strandgaten, a pedestrianised street running towards Nordnes, on the southern side of Vågen (the bay).
Website: www.dromedar.no

Restaurant Name: Pygmalion

Pygmalion is hidden away a three-minute walk from the fish market - this is both a cafe and a gallery, where the exhibit changes monthly (the artwork you'll see here is for sale). The cafe is Debio-certified organic, and uses as many organic products as possible.

The decor is...cosy. Red-white checked tablecloths, exposed brick walls and an old, restored fireplace - and in summer there are a couple of small tables out on the pavement, so that you can have lunch while soaking up the sun (this is Bergen, we like to enjoy the few sunny days we get!).

But let's talk about the food! For a veggie like me, what an excellent menu this is - certainly the best I've come across in Bergen, where vegetarian options tend to be limited to one dish or maybe two if you're lucky! There are lots of options for the meat-eaters too, though - don't worry... ;o) Ciabatta, dark rye bread and pancakes with various fillings, wraps with falafel and hummous, salads, burger with oven-baked potatoes, stir-fries, veggie lasagna... The prices are quite ok - most dishes are priced between 80 and 150 NOK.

You'll find jugs of drinking water on the counter (free of charge - the Norwegian tap water is perfectly ok to drink, and generally of better quality than bottled water!) Various juices, teas and coffees are available too.

I opted for the tortilla wrap with falafels and hummous, quite reasonably priced at 85 NOK. Lots of food, and very tasty indeed!

Staff was chatty and friendly, service was swift - Pygmalion is very highly recommended!

Open Monday - Sunday 9 - 23

If you're looking for vegetarian food in Bergen (or Norway in general!), please check out my veggie blog: norwayveggie.blogspot.com - restaurant reviews and other veggie-related info :o)


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Theme: Eclectic/International
Comparison: less expensive than average

Address: Nedre Korskirkealmenning 4
Directions: A three-minute walk from the Fish Market.
Website: http://www.pygmalion.no/

Restaurant Name: Pasta Sentralen

This somewhat tacky-looking Italian restaurant is situated near the University of Bergen, and as the food here is both quite good & pretty cheap it's probably no surprise that Pastasentralen is very popular among Bergen's many students. The restaurant recently moved (it was previously situated near the bus station, but as the building was to be torn down Pastasentralen had to find a new home:o) - and the new restaurant, in a more central location, is just as nice (and tacky:o) as the old one.

The pasta is made at the restaurant, and you can buy fresh pasta to cook at home. There are MANY pasta dishes (almost 50!) to choose from, including several vegetarian options - the pasta is served with a homemade bread roll. The pasta here is usually quite ok,and the servings are large - but the quality of the food tends to vary a lot at Pastasentralen. The pizza is *always* good, though - true Italian-style pizza, with thin crust, baked in a wood-fired oven, mmm delicious! :o)

There's one thing I really like about Pastasentralen: if you're not all that hungry you can get half-sized portions of their pasta dishes. (Cost ca 50 NOK) Perfect!:o)

One slightly odd thing about Pastasentralen: first find yourself a table and notice your table number, then place your order at the counter and pay your bill. You get your drinks right away, and the food is brought to your table by the friendly (and mostly) Italian staff.


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Theme: Italian
Comparison: less expensive than average

Phone: +47 55 96 00 37
Address: Vestre Torggate 5-7
Directions: If you're at Torgalmenningen - the square right in the middle of town - turn towards Johanneskirken (St.John's church, the red one on top of the hill) and start walking. You'll pass Pastasentralen on your right.

Restaurant Name: Zupperia

Zupperia is situated close to Hotel Norge near the main square, Torgalmenningen.

Suppe (here spelled Zuppe, but ok...:op) is soup in Norwegian - and Zupperia *used* to have mainly soups on the menu, but lately they've changed a bit, now offering fewer soups and a larger number of other dishes. A quite wide selection of main courses, salads and sandwiches are on the menu - and they've usually got a pretty nice cheese cake! There aren't many options here for vegetarians, though - the *only* veggie meal available in April 2008 was a quite spicy tomato soup.

This place is very popular among the pushchair crowd during daytime (and it can at times be difficult to get a table!), and in the evenings you'll find all kinds of people here (but always lots of students.) Zupperia has had the same canteen-like look for years, and I do think the place seems a bit tired now and could do with a refurbishment! Oh, and the staff tends to be somewhat rude, and not terribly helpful.


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Theme: Soup
Comparison: about average

Phone: + 47 55 55 81 14
Address: Nordahl Bruns gate 9
Directions: In Bergen city centre - a short walk from "The Blue Stone" on Torgalmenningen.

Restaurant Name: Molière

Molière is a quite cosy little cafe / wine bar situated in the city centre - between the theatre and Konsertpaleet cinema - near Cafe Opera. The cafe is quite small, and it can be difficult to get a table at times - they've also got a few tables in the backyard if you'd like to sit outside.

Molière offers rather nice, handmade chocolates and pralines, cakes and a limited selection of light dishes (quiche, sandwiches, salads...). The cakes are very nice, the chocolate too - somewhat expensive, of course, but that is to be expected (and perhaps that's a good thing, it stops you from eating too much of the goodies!;o)

There are two vegetarian options on the menu - a vegetarian salad (yawn!) and a veggie quiche, served with bread and salad (ca 90 nok) - but I've ordered the quiche twice, and they were "sold out" both times. I guess that means veggie food is in high demand in Bergen - or perhaps Molière doesn't actually have this quiche available every day? Or ever?

Service seems to vary a lot here - but has on occasion been pretty rude and unhelpful. Oh, and slow too - very slow. I won't recommend Molière particularly strongly - but you haven't made a huge mistake if you drop by, either! ;o)


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Theme: Other
Comparison: about average

Address: Engen 24
Directions: In the city centre - between the theatre and Konsertpaleet cinema, near Cafe Opera.

Restaurant Name: Thai Curry House

Thai Curry House is a tiny little Thai place located on Nedre Korskirkealmenningen, right across the street from Korskirken (The Church of the Cross) - a short walk from the Fish Market.

The decor of the place isn't particularly fantastic (plastic flowers etc) but the food is very good and quite authentic (The chef is of course Thai) - and the service at Thai Curry House is really friendly. Prices are also very reasonable, especially if you pick one of "today's specials".

The menu is quite large and varied, and there are many veggie options available. I've tried the vegetarian spring rolls, which were served with rice, sweet chili sauce and a salad - tasty, and very reasonably priced at 59 NOK. The mixed vegetables in red curry sauce were also very nice indeed. (But do remember that if you want your food to be *very* spicy you need to tell the waiter so - as in pretty much every Thai / Chinese / Indian / etc restaurant in Norway...;o)

Thai Curry House is an excellent choice if you want cheap(ish) *and* yummy Thai food - especially if the decor of the restaurant isn't important to you (or if you plan to get a take-away meal!;o)


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Theme: Other
Comparison: less expensive than average

Address: Nedre Korskirkealm 11
Directions: Right in the city centre - across the street from Korskirken (The Church of the Cross), near the Fish Market.

Restaurant Name: Søstrene Hagelin - or Madam Bergen

Bergen has long, proud fishery traditions - and these are the places to sample some of the products. The food is freshly made and quite inexpensive, and around lunch time you'll see locals queuing up to buy warm fish cakes or other fish dishes - the fish cakes from both these shops are famous in Bergen...;o)

Søstrene Hagelin ("The Hagelin Sisters") have been using the same recipes since the shop opened in 1929, and offer lots of other fish dishes in addition to the fish cakes. Their special lunch deal - a daily special (for example soup, fish burger..) plus cake & and a cup of coffee or tea, is a bargain at 59 NOK.

The newcomer Madam Bergen (only been in the business since 1991..;-) make the cutest heart-shaped fish cakes, and their fish burger is very popular. Madam Bergen has a similar lunch deal: a fish burger plus a carrot muffin and coffee will only set you back 59 NOK.

Eat in the shop's café, or enjoy your meal in the nearby park.


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Theme: Seafood
Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Madam Bergen: Strandgaten 3 - between the Fish Market and Torgalmenningen.
Søstrene Hagelin: Olav Kyrresgate 33
Website: http://www.madambergen.no/
Other Contact: www.sostrenehagelin.no/

Restaurant Name: Dickens

Dickens is probably *the* most centrally located restaurant in Bergen;o) - right next to the "Blue stone" on Torgalmenningen (the central square in town).

Dickens is a very popular place, and rightfully so - it's a nice place any time of the day - for lunch, dinner, or just a cup of coffee or their *yummy* hot chocolate... Dickens is also a good place to enjoy a pint or four of Hansa beer or a glass of red wine, while watching people walk by on Torgalmenningen... During summer (on those rare, precious sunny days...;o) there's also an outdoor seating area.

Kontoret ("the Office") next door is an "English" pub that's also a part of Dickens - entrance through Dickens or from the street.

Opening Hours:
Monday - Wednesday: 11-24
Thursday: 11-0030
Friday - Saturday: 11-01
Sunday: 13-24
(Kontoret opens at 16)


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Theme: Other
Comparison: about average

Phone: 55363130
Address: Kong Olav V's plass 4
Directions: Right next to "the Blue Stone" and Hotel Norge - on Torgalmenningen.