Asker Restaurants

The price difference of beer ranges up to NOK 30 for half a litre. If you are a beer dog, beware of Baracoa outside Asker Kulturhus (centre) that have some kind of happy hour until 5 pm, NOK 46 per 0,5 L. Not exactly a bargain, but... The same place charges NOK 53 for the same after 5 pm. Pavarotti at Vollen, a very nice and maritime eatery charges NOK 58 for its pint, Misto in Asker centre NOK 59. The most expensive is at snobbish Holmen Fjordhotell where a 0,44 L cost NOK 55=NOK 69 per half litre, enough for an involuntary mouth to mouth resuciation afterwards. Hvalstrand, also upmarket, but at least you know what you are in for, will charge NOK 49 per 0,4 L= NOK 61 for the pint.

This restaurant in Vollen's marina area has seen a number of incarnations. The current version is quite true to the reality: it is closed during the winter months and does a roaring trade during the summer and boating season. Opening 26 March 2010 after a deep freeze winter.

The location at the Vollen Marina, the outdor seating on the quay, the interior decoration, the setting and much of the clientele are definitely of the Norwegian maritime sort. The food has an Italian emphasis, but a lot of Norwegian favourites as well. New this year is real Italian home-made pizza, probably benefitting from the temporary(?) closure of Furua Pizza & Kebab nearby...

I tried this place a few times, and the dishes were of the fool proof type: maritime theme food, family oriented during day, beer or whitewine-and shrimp-guzzling flavour during the evenings. During summers, sitting outside on the deck with a bowl of shrimp and a cold beer is exactly how it should be.

Favorite Dish: I like most things from the sea, but a bowl of freshly cooked shrimps with mayonnese and freshly baked white loaf pieces can't go wrong.
More advanced fish dishes were good too. Not an exciting menu either, but do not think of Norway's coastal restaurants being anything like that of Sweden's - unfortunately! The location is great and makes up for any shortcomings in the menu. And, if you want higher class food, move up to Mats & Martina in Vollen centre.

Intermezzo is located in Trekanten shopping centre.
The food is youngish oriented, international with a bit of fashion flavour to it. Here you can get a variety from sushi to tapas, but it's the lunch menu that stands out. Good set lunches.
Open Mon-Thu 11-24, Fri, Sat 11-01, Sun 15-23.

Age limit 20 yrs after 8pm.

Favorite Dish: Lunch menus. Food in a dead shopping centre after hours isn't my thing.
I went here recently again, with others including children. The service was very bad, waiters inflexible when it came to adjust the food to children's needs, the portions small and prices high. I felt there was more focus style and design and Asican chic rather than service and actual food for the stomach.
Not recommended for people with children.

Budstikkaguiden is the local resources info pages on the local newspaper's web page. By checking it out you will find a long list of restaurants and more simple eateries with references, their individual web pages and maps.

Go to www.http://www.budstikkaguiden.no/
thereafter click on "Spisesteder" which will show you 7 different categories from Bakery to Restaurant to Gatekjøkken (fast food), albeit with some overlap, such as a restaurant may also be listed as a catering company).
Click on any of these and you get to the actual info pages. Here are the key useful categories for a visitor:

Bakery: http://www.budstikkaguiden.no/bransjer/145-bakeri
Fast food: http://www.budstikkaguiden.no/bransjer/156-gatekjkken
Cafes: http://www.budstikkaguiden.no/bransjer/125-kafe
Restaurants: http://www.budstikkaguiden.no/bransjer/138-restaurant

A kiosk with limited selection of quick bites and soft drinks - a pit stop for boaters and sailors.
Located at Vollen Marina, the "Fjord Shop" ( a very traditional name, ja?), it caters mainly to those who have their boats in the Marina and aquatic passer-bys who stop for fuel and service for their vessels.
The Fjord Shop is mainly a large kiosk that also serves some hot dishes, ice cream, cold drinks etc.
Open "ca. 10:00 to ca. 23:00" unquota, ja? I read that if there are customers and a fine sales day, it will be open.
In 2009 this place was upgraded considerably and more maritime goods entered the shops. You find a decent selection of marine clothing and outerwear here also.

Favorite Dish: Closed for the season!
Open May 1 to October 1.

Nesbru Kebab has a long reputation of being the best kebab outlet this side of Oslo, if not over an even wider area. It is off E18, inside the business streets of Billingstad/Fekjan not too far from the big marts of IKEA and Smart Club.

Favorite Dish: This is a kebab plane and kebab is what they have, plus condiments plus some other fast food dishes. Even if I aM not a kebab person, I liked what they served here and their pride of what the owners and workers here do!

NB! WARNING! THIS PLACE IS CURRENTLY CLOSED. CHANGE OF MANAGEMENT AND HOPEFULLY IMPROVING THEIR BUSINESS PLAN! WATCH THIS PLACE FOR UPDATES!!!!

The pine trees are there, so that's why "Furua" is named as it is.
Furua is the local fast food outlet on the coast road 165 just north of Vollen.
I occasionally pick up something from here.
Furua is a good place to go by and order take-out food for the beach if heading that way, or, of course, as a quick pit stop on the way back to Oslo after a hard day in the country.
Opening hrs: Mon-Tue: 13-23
Fri-Sat: 13-24
Sun: 13-22.
January/February specials: all pizzas NOK 99, kebab and soft drink NOK 55, 160g burger and soft drink NOK 60.

Favorite Dish: They cook up regular fast food items here. They do 32 varieties of pizza, both Italian and American style, also calzone, kebabs, burgers and other dinnerish dishes. Best choice in my opinion are my own self-composed pizza per order variety (NOK 140) and rullekebab, similar to a shawarma.
This not being a boring fast food chain outlet or franchise, their burgers are good, too.
The best bet is for the general audience, I suppose, are their pizza varieties. The toppings determine what you'd go for.

The local restaurant at Vollen, the best place to eat and enjoy on the Asker coast. Opebn year-round, not summercrowds only- clientele.
Mats & Martin do their own as well as international delicacies, both for the restaurant sit-down guests and for over the counter shopping, as well as take-out. They also do catering and have a separate party room for 20 at Vollen Handelssted. During summers there is a very nice outside dining area in a garden overlooking the Oslo fjord. To eat out in Asker, MM remains my favourite, simply because they are able to do really good things with an exciting assortment of the day's raw materials. I am quite impressed every time I het here.
Informal place, but also the place you can go and be formal - with business guests, for instance.

Favorite Dish: Had the pan-freid trout (supposed to be Arctic Char....) which was good, but over the top pricey. Very good desserts. All very well and friendly presented. Good atmosphere. I think that for my next meal here I will choose one starter and one small dish instead on only the main course. Their menu and prices are on the menu on their internet site.
On a later occasion I had red fish, lingfish, reindeer, tapas, lots of goodies. can't stick to one recommendation here...