Lillehammer Restaurants

This is a roadside motel, cafe and restaurnat that caters both for road transit travellers and a local clientele. it is telling for quality and prices that local associations and clubs frequently hold their meetings here (not in summer - everybody is gone fishing or so).
The food get a good local rap, and the variety is apparently a plus. I have eaten here a few times and to me it is a stomach filler, nothing beyond the average for roadside meals. Prices are ok, nothng outrageous, after all they need to have repeat visitors. For detailed info and accommodation availability check web site. Possible to use this motel as a staging post for visiting Lillehammer, too. Overnight here, take a bus or taxi into town or walk across the 800m bridge, and make use of Bjørn's free parking.
Convenient for road travellers, families with children. Small beach nearby (cold water).
Proximity to the highway a drawback.

World food with a Norwegian twist, plus some archetypical Norwegian dishes. That's in a nutshell what På Bordet offers. This is the best and most innovative dining in Lillehammer. You will be seated a long time at this table...
There won't be many customers for this sort of dinner event, so opening days are limited.
Dress can be formal or informal, depends on your company.

Favorite Dish: Anything based on fish and game here is guaranteed tasty. They are good with their wines, too

You know the story: small brewery gets eaten by medium sized brewery gets eaten by big brewery gets eaten by mega brewery? In the course of this food chain the beer gets more and more diluted and tasteless and uniform and unexciting.
Old Lillehammer Brewery went under about 25 years ago and now some idealists have started a microbrewery and pub in the same vaults where the original brews were stored in vats. The staff will give you an orientation about the history of brewing in Lillehammer, the new microbrewery and other, historical treaties of Lillehammer.
It's a great place to preorder food for a group and taste the various beers.
The price is about average for beer, but for the quality you get, very reasonable.

Favorite Dish: They have started carefully with 3 types of beers: pilsner, ale and stout - and seasonals and experiements. In addition there is a bit of pub food and wine etc. The stuff they brew is excellent. My preference is on the brown ale side of life....
You can get a tray of four different beers for your own tasting competition.

There are many restaurants in Lillehammer, but in my short visit here I did not check any. However, on a Sunday afternoon, even the coffee shops are closed here, which seem like that the locals are just recovering from Saturday night partying.

Favorite Dish: Closed on Sunday

Drink and eat while you can before leaving home; don't come to Norway on an empty stomach! Food & drink here averages 27 % above the EU average. A beer at a regular pub will be around NOK 54, divide by 7,8-8 and you have the Euro rate. If you buy in the shop the prices drop to the half or less. Note that the beer, when you ask for a pint is offered in either 0,4 and 0,5 liters, and obviously don't get yourself cheated in a place where the beer is 54 and the pint 0,4. Look up Elvegaten side road to the main street Storgata, where many students and generally young people will tend to hang out in a couple of restaurants and pubs; generally you can expect the beer and food to be if not exactly cheap, at least ok. The people who crowd these places are locals, not tourists for the most part. A place in central Storgata is Peppes Pizza; it's a chain thing, but the pizza is good and generous, other dishes too, and the price fair. There are two night clubs (Marcello and Toppen), a couple of disco's, and one beer cellar, sort of, called Bryggerikjelleren. Haakon's Pub at the northern end of the town centre has the cheapest beer, but is a bit low-down on culture, a bit of a rowdy place with a bit rough people that keeps open into the wee hours. I'd avoid this place if I were in wont of good company.
Going for dancing etc.? Well, check next to Bryggerikjelleren, called Brenneriet Disco. Not my cultural high, exactly, but fair enough if dancing and loud music is it. For fine food there are two places I can recommend in Lillehammer besides the better hotel kitchens; Paa Bordet just up from Storgaten (hard to find, ask locals) and the restaurant in Lundegaarden, I think it is called Lundegaarden Brasseri. The latter place is on the left side north on Storgaten, two blocks beyond the pedestrian part. The third option, but a step down is Bl?mann, at the Mesna centre a short stroll up past the river bridge on Storgata.

Favorite Dish: For good food, Norwegian style, probably try some fish dish or game meat. March is the season for Skrei, a a particular seasonal cod-type,and it's served/eaten very simply prepared. Steinbit (wolf fish) is also very tasty, and goes well with lots of vegetables, spices, rice, potatoes or whatever - versatile fish with lots of taste. If meat, go for Rudolf, Christmas is over, the reindeers have become legitimate on the plate again. Or red deer with chanterels and red wine sauce .... mmmm I am getting into this - dinnertime!

Not the greatest or most fancy pizza shop name in town, but there is no doubt what they are doing for a living these guys. Call them and they will deliver pizza as per order.
Compoise your own or ask for menu options. Very easy, very good, and prices are ok.

Went here a few places and the food is good, even if it is definitely mass-produced cafe style food for visitors to the hunderfossen family park visitors and screaming kids. A fairly wide choice of a la carte dishes, a good buffet and the cheapest and good-value-for -money "today's dinner" that comes with coffee. The latter at NOK 98,- (variable dish), the buffet at NOK 169,- The buffet will fill you up for a couple of days if need be.
Note that this place also has a children's buffet.

Favorite Dish: I'd go for game variations or fish. Had reindeer steak here some time ago which was very good.

Very much the cafe stop that locals make when visiting town for some errand and want some substantial food.
The food is mainly good old trusted Norwegain fare, nothing too much in terms of innovative stuff. The places is frequented by lunchers of the workling crowd or elderly from the outlying areas of town (they know this place and the food served) looking for recognizable food in a trusted environment. For substantial and cheap food, come here.
Open for lunch/dinner 12-18. Sometimes closed, booked for family events, parties etc.

Favorite Dish: "Today's dinner" often include a couple of choices of main courses, a dessert buffet and coffee. Good value at about NOK 140,-

Variations over meatballs and veggies. Pan-fried trout or poached salmon or trout with cucumber salad and fresh potatoes cannot go wrong.