Oslo

The medieval fortress on the harbour, and the obvious walk from Kvadraturen. Saved rather than done.

Where every Constitution Day parade ends up, and where the royal family waves from the balcony to the marching children below.

The first coffee we had in Oslo, and a good start. Solid coffee, a decent scone, and seats upstairs at the window.

Coffee by day, cocktails by night, and every chair in the place is genuine mid-century Norwegian — and for sale. Also where to try a Norwegian waffle.

A two-branch bakery by the station. Saved on the map and not tried.

A coffee bar saved on the map with no note attached.

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A listening bar that turns out to be one of the best meals we have had anywhere. Already in our top five of the year, and we are still talking about it.

A casual lunch counter with sandwiches and burgers we are still annoyed we missed. We caught it at closing and got duck croquettes and the cookie.

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An indoor food market on Torggata with a range of global dishes. The birria tacos genuinely tasted of Mexico.

A proper late-night spot — no reservations, vinyl on the decks, Japanese small plates. We walked past and it immediately caught our attention.

A Youngstorget spot we saved on the strength of its reviews rather than anything of our own.

Saved on a recommendation from someone else, in Kvadraturen. On the list for next time.

A first-floor dining room on Stortingsgata, saved and untested.

One of the oldest restaurants in the city, on Bankplassen. Saved from a recommendation, not eaten in.

By the fortress walls on Myntgata. Saved from a recommendation, not tested.

We walked past and it looked nice. That is the whole of our evidence.

A hotel on Kongens gate in Kvadraturen, saved while we were working out where to stay.

The old Norwegian America Line headquarters by the station, now a hotel. Saved, not stayed in.

A cocktail bar on Karl Johans gate, saved for drinks and not yet tested.

A glass and a bite on Rådhusbrygge, right by the ferry quays. Saved from a recommendation.

A self-governed culture house on Hausmanns gate, saved for a night out and a dance.

Norway’s oldest photography gallery, on Møllergata. Saved and not yet visited.

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A floating sauna on the harbour, and a cold plunge straight into the fjord. Touristy, and we loved it anyway.

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Pyramids of wood built like fish-drying racks, holding saunas, open fires, art and a food market. Where we sheltered from the rain on day one.

The white marble roof you are meant to walk up. We only ever saw it from across the water at SALT.

Saved for the doughnuts, on Operagata. Not tried.

An organic Norwegian bakery chain, this branch on Operagata. Saved rather than tested.

Seafood by the water, and the Norwegian fish soup done properly. The terrace catches the sun, if the weather plays ball.

A big hotel in Bjørvika, on Dronning Eufemias gate. Saved while planning.

The public swimming area at the end of the Sørenga pier — a proper harbour bath in the middle of the city.

The Munch museum, and where The Scream lives. We never made it — everything was shut for Constitution Day and the day after.

Sculpture, a small beach and a swim spot at the end of the Tjuvholmen spit, next to the museum.

Italian on the Aker Brygge waterfront, saved from a recommendation.

An if-you-know-you-know wine spot behind Aker Brygge — casual and cool, by our own note.

The Renzo Piano modern art museum out on the end of Tjuvholmen. One of the museums we did not get to.

The hill park the neighbourhood is named after, and the place we had earmarked for a picnic.

The lane of small wooden houses below Old Aker Church — the walk down from the park towards Mathallen.

Bagels on Waldemar Thranes gate. Saved on the map, untried.

A long-standing Oslo espresso bar on Ullevålsveien, saved from somebody else’s coffee list.

A small sourdough chain that came up again and again in our research, and one we never got to. Good coffee, brunch, granola bowls.

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A chalkboard menu, an open kitchen and a room that feels like the place to be in Oslo. Mostly seafood, and the quality is excellent.

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The neighbourhood restaurant we always gravitate towards: relaxed, unpretentious, and entirely about what is on the plate. A Michelin Bib Gourmand.

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Oslo’s indoor food market at Vulkan. We are snobbish about food markets after London, but the salmon poke bowl was excellent.

The Michelin-starred one on Maridalsveien. Saved with a question mark next to it, and never tested.

The famous hot dog stand — one of the last traditional pølsebod kiosks left in Oslo. On the list, not yet eaten.

Ramen with two Oslo locations. This is the one with outdoor seating, which is why it is the one we saved.

A takeaway deli saved as the eat-like-a-local option on Waldemar Thranes gate.

Candles on every table inside an 1814 wooden house, natural wine by the glass, and mac and cheese served all night. A perfect nightcap.

A wine bar on Ullevålsveien, saved from a recommendation and not yet drunk in.

A casual, chic wine bar with a cycling name, saved from somebody else’s list.

Oysters and wine on Fredensborgveien, a few doors from Nektar. Saved, not visited.

A bar on Bjerregaards gate saved simply for drinks.

An art gallery near Vulkan. Our own note says to check the opening hours, which we never did.

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Bakery and brunch by day, trattoria by night, and worth the thirty minutes we queued in a hailstorm. The kitchen sits in the middle of the room like a stage.

The best coffee we had in the city, tied with Dægens. A former World Barista Champion’s original espresso bar, and a showroom for the roastery.

One of Oslo’s serious roasters, on Thorvald Meyers gate. On the map and not in the cup, for us.

A neighbourhood bakery that comes highly recommended, particularly for sourdough loaves made with stoneground local heirloom grains.

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The juiciest smash burger we have had in a long time. A takeaway joint at heart, and none the worse for it.

The Copenhagen porridge specialists, with a Markveien branch. We loved theirs in Denmark and never got to this one.

Recommended to us by a waitress at Smalhans who works there too — a couple own it and still work the floor and the kitchen.

The burgers looked very good through the window. That is as far as we got.

Waffles on Olaf Ryes plass — the other place to have a Norwegian waffle if you are in Grünerløkka.

Izakaya’s sibling on Trondheimsveien. Saved on the map, never opened for us.

A wine bar on Markveien with a famously long by-the-glass list, and possibly a record player. Saved, not visited.

A wine bar on Nordre gate, saved on the map without a note.

A riverside bar and music venue on Brenneriveien with an artsy bent. Saved for a beer we never had.

Looked cute from outside — beer drinking on the pavement, seating under umbrellas. Not tested.

Saved as a possible beer garden on Sannergata, with a question mark that we never resolved.

A clothes shop on Brenneriveien, saved while we were looking for somewhere to browse.

A menswear shop on Nordre gate. Saved on the map to browse and not, as far as our writing records, actually browsed.

The sculpture park up on the Ekeberg ridge, with the best views back over the city and the fjord. Saved and not climbed.

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Pared-back Scandinavian baking in a traditional building, with seating in and out. A solid all-rounder for a slower morning.

The Håndbakt branch we actually had our eye on, on Kjølberggata. Open daily, which makes it useful for an early start.

Where the roasting now happens, over in Tøyen, with a café attached. We drank at the original Grünerløkka bar instead.

Fuglen’s roastery site on the east side. We walked over and found it closed.

Walked past and it looked like a good place to read a book, purely on the strength of the seats.

A bakery over in Gamlebyen, saved on the map without a note.

A coffee bar saved on the map with no note attached.

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An enormous wine list, a daily-changing menu, and only open two days a week. Not a place to go if you are in a rush.

Part bakery, part restaurant, and the comparison that keeps coming up is St. JOHN in London. Closed for the holiday when we were there.

We desperately wanted the French onion soup pizza. Google Maps had us convinced they were open on Constitution Day. They were not. Unfinished business.

Exactly what the name says — pizza handed down from a balcony on Sigurds gate. Saved for the sheer novelty, and untested.

A bar at Galgeberg on the east side, saved on the map.

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Our top pick for both the cardamom bun and the BOM, which is a big statement given how many we tried. The furthest we went, and absolutely worth it.

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The Torshov bakery that supplies Babbo. Honest, low-intervention baking, their own coffee roasting, and a very good brownie.

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An old waffle house on the river with a terrace over the water. Charming, and worth a stop if you are anywhere near.

We drove past this one. That is the extent of our acquaintance with it.

Saved for the view over Oslo. Untested by us.

Two hundred sculptures in Frognerparken, and the thing most people do in Oslo. Not something we got to.

A bakery on a farm with an outdoor courtyard, and a cardamom bun often called the best in Oslo. We did not manage it, and it stays on the list.

Saved as a breakfast café over in Frogner. Not one we reached.

A long-standing west-side coffee bar, saved on the map without a note.

The Stockholm import on Frognerveien — a tasting menu with the volume turned up. Saved and untested.

The art deco former electricity board building, now a hotel with several bars in it. Saved for a drink we never had.

A wine bar on Gimleveien, saved from somebody else’s list.

Thor Heyerdahl’s raft, out on the Bygdøy museum peninsula. One of the museums we did not get to.

The lake at the end of the metro line, and the usual finish for a walk in the Oslomarka. Saved with a whole hike planned around it.

Worth including for the setting alone: an alpine timber restaurant above Holmenkollen with panoramic views over the city and the fjord. And where to try rømmegrøt.

The dragon-style timber hotel up by the ski jump, looking out over the fjord. Saved while planning, not stayed in.

The closest island to the city, with monastery ruins, beaches and walking paths. On our ferry loop we rode past rather than stepping off.

Further out into the fjord, and quieter for it. Saved as the island to take a ferry to.

The inn on Gressholmen, saved for shrimp sandwiches and mussels. Seasonal, and one for a warm day.