On the third day, we ate…and ate (actually, to be honest, eating is a big part of every trip but more on that in a future post).  Oslo may not be as well known for cuisine as her sister cities, but be assured, there is plenty of great food.  Mathallen, the wonderful food hall located along the eastern bank of the Akerselva river in the trendy Grünerløkka neighborhood is the perfect one-stop place to sample all kinds of Norwegian foods with plenty of open seating inside and out. Here are a few favorite purveyors: Vulkanfisk has the freshest seafood with a restaurant and take out options. Their fish sandwich is amazing.  Den Blinde Ku sells their award-winning homemade cheeses and essential condiments. Be sure to ask them the back story of their name (The Blind Cow). Annis Pølsemakeri sells Norwegian sausage and cured meats, while the smells wafting from Stangeveriet  will stimulate an appetite, even if it seems impossible to take another bite (the chicken confit sandwich is an 11 on a scale of 1-10).  Pictured above, Rømmegrøt is a  Norwegian sour cream porridge traditionally sprinkled with brown sugar with cured meats on the side. We enjoyed a bowlful of this delicious comfort food at Gutta på Haugen a wonderful shop that also sells the melt-in-your mouth Danish sweets from Summerbird (in case you didn’t buy them in Denmark).  A short walk from Mathallen, , Tim Wendelboe is a great coffee place across from a lovely park and once fortified, you can explore the boutiques on  Markeveien.

Other food thoughts: not in the same area, but worth seeking out for delicious baked goods and sandwiches:  Åpent Bakeri, and Bergshaven Konditori. The breakfast buffet at The Thief Hotel is in a class of its own and you can walk off your feast next door at  the Astrup Fearnley Museum. Dinner at Teatercafeen will transport you to a different century – in a good way!

If you have any favorite places in Oslo, please share!