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    Colonialen Litteraturhuset

    4.0 (21 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 11:00 pm

    Colonialen Litteraturhuset Photos

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    Herring on rye bread
    Hildegunn N.

    Located in the "House of Litterature" in Bergen, you should assume the restaurant was packed with writers and the cultural elite of Bergen, but Colonialen has established its name as both a restaurant and a gourmet food store over the years and attract all kinds of food lovers also to their mid-range restaurant in Litteraturhuset. The restaurant is divided in two, where the one side, located by the entrance to the house, provides a more informal drop-in cafeteria, where the guests are making their orders at the counter, whilst the other half is a restaurant that takes reservations and also offers a dinner menu in the evening. Taking my visiting friends for lunch, we could have had the same food in both rooms, but I am a fan of reservations and waiter service, so I had made a reservation and I am glad I did. Whilst the guests were lining for tables on the other side, we got our table immediately and in a much more quiet environment. The waiter was nice, helpful and provided excellent service. One of us had the herring on rye bread, whilst we were two sharing the large platter of cheeses and cured meat. The sizes were perfect for lunch and the food was tasteful and of high quality. My friends were happy, I was happy and the location is perfect for dropping by many of Bergen's smaller independent shops in Skostredet. Perfect on a Saturday!

    Liz K.

    Only saw locals here when I went so I took that as a good sign. Simple, clean, modern interior that's casual. Service was excellent - attentive, helpful and patient with explaining the menu to a foreigner :) The food was excellent. I had the mussel appetizer and monk fish dinner. Portions were large. I could have sworn they mistakenly gave me entree sized mussels! It was super good. One of the best mussels I have had -- and I've had lots of mussels. Monk fish was good and had a nice texture and was prepared really well. It's not cheap but I thought very reasonable for Norway and for the quality of food and service. This is a good place to go if you are sick of eating while on the move on your trip and need a nice relaxing environment for a tasty sit down meal. I would go here frequently if I lived here too.

    This was a herring from heaven. The rye bread was too tasty to stop @ one piece
    Phil S.

    Ambiance was super-chill & food was delicious. After strolling the historic artsy part of town this place was a great blend of traditional dishes & hip new vibe

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    8 years ago

    Absolutely fabulous! Everything was perfect and flavorful! The lattes were to die for!

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    Review Highlights - Colonialen Litteraturhuset

    Had the halibut and veal dishes both were very good.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Naboen Pub & Restaurant

    Naboen Pub & Restaurant

    4.5(52 reviews)
    0.5 km
    $$

    What a lovely place! It's not a traditional pub at all. Instead, it's a small fine dining…read moreestablishment that is locally owned and run. In fact I think our server was the owner, and he let us know that his wife was the cook (after we complimented our meals). Prices are very reasonable and there is a nice selection of fish and meat dishes. My husband and I shared the pork belly taco (appetizer) and the fish and chips plate. Our friend ordered the last available flank steak. Everything came out timely and was delicious! There was enough food to go around and no one left hungry. I'm really glad that our friend stumbled upon this restaurant. It was not crowded and had a lovely evening atmosphere for our last evening in town. It was walkable from our Airbnb and in a cute neighborhood. I would definitely recommend this place to others.

    As many have recommended I will echo their sentiment and say, be polite, say "Hei" and then head…read moredown the stairs. A few helpful hints: Ask the bartender for a menu, take a seat and then head back up to the bar to place your order. They have a pitcher of water at the end of the bar with glasses so no need to add an extra expense for bottled water. Remember on Sunday a bar or restaurant is the only spot you will get alcohol so don't think you can grab some beer at the Kiwi or Rema and drink at home/hotel. I got the herring with lingonberries which sounded weird to me but after the first bite I was sold!! I cleaned the whole plate with ease because it was so good. The prices are affordable compared to other spots in Norway so assure you go downstairs because the menu and prices are different.

    Photos
    Naboen Pub & Restaurant - Cod dish

    Cod dish

    Naboen Pub & Restaurant
    Naboen Pub & Restaurant - Brewed right here in Bergen! Enjoying it with the best steak I can remember having in my 50 years and one day on this earth.

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    Brewed right here in Bergen! Enjoying it with the best steak I can remember having in my 50 years and one day on this earth.

    Bryggeloftet & Stuene - Fried Mouls

    Bryggeloftet & Stuene

    4.4(149 reviews)
    0.4 km
    $$$

    Was able to score a window table upstairs as a walk in on a Friday for lunch. Beautiful interior,…read moregood view, kind staff. Great food. There's a reason Rick Steve's recommends. Enjoyed the lamb, and the fish soup. Open face chicken sandwich was just okay.

    After dropping off our luggage at our hotel in Bergen around 7:00P, we came straight over to…read moreBryggeloftet & Stuene, the oldest restaurant in the city. As anticipated, it was completely full, but surprisingly, we only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table. I had read that the fish soup (appetizer) is a must-try, though the mussels and their burger were super popular that night and looked delicious too. + FISH SOUP: The four of us ordered just one bowl to share as a starter and it was creamy, almost like a chowder! There wasn't a ton of seafood, just a few fish balls and small shrimp, but we still enjoyed the flavor. It came with paper-thin crackers and butter on the side. + PAN-FRIED WOLFFISH: Two thick, moist pieces of wolffish were served in a pool of creamy white wine sauce alongside broccolini and small shrimp. All fish and meat dishes include a choice of potatoes. I selected the dauphinoise (sliced potatoes with heavy cream and garlic) which was so rich and buttery! My sister ordered the slow-cooked LEG OF DEER with baked root vegetables, mashed potatoes, and port wine sauce. The deer was so tender and a sizable portion. She selected the mashed potatoes which were creamy and smooth. My mom got the filet of NORWEGIAN LAMB with seasonal vegetables, mushrooms, baked cherry tomatoes and red wine herb sauce. Of the main courses we all ordered, I considered this my favorite plate. Normally I am not a huge fan of lamb, but it was cooked to a perfect medium and didn't have much gaminess at all. Also super tender! The service was very friendly, but after we received our soup, we waited almost one hour for our main courses. Since the soup was a starter, our waitress asked if we wanted to eat it first or with our meal, so had we known there would be such a large gap between courses, we would have opted to just have everything together. The timing is really my only critique. This was a terrific hearty meal after a full day of travel. Beginning our trip with dinner at such a renowned local spot set our vacation off on the right foot!

    Photos
    Bryggeloftet & Stuene - Inside

    Inside

    Bryggeloftet & Stuene - Bergen Fish Soup

    Bergen Fish Soup

    Bryggeloftet & Stuene - Meringue dessert

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    Meringue dessert

    Bjerck Restaurant & Bar - Baked cod with prawns was elegance and comfort all in one dish. The crispy kale added a nice texture.

    Bjerck Restaurant & Bar

    4.1(10 reviews)
    0.2 km

    We came here on our tour manager's recommendation. The service was meh as it took over 20 minutes…read morefor our foods to come, while we are seeing foods from other tables with similar items come quick quicker than ours!!! Also, when the water jugs ran out of water, the server would quickly replenish the jugs without asking while leaving our water jugs empty when we had finished our water!! Now, onto the food ... we both ordered open-faced sandwiches (Skagen and Fjords). Both sandwiches have bread that takes a strong muscle to cut through and the seafood was swimming in mayo!!! Overall, the experience was not that great plus it is not easy to climb up several steep steps of stairway to get to a restaurant! We can tell that this is a popular restaurant around the locals as it was filling up after 20 minutes, but will we come back here again? Not really!!

    We just arrived in Bergen and wanted a place for late breakfast and this place showed up on my…read moresearch as they have egg / omelettes. We were surprised that the omelette was part of a "Lunch Board" which was like a flight of different food options including: Omelette with cheddar, avocado toast, chicken toast, smoothie, salad and croissants. It sounded like a lot of food but in reality it serves one person as each item is a small portion, but everything was delicious. The service was great and attentive, and we enjoyed the decor in the upstairs with plenty of windows with views of the harbor. They also had free WiFi which helped us plan our next day. Only note is it is fairly pricey.

    Photos
    Bjerck Restaurant & Bar - Cool entrance.

    Cool entrance.

    Bjerck Restaurant & Bar - Shrimp appetizer with delicious toasts.

    Shrimp appetizer with delicious toasts.

    Bjerck Restaurant & Bar - The view from the restaurant!

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    The view from the restaurant!

    Marg & Bein - Baked Cauliflower

    Marg & Bein

    4.6(20 reviews)
    0.6 km
    $$$

    After exploring the University of Bergen, we walked a short distance to Marg & Bein for an early…read moredinner around 3:00P. Because we dined during an off-time, we had the whole restaurant to ourselves, though I imagine it gets busier during peak hours. Our waitress sat us by the window and recommended sharing a few plates family-style. (Note: The menu may rotate.) For anyone who wants their own meal, they do have a main dish that is meant for a single serving. That day, it was the Persetorsk fish with pea purée, cider butter sauce and trout roe. My dad ordered it and thought the fish was good, but found the sauce quite salty (and not just from the roe). + BRAISED OX CHEEK: Super tender, lean, succulent. It fell apart with just a touch of a fork! Served on top of smooth mashed potatoes and a flavorful demi-glace. + STEAK w/ PEPPER SAUCE: My favorite dish! The steak was cooked to a perfect medium and the pepper sauce was subtle, allowing the quality of the beef to shine. I enjoyed alternating bites of it alone and with the baked onion. The broccolini had a great crunch and the celery purée added a fresh, earthy balance. + BAKED CAULIFLOWER: The most flavorful cauliflower that I've ever had! Roasted sections came topped with finely chopped kale chimichurri (mixed with onion, spices & pepitas), all sitting on a cauliflower purée. So good and a perfect vegetarian dish! + CIDER STEAMED MUSSELS: Plump, sweet mussels served in a velvety, slightly briny cider sauce. I couldn't help but drink a couple spoonfuls of the sauce by itself after we finished the mussels. Our waitress was very friendly and we appreciated her help with navigating the menu. The dishes were served at a comfortable pace with the mussels first as a starter, followed by the rest of the dishes. I would consider the pricing to be on the elevated side since it's considered an upscale modern bistro, however it's definitely worth splurging for their creative and well-executed plates. We found Marg & Bein on a whim, and it ended up being one of our top meals in Bergen! 4.75 stars.

    Excellent Norwegian food! I had the white fish, which was the wish (and delish), and Norwegian…read morecheeses and cured meats. The chicken pate was delicious, but the bread it was served with was the real highlight of the dish. I can't wait to go back when I'm in Bergen! Hopefully, next time it will be raining!

    Photos
    Marg & Bein - Interior

    Interior

    Marg & Bein - Cider Steamed Mussels

    Cider Steamed Mussels

    Marg & Bein - Outside it is the sign!

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    Outside it is the sign!

    Colonialen Litteraturhuset - scandinavian - Updated September 2026

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