Hands down, my absolute favorite grocery store in Oslo…read more I shouldn't even get started about my disgusting grocery store history in Norway. I really should write a book about it (because I have photo evidence obviously). But let's just say I had lost ALL hope prior to finding this gem. I usually do my shopping in Grønland, but let's not kid ourselves, it is difficult to get there sometimes and while you may buy all of your produce there, you still need the essentials that can only be found at the grocery store. This is where Centra came in for me. Except I realized that I could get good quality of produce here too. Granted, you pay a premium, but it's worth it after seeing one too many moldy clementines at Rema 1000 or Kiwi (yes, the place with the produce guarantee). Out of all places in Oslo, I firmly believe that Centra has the most American products of all of the places. Granted, most of what I eat can't be classified as one country or another, but I do know that if I need something American-ish...if it's not at Centra, it's probably not anywhere else either. And this includes their sister store, Jacob's. But while I can sit here and rave and rave about the selection options and quality, it would be remiss of me to not share what my favorite thing about the store is. THE SERVICE. This is the place I can always count on getting looked after and the help I need. If I am roaming around the dairy section and can't find what I need...someone is generally within close proximity and can assist. (special note: their dairy section stinks....someone needs to take care of that if you're reading this!) And the people at the checkout counters always have a smile on their face and seem genuinely happy to be there. I even commended one of them the other day and thanked him for sounding so happy and excited to help us out. He was really thrilled to hear that he was able to change the experience of someone shopping there. I wish the workers and staff at this place would give a coaching session to the other stores in the area. Good customer service is something I definitely took for granted in the USA...and something I NEVER do here because it's a rare find. But when I do find it, I'm a customer for life. Keep up the good work Centra! You will continue to be the only place I routinely shop!

The best high-end supermarket in town, entering this store feels like entering Disneyland. Wait, I…read moreactually like this supermarket better than Disneyland. It is Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, but in addition to chocolates, you have a beautiful array of fine cheese, gorgeous racks of exotic fruits, a shopful of smoked meats and a fishmonger with mussels, scallops and rare shellfish. As pièce de résistance, they have a drying rack for exquisitely aged beef of which I am unworthy. Besides the gourmet stuff, the selections here are like standard supermarkets multiplied by three, making you wonder what you have been missing in your Oslo supermarket life. There are some standard brands like Tine, but with products you don't see elsewhere. However! The price is very steep! I cannot afford going there too often. Every time I walk near Ultra, it calls to me like a siren - with a heavy sigh and great will, I turn away and buy uninspiring veggies and rock-hard avocados at a nearby Rema instead. Be warned shall ye enter, ye shall not resist buying, and paying dearly!

As a visitor from California who resided in the Ullevål neighbourhood for a month, I fell for this…read moreplace, so much that I eventually stopped complaining about the 10 minute walk from my apartment. Then again, simply being in Norway eased me back into borderline respectable exercising routine again. Compared to Rema 1000 and Kiwi-pris nearby, this supermarket wins in size. It's around the same size as the Walgreens by the Downtown Berkeley BART Station. An entire wall is lined with fresh meats, fish, and deli next to perpendicular rows of frozen foods. There are plenty of sauces and condiments to make ethnic foods (since the first things my mother and I hunted down was soy sauce and rice). I tended to come here for bread but elsewhere for dairy based on price. Of course, all their products are great quality. The selection of BAKING ingredients in Scandinavia makes me weak at the knees. God no, I speak not of the sugary, extraneous sprinkles or toppings, but the sheer variety of baking flours that makes ICA the local mother of baking if you're into solid, heavy, flavourful breads. Why can't Trader Joe's sell 10 different types of wheat/rye flour? Oh yeah, this place is tucked into Norway's national football (soccer) stadium- that's like tucking a supermarket into Rose Bowl, Pasadena! Not too bad. Don't be like me and forget to do your shopping until Sunday- everything's closed. One day I will wake up and find ICA down my street. #ibelieve

This supermarket has great breads and affordable fruit in "expensive" Stockholm. The prices are…read moreoverall lower than the other two supermarkets that are within two blocks of the Alexandra Hotel. They take cards and cash and open early and close late. Very conveniently located across from the Alexandra Hotel.