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!

This is one of the two BEST fruit & veg shops in Oslo centrum (the other being the one in Grønland)…read morein terms of selection and price. Foreigners always get depressed by the lack of variety of fruit & veg in Norway, but a visit here would brighten their outlook. Some things you don't see in normal supermarkets: savoy cabbage, turkish peppers, rhubarb, plantains, pakchoi.. Great quality, more juicy cherry tomatoes and better berries or fresh herbs than Kiwi or REMA1000 (and cheaper too!). On top of that, they have a huge selection of rice, sauces, bottled legumes, canned goods, fresh feta, marinated olives and more. The shop's goods are pronouncedly Turkish (you can get all Knorr soups in Turkish) but there are some East/Southeast Asian stuff as well. Including the never-seen-elsewhere Indonesian ABC chili sauce!

Nicely presented shop, but problems seems to be lurking behind the pretty surface. 9 out og 10…read moretimes I am there the boss sits on his chair behind the till playing games on his phone, or watching how the staff performs their job. They work really hard for him. I don't agree with how he treats his staff as I heard him yell at them several times, especially the women. No wonder why some of the staff working there hardly shows a smile. The boss also barely shows attention to the coustumers, and if he does he is plain just grumpy. I thought it just was a temporary thing, but now it has been like this for years and I have decided to rather support a shop that treats their staff well.

This is an excellent little grocery, mostly fresh fruit and vegetables, all beautiful, but many…read morespecialty items, olives, nuts, cheese, and a few other necessities like coffee, laundry soap and the like. The people who run this are very nice, and they remembered what we bought the time before and asked if everything was good. Sure, some things at the COOP are a little cheaper (not much), and they don't have meat and ice cream, but go there for the finest produce and attentive service. I am a big fan.