Cafeography
Oslo · Sentrum

Cafés in Sentrum

Karl Johans gate, the Kvadraturen grid and Akershus Fortress, with the oldest konditorier and Fuglen.

Photo: Dirk Baker, Pexels License

Oslo’s center grew out of Kvadraturen, the district between Akershus Fortress and Karl Johans gate named for its rectangular street pattern. It dates back to 1624 and still holds some of the city’s oldest buildings, and many galleries and museums have moved into the area.1 North of Karl Johans gate the center breaks into smaller neighborhoods, from Tullinløkka to the streets around Torggata.1

For coffee, Sentrum mixes the old konditori trade with chains and a few roasters. Halvorsens Conditori on Prinsens gate, established in 1881, still makes every cake it sells, and Theatercaféen on Stortingsgata keeps portraits of its regulars on the walls.23 Fuglen, on Pilestredet, runs as a coffee shop by day and a cocktail bar by night.4

Local tip: On a dry day, take your coffee to the Kontraskjæret lawn beside Høymagasinet, at the foot of Akershus Fortress.

At a glance

62Cafés listed
27With opening hours
06:30Earliest opening
01:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: La Baguette, from 06:30 (Mon–Fri 06:30–21:00 · Sat 09:00–19:00 · Sun 10:00–19:00).
  • Closes latest: Fuglen, until 01:00 (Mon–Tue 07:30–20:00 · Wed–Thu 07:30–00:00 · Fri 07:30–01:00 · Sat 09:00–01:00 · Sun 09:00–20:00).
  • Most common features: indoor seating (19%), outdoor seating (19%), open late (11%).

Atbay

  • Torggata 7
  • Mon–Fri 14:00–19:00 · Sat 13:00–19:00 · Sun Closed
  • Bubble tea
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Erketunet gardsbakeri

  • Rosenkrantz' gate 25
  • Mon 07:00–18:00 · Tue–Fri 07:00–20:00 · Sat 09:00–20:00 · Sun 09:00–18:00
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Sentralen Kafeteria

  • Tollbugata 30
  • Mon–Fri 07:30–21:00 · Sat–Sun 11:00–17:00
  • Wi-Fi
  • Takeaway
  • Wheelchair access
  • Toilets
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Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Oslo.

Coffee chains in Sentrum

Chain

Espresso House

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Chain

Steam Kaffebar

  • SentrumMon–Wed 07:30–19:00 · Thu 07:30–20:00 · Fri 07:30–19:00 · Sat 09:00–18:00
  • JERNBANETORGET 1Mon–Fri 07:00–21:00 · Sat 08:30–19:00 · Sun 09:30–19:00
Website

Getting around the center

All five metro lines run through the Common Tunnel under the center, with Jernbanetorget beside the central station and Stortinget among the main stops. Trains run from about 05:00, 06:00 at weekends, until 01:00.5

Karl Johans gate, the main street, is where most visitors start, and cafés and restaurants fill it and the blocks around it.1 For something less obvious, VisitOSLO points north to Torggata, with its small restaurants, shops and bars, and to Tullinløkka for restaurants, second-hand shops and art.1

Kvadraturen and the fortress

Kafé Celsius, on Rådhusgata, occupies one of the oldest surviving buildings in Kvadraturen, dated 1626–1627. It has housed the University Library, a military hospital, Deichman Library and Oslo Kunstforening, and today has a private courtyard and outdoor tables on Christiania torv.6

Inside Akershus Fortress, the Høymagasinet hay barn by the Kontraskjæret lawn was designed by Christian Herman Malling and finished in 1845. Long threatened with demolition, it was restored in the 1980s and reopened after a 2018–2019 modernization as a stage, party venue and café.7

Konditorier and grand cafés

Halvorsens Conditori is one of the oldest confectioners in Norway and serves traditional Norwegian open sandwiches as well as cakes.2 It opens Monday to Saturday, 10:00–17:00. Theatercaféen opened with Hotel Continental in 1900; Caroline and Christian Boman Hansen took over in 1909 and the family still owns both. The first portraits of artists and regulars went up in 1924, and there are now 87.3

Pascal, a French konditori, has a coffee bar at Tollbugata 11 that opens at 07:30 on weekdays and a café at Torggata 17B that stays open until 20:00.

Fuglen, Hakone and early coffee

Fuglen’s Pilestredet bar doubles as a vintage shop: the Scandinavian furniture, lamps and tableware from the 1950s and 1960s are all for sale, and in the evening the bartenders switch to cocktails.4 It stays open until midnight on Wednesday and Thursday and until 01:00 on Friday and Saturday.

Hakone Coffee has two branches here, at Karl Johans gate 1 and Storgata 23, both open from 07:00 on weekdays. Lille Oslo Kaffebar is on Youngs gate, Mad Drop on Ullevålsveien opens at 07:30 Wednesday to Friday, and La Baguette starts earliest of all, at 06:30 on weekdays.

Hovedøya and Klosterkroa

Klosterkroa, the café on Hovedøya, is a short ferry ride from the center. Hovedøya is the island closest to the city, with two beaches on its west side and the ruins of a Cistercian monastery from 1147 in the north, and boats from Aker Brygge serve it all year.8 In summer Klosterkroa opens most days, serving sandwiches, waffles and ice cream.8 Its hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00–18:00.

Sources

  1. City centre, VisitOSLO, accessed October 2026
  2. Halvorsens Conditori, VisitOSLO, accessed October 2026
  3. Theatercaféen: historie og portretter, Theatercaféen, accessed October 2026
  4. Fuglen, VisitOSLO, accessed October 2026
  5. Oslo Metro, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  6. Kafé Celsius, VisitOSLO, accessed October 2026
  7. Høymagasinet, Høymagasinet (Fursetgruppen and Fauna Eiendom), accessed October 2026
  8. Hovedøya Island, VisitOSLO, accessed October 2026
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In Sentrum, also browse: Specialty coffee Outdoor seating Bakeries & konditorier Vegan options Open late Wi-Fi

FAQ

Sentrum cafés: questions

How old is Halvorsens Conditori in Oslo’s city center?

Halvorsens Conditori was established in 1881 and is one of the oldest confectioners in Norway. It makes all its own cakes and also serves traditional Norwegian open sandwiches. The konditori is on Prinsens gate in Sentrum and opens Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00.

What is Theatercaféen in Oslo Sentrum known for?

Theatercaféen opened in 1900 in Hotel Continental, which the Boman Hansen family has run since 1909 and still owns. Since 1924, portraits of artists and other regulars have been hung on its walls, and there are now 87 of them. It is on Stortingsgata and opens 11:00–23:00 Monday to Saturday.

How do you get to Klosterkroa on Hovedøya from central Oslo?

Take the ferry from Aker Brygge, which serves Hovedøya all year; it is the island closest to the city center. Klosterkroa opens most days in summer, Tuesday to Sunday 11:00–18:00, and serves sandwiches, waffles and ice cream. The island also has the ruins of a Cistercian monastery from 1147 and two beaches on its west side.

For café owners

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