Cafés in St. Hanshaugen & Bislett

Getting around St. Hanshaugen

VisitOSLO groups Bislett and St. Hanshaugen as the neighborhoods east of Bogstadveien, with small shops, coffee shops and nightlife, and recommends the park’s hilltop for the view over the city.³ Southeast of the park, Damstredet and Telthusbakken keep the small-town look of early-19th-century Oslo, next to Aker Church, built around 1100 and the oldest building in the city.²

The park itself has a reflecting pool over a reservoir, an artificial creek, a pavilion on the Festplassen square and a stage used for outdoor concerts, including the local Kongene på Haugen festival.¹ Each summer Bislett Stadium hosts the Bislett Games, and when it is not in use the track is open to the public.³

Java and the Ullevålsveien cafés

Java, beside St. Hanshaugen park, opened in 1997, and in 2000 it opened Norway’s first micro roastery of its kind. That roastery, now called Kaffa and based at Ryen, still supplies Java, where the head barista is the former world champion Robert Thoresen.⁴

Pascal’s café at Ullevålsveien 47A is open until 17:30, and Encore Kafe & Konditori on Pilestredet opens at 08:00 on weekdays. Håndbakt has a branch at Geitmyrsveien 62, also open from 08:00. Åpent Bakeri on Frydenlundgata has dim lighting and a spiral staircase to an upper floor laid out like a gallery; a mocha cost 68 kr there in January 2026.⁵

Bislett after dark

Café Laundromat, at Pilestredet 71, was founded in 2010 as a place to eat, drink and do your washing at the same time, with craft beer and cocktails on the menu; it is open daily 07:00–01:00.⁶ Kafé Oslo, the café of Litteraturhuset on Wergelandsveien, stays open until 00:30 Monday to Thursday and until 03:30 on Friday and Saturday, though its kitchen closes hours earlier.⁷

Terraces and the Oslometer

St. Hanshaugen is the test area for the Oslometer, a city scheme that lets cafés put tables and chairs up to one meter out from their façade on municipal pavement without applying or paying rent. The pilot runs from 1 August to 31 October 2026 on streets including Ullevålsveien, Bernt Ankers gate and Møllergata, and Oslo plans to introduce it for the 2027 season.⁸

At least 2 meters of pavement must stay free for pedestrians, and squares such as Adamstuen torg and Knud Knudsens plass are not included.⁸