The Best Restaurants in Trondheim A curated food guide and interactive restaurant map

Trondheim is Norway’s third-largest city and one of the country’s most exciting food destinations. The city has quickly transformed into a true culinary hotspot thanks to a new generation of chefs who have embraced the New Nordic movement and a focus on sustainability. Combined with rich local food traditions and outstanding produce from the Trøndelag region, Trondheim has become a must-visit destination for food lovers in Norway.

The Michelin Guide recognized Trondheim’s talent in 2019, awarding the city’s first Michelin stars, firmly establishing it as one of Norway’s leading gastronomic hubs. In 2022, Trondheim and the Trøndelag region were named the European Region of Gastronomy, further highlighting the area’s growing reputation for world-class dining.

In this foodie map of Trondheim, we’ve gathered all our favorite spots, from coffee shops to fine dining restaurants. You’ll even find our top hotel recommendation for food-focused travelers. You can explore the best restaurants in Trondheim by scrolling through the list on the right or clicking the points on the map. All locations are listed in geographical order.

Bocuse d’Or silver medalist and former chef of Michelin-starred Speilsalen, Christopher Davidsen, has opened a casual gourmet bistro together with award-winning sommelier Henrik Dahl Jahnsen. At Tollbua, you can expect the same focus on local ingredients and buttery sauces, just with more relaxed presentations in a more laidback setting. Our favorite dish was the Hitra scallops with a sauce of vin jaune, leeks, and chicken fat, and we loved their twist on the crème caramel with quince caramel and a crunchy brûléed top.

Sjøgangen Spiseri is a modern restaurant located in Brattøra harbor, the waterfront district of Trondheim along the fjord. It serves Danish-style smørrebrød for lunch – creative open-faced sandwiches topped with combinations like pumpkin fried in Szechuan pepper with black garlic mayo, candied beets with smoked cream cheese, and blackcurrant herring with forest berries. At dinner, the menu expands to a larger selection of dishes made with seasonal Norwegian ingredients. All plates are designed to be shared, so bring a hungry group and order up!

If it’s comfort food you’re craving, try Gola, a hole-in-the-wall shop selling Argentinian empanadas, handmade gelato, and coffee from Pala Roastery. It’s the perfect place to grab a quick bite for lunch – don’t miss the cheese and onion empanada. Afterwards, treat yourself to something sweet. Our favorite gelato flavor here is vanilla, which is anything but basic. A hint of citrus zest balances the sweetness and makes the rich flavors pop. We also love the cookie flavor made with Biscoff biscuits – sweet, salty, and caramelized.

One of our favorite hangouts in Trondheim is Spontan Vinbar, and not only because they have the best natural wine list in town. You can drop by Spontan for a glass and some snacks, or enjoy a full meal in a casual wine bar setting. Order dishes à la carte, or opt for the affordably priced sharing menu. The style is snacky comfort food with a focus on flavor. Whatever you do, don’t miss the signature chicken liver toast with chicken liver cream and lingonberries on butter-toasted bread. There’s a reason it’s been on the menu since 2017!

Hidden behind Spontan Vinbar is the fine dining restaurant Saga, led by chef Fredrik Engen. The food is rooted in New Nordic cuisine, using local, seasonal ingredients paired with ridiculously tasty sauces. Favorite dishes from past meals have included Norwegian langoustine with a fried yeast emulsion, barely cooked scallops with pumpkin purée and smoked haddock sauce, and a hasselback potato with a sauce of sour cream, shallots, and whitefish roe. Oskar Sköld’s wine pairing is our favorite in the city, ranging from grower Champagnes to juicy Jura reds.

Jacobsen & Svart is our favorite specialty coffee shop in Trondheim. Head barista Tony Jacobsen has been light-roasting coffee since 2012, competed as a barista for years, and opened his own shop in 2015. In 2021, Jacobsen & Svart moved to Arkitektenes Hus (the architect’s house) in the city center. You can often find Jacobsen behind the bar making the drinks himself. In addition to espresso beverages, there’s a large selection of beans available for hand brews. On a recent visit, we fell in love with Shakiso from Ethiopia – a sweet and balanced coffee with notes of wild strawberries, florals, and candy.

Since 2005, To Rom og Kjøkken ("Two Rooms and Kitchen") has been a Trondheim institution. It celebrated its 20th anniversary by putting two young, passionate head chefs in charge of the kitchen, and the restaurant has never been better. Our meal kicked off with playful langoustine lollipops and truffle-topped Japanese milk bread with reindeer marrow, continued with decadent seafood dishes like scallops in a butter sauce and lobster ravioli with a pumpkin XO sauce, and finished with an over-the-top serving of “biff og bea” – beef and béarnaise. This is a sure-fire hit for diners of all ages, with food and wine to please everyone and friendly service to match.

The Oslo ramen hotspot has expanded to Trondheim, bringing bowls of noodles to Bartebyen (The Moustache City). Koie makes their own broth and noodles from scratch and offers four different varieties of ramen: mazemen, shio, miso, and tonkotsu. In addition to ramen, they also serve gyoza (Japanese dumplings) and fried chicken karaage (a must order!).

Don’t be fooled by the classic setting, this is not your average French brasserie. Chef Håvard Werkland competed in Bocuse d'Or and worked in fine dining before bringing his signature touch to this long-standing brasserie. On the menu, you’ll find familiar dishes such as turbot with a brown butter and caper sauce, and one of the best tarte tatins we’ve ever had. But there are also French classics with a twist, like Norwegian beef tartare with jalapeño emulsion and triple-cooked fries, and apple and fennel ravioli with an incredible butter sauce. Don’t miss the halibut ceviche with a sauce of aji amarillo and gooseberries – it’s so tropical that one bite transported us to South America. Stop by Vinbaren (the wine bar) for a nightcap after your meal. The wine list is extensive, showcasing all the gems in their cellar as well as fun by the glass options, including Krug, Dom Perignon, and Château d’Yquem.

Speilsalen is the flagship restaurant of the Britannia Hotel. The name translates to "The Hall of Mirrors," which is fitting for such a grand fine dining restaurant. The historic dining room is spectacular, and the presentations are some of the most stunning we've ever seen in a restaurant, with flavors to match. A highlight from a recent meal was the local mountain char served with a laminated brioche ball filled with caramelized yeast butter. The restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star less than a year after opening, and the level has only gone up since then. In our opinion, it won't be long before they earn a second star – or even a third.

The Britannia Hotel has been an icon and a gathering hub in Trondheim since 1870. After a three-year, $160 million dollar (1.5 billion NOK) renovation in 2018, the hotel was transformed once again into the pinnacle of modern luxury. The award-winning, five-star hotel has every amenity you could dream of – fabulous room service breakfast, afternoon tea in the Palm Court, a stunning and extremely relaxing spa, a state-of-the-art fitness center, two restaurants, a cocktail bar, wine bar, and the fine dining restaurant Speilsalen, which received its first Michelin star in 2020.

The Britannia Bar is a must-visit cocktail bar in Trondheim, whether or not you’re a guest of the hotel. On our most recent visit, the award-winning cocktail menu designed by bartender Øyvind Lindgjerdet was inspired by Nordic flavors and ingredients, highlighting important figures from the hotel’s history – from the architect to the painter to the boss. Local spirits such as aquavit, gin, and vodka are showcased alongside regional ingredients like sea buckthorn, pine needles, spruce, and even butter. Our favorite drink celebrated the hotel gardener, Viktor; with botanical gin, toasted cardamom seeds, coconut oil, and lime, it somehow tasted like an aromatic Thai curry!

Jonathan Grill is a carnivore's paradise in Trondheim. Cook your own meat at one of the Japanese-style grill tables, or sit back and relax on the steakhouse side and let the chefs prepare everything for you. The menu focuses on high-quality Nordic ingredients, including meat, seafood, and vegetables. Check the board for a list of daily special cuts from the aging cabinet; we loved the dry-aged beef sirloin from Røros and the grilled Norwegian scallops.

Take the elevator to the 7th floor and step into Kombo, a sky bar so hip and cool it would fit just as easily in New York City as it does in Trondheim. Enjoy the city’s best cocktails alongside street food snacks like Korean fried chicken in the bar, or reserve a table in the restaurant for a tasting menu packed with flavor bomb after flavor bomb. Chef Håvard Klempe keeps the buttery dishes coming (a highlight was the gratinated mussel toast on sourdough bread!), perfectly matched with bartender Jørgen Dons’ cocktail pairing. End the night back in the bar, dancing to the beat of the DJ – Kombo is a vibe!

Chefs Mette Beate Evensen and Martin Hovdal worked in high-end restaurants like the three-Michelin-starred Maaemo before taking over the kitchen at Le Bistro. Here, they serve classic French fare with a focus on local Norwegian produce. Start your meal with buttery blinis topped with Røros sour cream and løyrom, continue with local seafood such as raw Norwegian scallops and fresh lobster on brioche, and finish with a larger main designed for sharing, like a whole turbot on the bone or the signature dry-aged Trøndelag entrecôte. No matter what main you choose, it’s a sides-and-sauce party. (We fell head over heels for their béarnaise!) If you still have room for something sweet, try the classic Norwegian caramel pudding topped with vanilla ice cream.

Chef Lui Lunoe (formerly of Bula Bistro and Punk Royal) has opened a kebab shop in the backyard at Tyven, a music bar and event venue. The menu is small but packed with flavor, with your choice of a juicy lamb kebab with smoked butter or an equally mouthwatering vegetarian option filled with thinly sliced oyster mushrooms. Everything is made in-house, from the bread to the chili oil to the absolutely addicting toum (garlic dip). Whatever you do, don’t leave without ordering the pistachio ice cream – studded with vanilla bean, drizzled with olive oil and sea salt, and impossibly light and creamy, it just might be the best pistachio ice cream we’ve ever had. Added bonus: Kebabaluba is open late!

In the heart of Trondheim, you can find the best of both pub worlds at Phoenix Gastropub, where former fine dining chef Christopher Davidsen and his team serve American comfort food like buttermilk fried chicken and mac’n’cheese, as well as hearty British fare such as fish’n’chips and bangers’n’mash. Wash it all down with a Guinness and finish with a sticky toffee pudding. Phoenix is open daily for lunch and dinner, making it the ultimate watering hole in Trondheim. This is where chefs eat!

Kaffi is an exciting addition to Trondheim’s already impressive coffee scene, run by two-time Norwegian barista champion Adrian Berg and certified coffee judge Silje Arnevik. This roaster supplies beans to some of the best coffee shops in town and also flings open the doors to its tiny café once a week for coffee nerds who want to drop in and try something special. We tasted our way through a set of competition coffees: an anaerobic natural espresso with notes of red plum, orange blossom, and peach, and the most fruit-forward cappuccino we’ve ever had, with notes of banana candy and rum raisin ice cream. The coffee was brewed using the Nucleus Paragon, a frozen stone designed to instantly cool the temperature and retain all the coffee’s flavors in the cup. This is a true destination coffee shop in the Nordics.

Uncles Smash Burgers is a food truck parked on Kongens gate in Trondheim, serving smash burgers made with local ingredients. The must-try burger on the menu is the "Brunost Oklahoma," a Norwegian take on the Oklahoma-style burger with Trønder beef smashed onto the griddle and fried together with onion. The twist? Uncles Smash Burgers uses brunost (caramelized Norwegian brown cheese) instead of regular cheese, resulting in a sweet and salty burger. When combined with cranberry jam, it reminded us of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

Dromedar Kaffebar is a small chain of specialty coffee shops, originally founded in Trondheim in the 90s and now with cafés in Bergen and Stjørdal as well. As Trondheim's first modern coffee bar, they were also among the first to adopt the Scandinavian style of lighter-roasted coffee beans and various hand-brewing techniques. The chain is now owned by roaster Solberg & Hansen, so you’ll find their beans on the shelves.

Connected to The Literary House, Sellanraa is one of the best cafés in Trondheim, and a hub for both book lovers and coffee enthusiasts. In addition to well-known Nordic roasters like Tim Wendelboe, Coffee Collective, and La Cabra, you’ll also find local favorite Pala on offer here. Stop by for a juicy filter coffee or an espresso-based drink and a sweet treat, or sit down for a full lunch. The dishes are simple, made with just a few high-quality ingredients. We loved the seasonal mushroom toast and the lamb kebab served on a savory pancake.

In 2020, Sellanraa expanded their empire by opening a sourdough bakery next door to their café. While Sellanraa is the place to sit down for a full meal, Isak is perfect for a coffee and ready-to-eat items like focaccia sandwiches and sweet buns flavored with seasonal ingredients, such as a fluffy cardamom bun with apple and toffee. Be sure to grab a loaf of bread and a bag of coffee beans to go.

Chef Håvard Klempe and bartender Jørgen Dons turned their long-standing pop-up, Klempe og Dons, into a permanent restaurant with a Mexican twist: Y av Klempe og Dons. Even though head chef Carlos Gutierrez hails from Mexico, don’t expect authentic Mexican food here. Spicy flavors are on the table, paired with local Trøndelag ingredients, such as a tostada topped with fresh halibut ceviche. We loved the cheddar and refried bean croquettes served with salsa macha and crème fraîche, and the battle of the curries with stracciatella, new potatoes, and pumpkin. There’s a cocktail pairing here as well, with all the tequila and mezcal you could dream of!