While Scandinavia is home to some of the world’s best restaurants, it’s not exactly known for being a particularly affordable dining destination. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get some good meals here if you’re traveling on a budget or craving a quick bite. That’s why we decided to make a guide to our favorite cheap eats in Oslo – the street food, the hidden gems, the best take-away. These value-for-money dishes are a perfect meal on-the-go, and they’re all under 130 Norwegian kroner (most of them under 100 NOK).
Looking for more great spots for food and drinks in Norway’s capital? Check out our city map of Oslo!
The Best Cheap Eats in Oslo
To make this guide, we set up some criteria. First, we decided to cap the list at 130 NOK per food item (roughly $15 USD). We didn’t include sit-down restaurants, only food you can take to go and eat in your hand while walking. No pastries are included in this guide, as we decided this list should be composed of savory, substantial food items that qualify as a meal. Lastly, to keep this list to only our favorite spots, we decided to only include one food item per category – one burger, one fried chicken sandwich, one falafel, etc. We will keep this guide updated as we discover more cheap eats in Oslo!
Syverkiosken – Hot Dog (20-35 NOK)
For the least fancy meal in Oslo, head to Syverkiosken near Alexander Kiellands plass. This iconic hot dog stand has been around since 1979 and is the last remaining kiosk of its kind. While there’s only one type of sausage on the menu, the Wiener (Viennese style), Syverkiosken makes up for it with a vast selection of toppings. The pølse starts at 20 kroner, and all toppings (including a lompe or bun) cost extra.
SYVERKIOSKEN Address & Contact Information Maridalsveien 45B, Oslo, Norway Instagram Facebook
Stykke – Pizza Slice (54-59 NOK)
After a trip to NYC, two pizza lovers were inspired to bring a New York slice shop to Oslo. They’ve developed a dough recipe that pays tribute to their New York pizza heroes, while still giving it their own mark. Our favorite is the White Pizza, inspired by Best Pizza in Williamsburg, which comes topped with ricotta, mozzarella, caramelized onions, and parsley. At their new location, they’ve also added Szechuan wings. Crispy and juicy fried chicken with a kick? Yes, please!
STYKKE Address & Contact Information Møllergata 12, Oslo, Norway Instagram Facebook
Focacceria – Focaccia (30-72 NOK)
Focacceria is one of Oslo’s hidden gems. Located next door to the wildly popular Villa Paradiso pizzeria in Markveien in Grünerløkka is this little hole-in-the-wall shop that specializes in focaccia – fluffy squares loaded with fresh Italian ingredients. In our opinion, Focacceria is endlessly more interesting than its famous big brother. Don’t miss out on the focaccia sandwich with truffle mortadella, if it’s available.
FOCACCERIA Address & Contact Information Markveien 34, Oslo, Norway Website Instagram Facebook
Falafel Me – Falafel Wrap (59 NOK)
Our favorite falafel wrap in Oslo can be found at Falafel Me, on Storgata in the city center. They make their own crispy, flavorful falafels and wrap them up with fresh veggies and sauces of your choosing for only 59 kroner. Go all in and get it with everything, and definitely try the hot sauce, which is like a chili mayo.
FALAFEL ME Address & Contact Information Storgata 13, Oslo, Norway Instagram Facebook
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Stangeriet – Pulled Chicken Sandwich (89 NOK)
The pulled confit chicken sandwich from Stangeriet is our favorite thing to eat while shopping in Mathallen. The juicy chicken is marinated with lots of herbs and served on a soft fluffy bun with coleslaw, red onions, and aioli.
STANGERIET Address & Contact Information Vulkan 5, Oslo, Norway Website Instagram Facebook
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Illegal Burger – Burger (112-124 NOK)
Illegal Burger serves our favorite takeout burger in Oslo. Their Josper-grilled burgers are as juicy and umami-rich as they come, and the oven-roasted potatoes are always perfectly crispy. Line up in their tiny venue in Møllergata or go to the new and bigger restaurant at Grünerløkka. Our favorite burger here is the Gourmet, served with truffle mayo, mushrooms, and cheese.
ILLEGAL BURGER Address & Contact Information Olaf Ryes plass 4, Oslo, Norway Instagram Facebook
Freddy Fuego – Burrito (120-130 NOK)
Freddy Fuego is our go-to place when we are craving burritos in Oslo. This independent, local burrito joint slow cooks all their meat and veggies, and makes their own salsas. Our favorite filling is the succulent pork – we stuff our burrito with rice, beans, cheese, sour cream, roasted peppers, and onions, and their signature xni pec hot sauce with marinated red onions and oregano.
FREDDY FUEGO Address & Contact Information Hausmanns gate 31a, Oslo, Norway Website Instagram Facebook
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Fly Chicken – Fried Chicken Sandwich (125 NOK)
What started as a pop-up now has several Oslo outposts as well as other locations in Norway’s major cities. Fly Chicken serves crispy fried chicken sandwiches on fluffy brioche buns. Go for the classic Fly Sandwich – deep-fried chicken topped with jalapeños, bacon, coleslaw, and cheddar cheese. It’s clucking good!
FLY CHICKEN Address & Contact Information Torggata 9, Oslo, Norway Website Instagram Facebook
What are your favorite cheap eats in Oslo? Please leave a comment below.
King Falafel
Yes, we are looking forward to testing that one the next time we are in Oslo! Lots of people recommending it.
I find this list disappointingly short (are there really not any more cheap eats in Oslo deserving a mention?) so I’m gonna mention a few more places that I have tried several times and wouldn’t mind go back to.
Haralds Vaffel (Olaf Ryes plass 3, entrance from Markveien)
Norwegian cultural heritage cheap eats reigns supreme! I suspect you may have excluded this gem from your list based on waffles being in the pastry category? I disagree! The Bacon-bluecheese waffle (89 NOK) is savoury treat guaranteed to please!
Knerten & Camên (Rådhusgata 20)
People working in the Kvadraturen area know this is one of Oslo’s best bánh mì’s. Only 79 NOK!
It’s also one of Oslo’s few remaining traditional newspaper & tobacco kiosks.
D-SAN Asian Street Food (Torggata 29)
This is also a more than decent bánh mì place, always busy, but always a free window seat looking out at bustling Torggata. 85 NOK for the bánh mì’s. Good selection of bubble tea and other “exotic drinks”. I recommend the lychee soda.
Precious Kebab / Crow Bar (Torggata 32)
When I’m in the Torggata area I sometimes crave a Precious Kebab (108 NOK) from the second floor of Crow Bar & Brewery. I never grow tired of that roasted pork knuckle meat!
Bindaas (Torggata 30)
Yet another great value option in Torggata is the Chicken Kathi Roll (109 NOK) from Bindaas. It’s super easy to eat on the go and tastes really fresh and savoury.
When it comes to burgers, I would argue that Way Down South (129 NOK), Troys (109-122 NOK) and Munchies (108-124 NOK) deserve to be on the list as much as Illegal Burger. From what I can tell the burger scene (handheld!) in Oslo has evened out. Troys is not as good as they once were, and Munchies has picked up from a long period of sub-par performance. I guess Illegal has the longest running consistent quality in Oslo, though, so it’s a safe choice.
Hey Mats. Sorry to hear you are disappointed, but you might have noticed a little thing called COVID-19. We can’t exactly travel to Oslo right now. 😉 This list will be updated once we can travel again, and test new spots, but it will also be limited to our favorite in each category (as mentioned in the intro part). That’s why Illegal is the only burger listed because it is our favorite of the fast-food burgers. We have a burger guide that mentions most of the others you list.
Harald’s Vaffel won’t make this list – we consider that more of a dessert place (even if they have a savory option, which we haven’t tried, so it couldn’t have made the current version of this list anyway). The rest on your list we haven’t been to yet, but thanks for recommending them. We’re looking forward to testing more cheap-eats once Norway welcomes travelers again.
Good comment!
However, I would argue that when it comes to Banh Mi, D-San is one of the worst places in Oslo. You have several Banh Mi options such as Banh Mi cousins, BeiBei, Dalat, Xin Chao (Amazing) and Banh mi Baby, which are all levels above. Never tried Knerten & C., so will try that tip for sure!
One of my fave cheap eats in Oslo is the pho soup at Torggata (Dalat Cafe). Back when I had to fly to Oslo twice a week for work, this is my place to go whenever I feel like having noodle soup
I’d like to add Go Grilla – best burgers and fries in town in my opinion, and I have tried almost all burger joints that have been mentioned here and elsewhere
Hey, thanks for the tip. Unless Go Grilla has made some major changes in the last years, I wasn’t that impressed when I tried their food, sadly. :/
Troy’s beat Illegal in your big burger test a few years back, no? Has your feelings towards Troy’s changed since then?
The burger test a few years ago only compared the plain cheeseburger at Illegal with the plain cheeseburger at Troy’s. Also, the results of that test came from an average of scores from a burger jury of close friends. But yes, the last time we went to Troy’s (summer of 2020) we were very disappointed in the burger. Illegal’s truffle burger is our favorite fast food burger in Oslo, while St. Lars still serves our favorite burger overall (this one didn’t qualify for the cheap eats guide).
Punjab Tandoori, Grønland Torg
The makeshift operarions in and around Torggata that serve somali food and coal grilled home baked kurdish kebabs to “club members” (sometimes used as an excuse to refuse women and Norwegian people)
Those are the ridiculously cheap options
Doesn’t sound relevant to most people then, and discriminatory against women.
Come and visit us at Skyggesiden Grill. We would like to have your feedback 🙂
Thanks, we’ll definitely consider it. 🙂
I am surprised noone mentions Miss Gin on Thorvald Meyers Gate which has an outstanding selection of banh mi- far superior to the one served by Banh Mi Cousins and DSan.
Thanks for the tip!