Thanks Yelpers. Saved time and went to the best local food and pub in Bergen. W o w ! The large draft and bottled beer selection got my tastebuds a rolling. The reindeer plate is soft shredded meat in a delicate thin bread with baby potatoes. The veggies are perfect broccoli, radish, apples and turnips. The yogurt lingonberry sauce, *squealing with delight* creamy yumminess. The veg stew is like veggies and barley, but drier, no gravy. Very healthy and light. The skinny crackers were easy to eat and not salty. We even added some of the reindeer filling to the barley, yum. Service is attentive by many servers. So glad we got here for dinner. They also have a shortened late night menu until 1pm! I felt very comfortable here. read more

Pingvinen - Scandinavian Near Me - Bergen, 12

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Highly Rated on both Yelp and Google... Came for Lunch and had a couple Hearty Stick-to-your-Ribs Dishes... a small Lamb Stew & Meatbals. My travel companion had a Salmon Sandwich, that was served open-faced and reminded me of Lox on a Bagel... Everything was good & we left satisfied. read more

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this place was amazing! 10/10 recommend if you can only go to one restaurant. The ambiance and food were amazing. The fish pie and blueberry soda was some of the best food i've ever had. Try to make a reservation but i bet they have walk in space read more

Pingvinen - Fish pie and blueberry soda - Scandinavian Near Me - Bergen, 12

This was my first ever meal in Norway! We got lucky to snag the last table in the small restaurant - we weren't thinking we had to make reservations. They let us know ahead of time that we'd have to be done by a certain time because another party had the table reserved, which we appreciated. I figured I might as well jump right in and order two of the very few things I knew about Norwegian cuisine - meatballs and lapskaus. Fortuitously, the lapskaus was made with sausage and smoked lamb. I love lamb, particularly when it's really gamey, which it was here. The stew was hearty and delicious enough for me to overlook all the hated celery in it. And the buttered flatbread made me remember how much better all European butter is than American butter, for some reason. While the meatballs themselves weren't all that exciting, the sauce was, and the lingonberries were, and what at first looked like guacamole but was actually mushy peas also were! As a whole meal it was really well balanced. Also, I generally ignore potatoes and these were crispy, flavorful, and surprising. read more

We had the best soup, and local cuisine. Would go back in a heart beat! read more

Pingvinen - Potato and Jerusalem artichoke soup. Outstanding - Scandinavian Near Me - Bergen, 12

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Great spot for lunch. Craft beers on tap and fun decor. After the crowded area near Bryggen and the fish market, a short walk brought us to Pingvinen. As a penguin fan, how could I not love this place? My husband and I tried some Norwegian dishes and thought they were very tasty. The beer delivered as well. As a note, eating out in Norway comes with a price tag! I felt this place was worth the price tag which we found reasonable. read more

The food was good, but the chef overcooked my steak. When I brought it to the attention of the waiter, they confirmed it was overcooked and all they would offer was a 10% discount on all food which was not adequate. read more

This may have been the best food we had in Norway! This little bar was absolutely delightful. They had a good variety of local beers that were tasty. We had the meatballs and they were super tasty...we seriously licked the plate. I loved the peas and the berry sauce. I would highly recommend it! read more

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Great place to try the local food Good service Just did the small plates to get a taste of different foods read more

A nice cozy tavern with great food and beer. Ordered items such as the meatballs and the fish pie. I recommend reserving ahead of time just to guarantee a spot for dinner. read more

Pingvinen - Meatballs - Scandinavian Near Me - Bergen, 12

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Good food, nice local beer. Friendly staff. A short walk from the center of the tourist area. Would return again.

We had great service and Norwegian food here. The space is really friendly with a combination of funky and traditional decor. I'd highly recommend a visit! read more

Loved it. Delicious Norwegian food. Away from the port feels like you're eating with the locals.

This place made for a perfect afternoon stop. A ton of beer on tap and Norwegian cuisine on the menu. I had the salted/sugared cod in Hollandaise sauce. This was served with smashed peas - who knew these would be so good? Fresh new potatoes, and carrots. It was really delicious. My husband had the cod mixed with mashed potatoes and topped with bacon. I was worried he wouldn't like the texture, but he ate the whole thing. Service was quick and friendly. Definitely recommend a stop here! read more

Pingvinen - Salt and sugar cod - Scandinavian Near Me - Bergen, 12

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So cute and great food, and you should check out the images on the bathroom doors. I really liked the local food and great cocktails. Friendly service also! read more

Masterful traditional Norwegian cooking and a lovely bar to boot. The secret is their own personally sourced raw ingredients plus a lot of kitchen skill. How personally sourced is personally sourced? They have lingonberries that are three times the size of commercial lingonberries with three times the taste as well. Where do they get those good lingonberries? They grow them themselves! * * * The menu consists of dishes from the old-school Norwegian cookbook. Fishcakes. Meatballs. Fish Pie. Roast Reindeer. Lapskalis - a hamhock and root vegetable stew. The menu is small and changes regularly. * * * The execution is superlative. I had the meatballs. There are few dishes in the world more dreary than Scandinavian meatballs. If you have any doubts on that point, go to Ikea. Swedish meatballs used to be a featured dish at cafeterias and diners in the United States. They stopped selling them because people stopped buying them. This shows that progress is possible and life can become better. However, Pingvinen's meatballs are to Scandinavian meatballs What the Rolling Stones are to Herman's Hermits. These will rock your world. Rich meaty taste. Suave savory sauce. Comfort food that was also exciting. On the side were mushy peas - the Anglo-Scandinavian staple of green peas mashed like mashed potatoes. In most places, this is hospital food. People mask the peas with mint to cover for the dullness of the dish. In contrast, Mushy Peas are Pure Godhead here. It was like each pea had just been plucked from the garden. There were many whole peas suspended in the puree of peas - and both the puree and the whole peas rolling in pea flavor. Carrots and potatoes rounded out the dish ... Along with those triple sized, triple flavored, eye-popping, mind-blowing lingonberries. These were the Avatar of All Lingonberries and the perfect foil to the meatballs. My wife had the vegan casserole. I was too hypnotized by my meatballs to notice the details of her plate, But she was very very happy with her vegan casserole, and was chatting up the owner in hope of finding other vegan options. She only does that if she is interested in coming back. * * * Two other notes: a) The bar program is excellent. There is a fine selection of Norwegian and imported beers. However, I was in my own happy world with a fine, fine artisanal aquavit. They also have Norwegian Bitter, a blonde version of Italian amaro that you will never find in the United States. You may want to save this till after dinner. b) Desserts are stern. I had what was advertised as a panna cotta or vanilla pudding, which turned out to be a large glass of rhubarb with some pudding gracing the top. The rhubarb was supremely well executed. But you are either a rhubarb lover or you are not. It's like gay or straight. Rhubarb lovers rejoice. There is a "cake of the day" if rhubarb ain't your thing. * * * Overall, a fine fine place. Me personally? I need to go back. I hear fish pie calling my name. read more

Location: In the heart of Bergen. Though really, i think everything is in the heart of Bergen! The place: It's more of a bar where locals go to have a drink. Limited seating, cozy. I can see people coming here on a rainy day (like today) for a drink and some eats. The goods: Those of you who are used to my reviews know that 1) I very rarely eat meat and 2) when I do eat meat, it's almost always worth talking about. I ordered the meatballs with steamed potatoes, mushy peas, some carrots and lingonberry berry jam. Sweet baby Jesus, was that ever good. The meatballs were huge, the gravy was delicious and the jam went beautifully with the meat. Seriously - if you want a traditional Norwegian dish that won't break the bank, come here. Yummo. Service: OK. Look, service in Scandinavia is mediocre at best. I suppose it's because you don't have to tip. Price point: I think this was the equivalent of $24 CDN. About double what I'd pay for this at home but like I said in my previous review, shit is expensive in Norway! read more

No fancy atmosphere here and prices are still high for the area compared to other nearby places. We had the whale steak. Seasoned well but It is a stringy meat. Meatballs and gravy were nothing great. Gravy tasted like it was from a can. The smashed peas were good and the plain boiled potatoes. It was a typical Norwegian dish. Free wifi. They have a cake of the day that looked good for 45nkr. Many beers but they are Norwegian prices! We wouldn't go back. read more

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Super yum food and amazing service. So glad we chose this place for our first meal in Norway. We tried some traditional dishes of pork stew with root vegetables and Atlantic cod with mashed potatoes. The crispy lardons on top, added oodles of flavour. The guy serving us was originally from Netherlands, but having lived locally for a few years, he gave us some great recommendations. We stopped here for lunch, so it was operating more like a homely cafe than a pub, so we had a quiet but fantastic meal. read more

Pingvinen - Scandinavian Near Me - Bergen, 12

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So good, bad, ugly? The Ugly, surprise I don't read Norse, and I parked in a no parking zone so I got a ticket. The bad we drove downtown and los tplacews were packed, but the kind waiter sat us at some bar stools in the corner and made room for us, we were thrilled and grateful. The good or should I say, green this was one of the best meals we had in Norway, like I said the Waiter was super helpful and just did an amazing job. We had a local stew made with potatoes and other stuff the name escapes me and it was so good we could hav eaten just that. Then we both had fish, again excellent, and plentiful the beer was cold and my wife loved her wine. For finding this place on accident we are thrilled with our experience. read more

Very cozy and popular local restaurant! Seemed to have an equal amount of locals and tourists. We ordered a few local beers on tap and entrees which we shared. Wild mountain trout - fresh but a bit bland and had a lot of bones - be careful! Shepherds pie - very popular dish delicious! The restaurant ran out shortly after we ordered. Meatballs - this was my favorite! Felt almost like a thanksgiving meal with gravy and lingonberries. read more

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We visited here on a Wednesday evening, around 8.30. We were seated quite quickly and without any fuss. We ordered some local beers from the beer list and had the deer to share for starters, followed by the meatballs, wolffish, cheese plate and blondie. The food was very delicious, especially the deer starter. All in all, a great place to eat! Would definitely return! read more

The beer hall I would choose to become fat and alcoholic at if I moved to Bergen. Except, Bergen is in Norway which is in Scandinavia so pretty much all of the Western Norwegian food and most of the drink is local, fresh and pure so it is actually pretty hard to become more fat than your body naturally intended based on your genetic tendencies. So says my brain as I eat butter like a chocolate bar and wash it all down with some of the amazing local beers, natural wines and cider. Jeg elsker deg Pingvinen, til vi møtes igjen read more

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Great bar with good choices of local beer. A lot of porters and ipa. We ordered the fish pie to try the local Bergen/western Norwegian food. I highly recommend for something different. The restaurant has a chill coffee vibe. Great place to stop for a break while exploring Bergen! read more

Pingvinen - Beers in the window - Scandinavian Near Me - Bergen, 12

Authentic Norwegian fare. Service outstanding. Staff had the house under control; knew what tables could be made available for both reservation and walk-in. Cheese platter superb. read more

Great local pub with enough food to make things interesting. Very good beer selection. The cod over barley was incredible, could eat it weekly. Already recommended to others. Very accommodating staff. read more

Pingvinen - Cod over barley and special meatballs with peas and lingonberry. - Scandinavian Near Me - Bergen, 12

Fantastic bar and restaurant! The kitchen is open until 10pm, and fun fact, if you order 5 min before it closes, you get the food really fast :). The restaurant/bar is intimate, romantic, and casual all at once. We got the reindeer shanks and Norwegian cheese plate. Reindeer itself is not going to be loved by all. If you love more tendon-y meat, like pigs feet, you will LOVE reindeer (I love reindeer and pigs feet!). It's game-y, chewy, but the flavor here is delicious. Even better than the reindeer shanks is the mashed potatoes. Oh my goodness, buttery with larger chunks of potatoes - maybe some of the best I've ever had! This place deserves 5 stars just for those potatoes! Another reason this place deserves 5 stars is its Norwegian cheese plate. One of the things I love to try in a foreign country is its own cheeses, and Norway won the best cheese prize in 2016, so it's got to be good, right? Well, here at Pingvinen we got to try it AND more. I love that they serve it with this somewhat thin and flimsy (but very tasty) cracker, so when you pair it with the cheese, it doesn't take away from the cheese. Oh boy, I could keep talking about these cheese plate, but do yourself a favor and just come to this place and get it! Love this place, and very reasonable prices to get some traditional Norwegian food in a fun setting. read more

Pingvinen - Four Norwegian cheeses, delicious crackers, and wonderful jam. What else could you want? - Scandinavian Near Me - Bergen, 12

Home style classic Danish Cuisine. If you have not experienced Scandinavian cuisine you will not be disappointed starting here. I enjoyed the pork dish for lunch and would highly recommend you try. The lunch was so good I had to ask for the potato soup after. It was unreal. I highly recommend your make time during your visit. read more

Pingvinen - Scandinavian Near Me - Bergen, 12

I had visited Pingvinen a few years ago and really enjoyed it. It's very popular. We tried our first two days and never a seat available. Lucky, on our last day there was an early afternoon lull and we found seating. Didn't love the high table with stools as I found it uncomfortable and my stool was a bit unstable. The menu is full of traditional Norwegian food. They have a good beer selection too. I enjoyed my Norwegian cider. I ordered the lapskaus (it was a small plate on the menu but they said it was a big portion) while my dining companion went with the meatballs. My lapskaus was not that great. I had a better version on the last trip. I don't know what changed but it wasn't very flavorful. I switched and absolutely loved the meatballs. Very tasty and the sides were perfect. I'd get that one again for sure. Service was just okay. We weren't really checked on and had to ask twice for the check before going up to the bar to pay. read more

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Eating at Pingvinen was like having a Norwegian grandmother cook you a great meal. We enjoyed the food and the restaurant so much that we ate there again a few days later. One tip: Make a reservation! read more

Pingvinen - Fish cake and the wolffish - Scandinavian Near Me - Bergen, 12

Unique menu featuring Scandinavian choices. Good food. Atmosphere solid. Wifi code on the menu is always a bonus. Solid service.

We tried this location per Yelp reviews and we wanted authentic Norwegian cuisine. It's located not far from the cruise port and just through an alley beyond the town square. Note to beer lovers - they have the beer from the oldest brewery in the world and a plethora of other beer selections. While waiting for dinner we took advantage of the free Wi-Fi. We tried the authentic dishes with fish and potatoes and all were exceptional. This was the perfect meal for a perfect day. read more

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Despite making a reservation earlier in the day, when we arrived we were told that the kitchen had closed early and was being cleaned and we were unable to be seated. The restaurant made no attempt to contact us or make reasonable accommodations. They offered us a few restaurants nearby that may be open, but because our reservation was for 22:30 (the only time available when we booked), by the time we arrived the majority of restaurants in Bergen had already closed. Had we been contacted even 15 minutes before our arrival we could have found a substitute restaurant. What's the point of having a reservation system if it's not used to inform the restaurant of how long to keep its kitchen open? I've not had this happened at a restaurant ever before, and it unfortunately put a damper on our first day in Bergen. read more

Amazing good food here! Ordered the beef meatballs and smashed green peas with potatoes and gravy! It was hearty and really tasty! Paired it with their local cider beer! Also very good. Customer service was good. The waiters are super friendly. Highly recommend!! read more

Pingvinen - Menu and local cider - Scandinavian Near Me - Bergen, 12

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We enjoyed this little pub. It can get pretty crowded, so you may have to wait for a bit. We were able to sit at the bar right away. They have a great selection of beer and other drinks. They even had mead which was very good. We ordered the cheese plate, the cured lamb, and the reindeer sausage. We liked all of them and finished our meal with the apple dessert. Overall, a great place to try some traditional Norwegian food with a good variety of drinks. read more

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I can't say enough good things about this restaurant..... I'm in town for only a few days; but would be more than thrilled to eat with these folks every meal. The food was fantastic, the service was excellent (English speaking for those of us who speak zero Norwegian), and the beer selection was spot on! Prices are reasonable, (which tend to be 'high' for American standards), but NOTHING was missing from my experience. If you're in Bergen, eat at Pingvinen! You won't regret it. read more

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Searching for local food infound this gem. It was difficult choosing an authentic norwegian dish but this was a great one! I got the Lapskaus, a stew with salted lamb and rooted vegetables. I was hesitant on the rooted vegetables but gave it a shot anyone. I love stews, there is something about throwing a variety of foods into one pot and coming up with a masterpiece. Still not sure what vegetables other than carrot ls were in the stew but it was all delicious. Enough lamb to veggie ratio, you got a bit of everything in every bite. This one was nothing like anything I had tasted before. There are two sizes to order, I got the smaller one and filled me right up. The warmth of the stew was perfect on that rainy Bergen day. It included Flatbread that had a surprise touch of butter in between. Try a beer, they had plenty to choose from and cheaper than other places I have been to so far. The bartender, who was also the server, was very nice and gave me a brief history about the Norwegian beer I was drinking. I came in at 3pm on a sunday. Sat at the bar and was served quickly. I was hesitant to stay as they did not offer to go and I had a 4pm train to catch. It was a 10 minutes walk to the station and I got there with time to spare. read more

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Very busy late at night, but quiet earlier in the evening. I had the local cheese plate and wine. Server was very friendly, told me about the origins of each cheese and the order the chef recommended enjoying them. Accompanied with thin cracker and a slightly spicy fruit chutney. Excellent early evening appetizer spot, near the center of town and with a cozy, fun atmosphere. read more

Pingvinen - So cozy and fun - Scandinavian Near Me - Bergen, 12

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Long story short, Pingvinen is awesome! Pingvinen is a traditional Norwegian pub located on a nice street in the city centre. Their food is awesome and so authentic! My friend and I often go there to have the open face sandwiches which never fail to disappoint. They have a great selection of craft beers that are priced relatively ok for Norway standards. Their cappuccino is also the best one I have found in all Norway so far! Would recommend going to Pingvinen to get your taste of authentic Norwegian cuisine! read more

Pingvinen - Scandinavian Near Me - Bergen, 12

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So delicious, best place we ate in Bergen and always packed. We actually liked it so much we went twice on our trip. Everything we ate was delicious . read more