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Recommended Reviews - Rorbua
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We were in search of traditional Norwegian cuisine for lunch, so our tour guide suggested a restaurant. Strangely, when we arrived at 1pm, the restaurant was empty, while the one next door was full. Despite this, we trusted our guide and requested a table. The server initially seated us at a small table away from the windows, but eventually moved us to a window table when we insisted that we would be quick. This happened even though the restaurant was empty, and this is the main reason why I didn't give it a 5-star review. We shared the grilled reindeer and whale plate, which was delicious, but the portion was on the smaller side.
This restaurant is open on Monday when most other restaurants are closed, which is why we ended up here. The big draw is you can try specialized local meats, like reindeer and whale. You can also have fish or other things you might be used to if that's not what you're into. I personally opted for the fish. It was bustling and busy but our large group was able to get a table without a reservation. I was also glad to try Mack beer with my meal. We had a nice time and we were glad to sit inside because it was chilly outside. The restaurant is kind of in a touristy area, which made it convenient to walk to from our hotel.
We got the Taste of Norway meat skewer (reindeer, beef, deer, whale) and the multi meat stew. Both were amazing. Neither of us had eaten whale before and we were surprised that it looked like normal red meat but tasted a little salty. We also trie Aquavit and our server gave us 2 suggestions for which kind to get (1 normal year round and 1 specialty "Christmas time" one). We finished up the meal with some buttered lefse and were very happy choosing to come here! Excellent choice for those looking for traditional Norwegian food!
I very much enjoyed my meal at Rorbua. The restaurant is a traditional Norwegian eatery with a beautiful position across from the waterfront and has a range of indoor and outdoor seating with a nautical theme. I sat outside at the back where there was beautiful sunshine on a perfect spring day. The restaurant prides itself on serving traditional food and so I decided to go for the "taste of Norway" skewer which included chunks of whale, reindeer, venison and sirloin, served with roasted new potatoes, salad, and cranberries. I was a little disappointed which the whale (which is really what I was most excited about) -- it tasted similar to a chewy tuna steak. But overall an impressive combo with generous portion. To order food to have to either go to the bar or order on an app as a waiter will not come to your table to take the order. They do come to bring the food out. Would definitely come again to try something else on the menu. Prices tend to be high, but that's the norm for Norway.
The service was friendly and everyone spoke English. It was nice to taste the variety of meats but it is just one bite of each. The deer was too sinewy to chew and the whale reminds me of liver. The restaurant has a pier and boating vibe in decor.
Rorbua is a restaurant located at the Oslo harbour. They serve traditional Norwegian dishes. Norwegian cuisine can seem strange to foreigners. We started off with the nordnorsk fjøl. It's a starter plate that includes moose sausage, reindeer heart, whale meat, halibut, salmon, rakfisk and I am pretty sure there was something else, but I can't remember. I think it was deer paté. This platter was...interesting. The rakfisk, which is salted and fermented fish, was probably the hardest item to eat. Although paté and heart are not easy things to eat either. You need a very adventurous palate for this appetizer. As a main meal, I went safe. I opted for beef tenderloins in wine sauce. This meal was great. They have a pretty good selection of beers. The restaurant is cozy and decorated like a fisherman's house. The wait staff were extremely polite and friendly. I doubt I would try Norwegian food again, but Rorbua is a fun place and it's worth experimenting with different flavors. 4 stars.
We sat outside for dinner, to enjoy the nice weather that Oslo had to offer us. We ordered the Shrimps in a Bucket, Whale Steak, and Meat Skewer. The Shrimps in a Bucket had SO MANY SHRIMPS it's like they gave us the whole boat load. This was served with salad and lemon wedges. The Whale Steak was a huge piece of whale with a mushroom gravy (which was to die for), on some fingerling potatoes. The Skewer consisted of whale, beef, reindeer, and deer meat, with bell peppers, onions, and mushroom, on top of a bed of vegetables and potatoes. The shrimps were very delicious and all of them had eggs in them, which was a very rare sight for us. The Whale steak was very delicious, and the gravy elevated the flavor so much. The meat on the skewers were a lot tougher than I wanted them to be. The deer was very gamey, and probably my least favorite. The whale on this skewer tasted very very similar to the beef.
Following Yelp reviews, we found that gem in Oslo :) We went there on Monday and, although we were a little adventurous on the order, we liked it a lot! Since it will be probably one of the very few times we will order norwegian food, I ordered the Nordnorsk Fjøl and my partner the whale platter with mushroom sauce and veggies. The Nordnorsk Fjøl (249NOK) was having smoked whale, marinated redfish with lingonberry, Masck-beer marinated stock fish, moose sausage, smoked reindeer heart, venison stew, peppered trout and smoked and cured halibut. All was so good...! Definitely more than enough food for one person and perfect to share between 2-3 as entrant. If that wasn't enough, I got to try my partner's plate (I don't remember the exact name, but it was Whale steak with mushrooms sauce). It was just unbeliable. Incredible. Wondefully done medium-rare. And the mushrooms salsa was as amazing as the whale meat. Totally worth the price (I believe was around 300NOK). Moreover, the woman that attended us was so friendly and caring a lot that everything was going well. She made us feel so welcome and comfortable and was giving us all the detailed explanations about the food. The place is decorated very accordingly with the placement (at the harbour) as it reminds of a mariner house or an inside of a boad (everything is made of wood).
Much better than the crappy view restaurants on the strand, you need to come HERE if you're looking great Norwegian food in a more casual, pub experience of their cuisine. Right behind stuffy and far more pricey Loftogren is the cosy tavern Rorbua. Little booths and big group benches, there's a vibe for everyone. The food is Norwegian traditional, with the obligatory burger. Ironically the Norwegians are downing the burgers and the tourists are sucking down the Norwegian food! We enjoyed a couple of shrimp sandwiches and a nice Hefe Weissbier. They have AC, a nice plus on an 85 degree day in Oslo. Service was good and quick. An easy walk from the tram #12 or the bus at Akker Bridge. Check this place out!
Rorbua offered us what we were looking for in the entire trip of Norway. The dish weordered was perfectly flavored. Good stop by place when you are strolling in the city and want to have a view of castle by water!
Allllll the way down the peir, but traditional norwegian fare makes it worth it. Norwegian meatballs "just like grandmother makes it" according to the waitress were really good. Husband got the norwegian sampler platter, including everything from whale to reindeer, not to mention the herring. Decent local beer selections too.
Rorboa is locate just off the water from the Oslo harbor area. Selection on the menu ranged from seafood to moose. Had a variety of dishes that we shared. 2 starters, and a entree each. Was almost too much food. Fantastic taste.
In Oslo for the night and found this searching the internet. Located in Akyr Brygge. My fiancée and I shared the Norwegian Platter that had different meats and fish. It was a large starter to split amongst two. For our main course we shared the fish soup and reindeer. The fish soup is nice and creamy and full of seafood. The reindeer was cooked perfectly (as per our server 'medium minus') and went well with the lingonberries! We were so full afterwards. The decor of the restaurant is nice - looks like a fisherman's cabin and has a boat for the bad. Really cool place. Glad we stumbled across this for hearty Norwegian dinner.
2 months ago
Food was awful, meats couldn't have been more overcooked if they tried. Service was inattentive, not once were we asked how we were doing but when it came time to pay they really tried to get me to tip. Ambiance was okay, the restaurant is set up like as if they catch fresh fish themselves daily. For how tough all the meat was I really can't believe they gave me a butter knife to cut it. It was like trying to cut car tire. I wish I never went here to begin with, would never recommend this place to anyone! read more
11 months ago
We were in search of traditional Norwegian cuisine for lunch, so our tour guide suggested a restaurant. Strangely, when we arrived at 1pm, the restaurant was empty, while the one next door was full. Despite this, we trusted our guide and requested a table. The server initially seated us at a small table away from the windows, but eventually moved us to a window table when we insisted that we would be quick. This happened even though the restaurant was empty, and this is the main reason why I didn't give it a 5-star review. We shared the grilled reindeer and whale plate, which was delicious, but the portion was on the smaller side. read more
This restaurant is open on Monday when most other restaurants are closed, which is why we ended up here. The big draw is you can try specialized local meats, like reindeer and whale. You can also have fish or other things you might be used to if that's not what you're into. I personally opted for the fish. It was bustling and busy but our large group was able to get a table without a reservation. I was also glad to try Mack beer with my meal. We had a nice time and we were glad to sit inside because it was chilly outside. The restaurant is kind of in a touristy area, which made it convenient to walk to from our hotel. read more
11 months ago
3 years ago
We got the Taste of Norway meat skewer (reindeer, beef, deer, whale) and the multi meat stew. Both were amazing. Neither of us had eaten whale before and we were surprised that it looked like normal red meat but tasted a little salty. We also trie Aquavit and our server gave us 2 suggestions for which kind to get (1 normal year round and 1 specialty "Christmas time" one). We finished up the meal with some buttered lefse and were very happy choosing to come here! Excellent choice for those looking for traditional Norwegian food! read more
2 years ago
I very much enjoyed my meal at Rorbua. The restaurant is a traditional Norwegian eatery with a beautiful position across from the waterfront and has a range of indoor and outdoor seating with a nautical theme. I sat outside at the back where there was beautiful sunshine on a perfect spring day. The restaurant prides itself on serving traditional food and so I decided to go for the "taste of Norway" skewer which included chunks of whale, reindeer, venison and sirloin, served with roasted new potatoes, salad, and cranberries. I was a little disappointed which the whale (which is really what I was most excited about) -- it tasted similar to a chewy tuna steak. But overall an impressive combo with generous portion. To order food to have to either go to the bar or order on an app as a waiter will not come to your table to take the order. They do come to bring the food out. Would definitely come again to try something else on the menu. Prices tend to be high, but that's the norm for Norway. read more
The service was friendly and everyone spoke English. It was nice to taste the variety of meats but it is just one bite of each. The deer was too sinewy to chew and the whale reminds me of liver. The restaurant has a pier and boating vibe in decor. read more
8 years ago
Rorbua is a restaurant located at the Oslo harbour. They serve traditional Norwegian dishes. Norwegian cuisine can seem strange to foreigners. We started off with the nordnorsk fjøl. It's a starter plate that includes moose sausage, reindeer heart, whale meat, halibut, salmon, rakfisk and I am pretty sure there was something else, but I can't remember. I think it was deer paté. This platter was...interesting. The rakfisk, which is salted and fermented fish, was probably the hardest item to eat. Although paté and heart are not easy things to eat either. You need a very adventurous palate for this appetizer. As a main meal, I went safe. I opted for beef tenderloins in wine sauce. This meal was great. They have a pretty good selection of beers. The restaurant is cozy and decorated like a fisherman's house. The wait staff were extremely polite and friendly. I doubt I would try Norwegian food again, but Rorbua is a fun place and it's worth experimenting with different flavors. 4 stars. read more
We sat outside for dinner, to enjoy the nice weather that Oslo had to offer us. We ordered the Shrimps in a Bucket, Whale Steak, and Meat Skewer. The Shrimps in a Bucket had SO MANY SHRIMPS it's like they gave us the whole boat load. This was served with salad and lemon wedges. The Whale Steak was a huge piece of whale with a mushroom gravy (which was to die for), on some fingerling potatoes. The Skewer consisted of whale, beef, reindeer, and deer meat, with bell peppers, onions, and mushroom, on top of a bed of vegetables and potatoes. The shrimps were very delicious and all of them had eggs in them, which was a very rare sight for us. The Whale steak was very delicious, and the gravy elevated the flavor so much. The meat on the skewers were a lot tougher than I wanted them to be. The deer was very gamey, and probably my least favorite. The whale on this skewer tasted very very similar to the beef. read more
2 years ago
8 years ago
Following Yelp reviews, we found that gem in Oslo :) We went there on Monday and, although we were a little adventurous on the order, we liked it a lot! Since it will be probably one of the very few times we will order norwegian food, I ordered the Nordnorsk Fjøl and my partner the whale platter with mushroom sauce and veggies. The Nordnorsk Fjøl (249NOK) was having smoked whale, marinated redfish with lingonberry, Masck-beer marinated stock fish, moose sausage, smoked reindeer heart, venison stew, peppered trout and smoked and cured halibut. All was so good...! Definitely more than enough food for one person and perfect to share between 2-3 as entrant. If that wasn't enough, I got to try my partner's plate (I don't remember the exact name, but it was Whale steak with mushrooms sauce). It was just unbeliable. Incredible. Wondefully done medium-rare. And the mushrooms salsa was as amazing as the whale meat. Totally worth the price (I believe was around 300NOK). Moreover, the woman that attended us was so friendly and caring a lot that everything was going well. She made us feel so welcome and comfortable and was giving us all the detailed explanations about the food. The place is decorated very accordingly with the placement (at the harbour) as it reminds of a mariner house or an inside of a boad (everything is made of wood). read more
Much better than the crappy view restaurants on the strand, you need to come HERE if you're looking great Norwegian food in a more casual, pub experience of their cuisine. Right behind stuffy and far more pricey Loftogren is the cosy tavern Rorbua. Little booths and big group benches, there's a vibe for everyone. The food is Norwegian traditional, with the obligatory burger. Ironically the Norwegians are downing the burgers and the tourists are sucking down the Norwegian food! We enjoyed a couple of shrimp sandwiches and a nice Hefe Weissbier. They have AC, a nice plus on an 85 degree day in Oslo. Service was good and quick. An easy walk from the tram #12 or the bus at Akker Bridge. Check this place out! read more
8 years ago
Rorbua offered us what we were looking for in the entire trip of Norway. The dish weordered was perfectly flavored. Good stop by place when you are strolling in the city and want to have a view of castle by water! read more
Allllll the way down the peir, but traditional norwegian fare makes it worth it. Norwegian meatballs "just like grandmother makes it" according to the waitress were really good. Husband got the norwegian sampler platter, including everything from whale to reindeer, not to mention the herring. Decent local beer selections too. read more
Rorboa is locate just off the water from the Oslo harbor area. Selection on the menu ranged from seafood to moose. Had a variety of dishes that we shared. 2 starters, and a entree each. Was almost too much food. Fantastic taste. read more
8 years ago
In Oslo for the night and found this searching the internet. Located in Akyr Brygge. My fiancée and I shared the Norwegian Platter that had different meats and fish. It was a large starter to split amongst two. For our main course we shared the fish soup and reindeer. The fish soup is nice and creamy and full of seafood. The reindeer was cooked perfectly (as per our server 'medium minus') and went well with the lingonberries! We were so full afterwards. The decor of the restaurant is nice - looks like a fisherman's cabin and has a boat for the bad. Really cool place. Glad we stumbled across this for hearty Norwegian dinner. read more
Rorbua means fishing hut in Norwegian. This place is styled in such theme and has lots of wood and benches for seating. The style is simple and casual. The menu is classic Norwegian and comprises of seafood and local classics like reindeer, moose, deer and so on. I setttled for the mussels and the waitress also recommended it. A very good decision as you get a ton of it and it tastes amazing. Dessert was also very nice and i really enjoyed the meal. Service was a bit slow but that's ok, the prices were quite reasonable. They also have a nice selection of local beers and acquavit :-) I would happily come here again. read more
9 years ago
Although branded a "traditional Norwegian" restaurant, it struck me as a bit of an outlier. This is where you go to eat the forbidden fruits: whale, reindeer, etc. And where else would you have a shot of Thor Heyerdahl aquavit? After the schnapps, we began with a tasting platter, served on a board. I believe this contained smoked whale, reindeer sausage, smoked baby shark, what I understood to be deer terrine, cured salmon, halibut, etc. Enough for four as a starter, and everything was delicious, well except for the whale which I wasn't thrilled to be eating, but when in Rome... My main course was a reindeer steak. This was perfectly cooked but a bit chewy. It was served in a sort of bacon jus, which was quite good. My buddy had the mixed (elk, reindeer, venison) stew and enjoyed it, although he was unable to distinguish the meats. My companion had the warm mixed seafood salad. She was ambivalent about that one. Our reservation was honored, and service was decent enough. I thought prices were pretty good, given this is a port area restaurant in Oslo. Dinner for four with drinks (no dessert) ran a bit more than $250. Overall, an interesting, if somewhat touristy experience. read more
9 years ago
Fresh Seafood, good value for money friendly staff. The environment is cosy and it's in a good location close to the city centre. We had the salmon, moule frites and the dish of the day. All dishes were tasty and 7 out of 8 people got full. Me being the hungry one (the reason is most likely because I didn't have enough lunch and had a ski session of 40k yesterday). They have a few more beer on tap alternatives than most places (about 4-5?) in case you want anything else than a pilsner. Will most likely visit again read more
Very good food experience. Came here with a friend and most aspects of this restaurant is fine. I had the reindeer stew which consisted of reindeer of course, moose and deer and one other meat I believe. Accompanying it was mashed potatoes and a regional favorite--lingonberries. The entree was cooked very well. Topping it off with the berries enhanced the flavor and offered a sweetness to the dish. The amount was plenty, and I was full soon after eating. My friend had the mussels. They were cooked very well and were very tender. I did not really care for the vegetables that came cooked with it--really I'm not a fan of leeks but that is just a personal preference. We both had the berry cider which is super good. Something I don't usually get is dessert. I was curious about the apple cake with ice cream. Although good, it wasn't great. Unfortunately the cake burned in the pan a little and with the edges of the cake, the overpowering burnt taste was too much at times. The service was ok. It wasn't very personal at all. She was friendly enough and took our drink and food orders, that's about it. She did come by once to check on us. The restaurant itself was decorated nicely with a pretty legit rustic theme going on. There is a giant community table in the middle so I'm sure once seating starts to fill up you will probably be seated at the community table. Overall, in my opinion this was a pretty good place to get some good Norwegian grub. read more
Really cool dining experience, from the rustic design of the kitchen to the unique offerings. We tried everything that was "foreign" to us - so the reindeer, whale, and deer in the form of samplers. We ordered the appetizer sampler which featured an assortment of fish (salmon, halibut, red fish, etc) and meats (whale, reindeer, etc) which were served smoked, raw, or in pate form. That was a good start into Norwegian cuisine so we tried the Taste of Norway which had 4 types of meats commonly enjoyed by locals, I believe. We only had one night in Oslo so I'm glad we had dinner here because it gave us a good idea of what true Norwegian cuisine is all about! read more
Locals recommended we try a few of Norway's delicacies- whale and reindeer. Came to Rorbua to sample their "taste of Norway" based on the lovely reviews from previous Yelpers. There must have been a chef or management change since those reviews. We ordered: The taste of Norway skewer platter (1/10)- one large skewer stick with a sample cut of whale, deer, beef and reindeer. Comes with a side salad and some fried baby potatoes. Meat was all extremely over cooked and dry. Food arrived at room temperature which makes me question the freshness of the meats. Salad was soaked, if not slightly floating in oil. Moose, reindeer and beef stew (1/10)- stew with a few cubes of each meat with a side of mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce. Meat flavour of moose and reindeer were indistinguishable from regular beef because it was simply so over cooked. The dryness of the meat was masked by all the gravy. Mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce were solid. Or maybe they tasted better in contrast to the rest of the food we were eating. A faux pas I really try not to do, but since the food was disappointing to eat, we notified our waitress. The kitchen simply reheated our stew in a microwave. The dish came back hot including the plate itself. The meats came back slathered in oil and burnt . It was slightly worrisome to think they put our pre-eaten meat back on the grill where they cook other patron's fresh dishes. We were surprised a new dish was not made, instead the returned dishes came back worst then they were before being sent back to the kitchen. Food (1/10) I was really excited about the food offering but was disappointed in the quality of the food. Service (1/10)- The only way to get water is to walk up to the bar and eventually end up serving yourself, not by design. Bread service is only served if you get the lucky waitress that remembers to bring it. Beer arrived an inch away from the rim. Food and drinks (beer) were cleared from table without asking - goodbye unfinished beer :( Would not recommend. read more
10 years ago
I hope in time my vegetarian friends will forgive my sins... Since I've been traveling in Norway, I've been determined to eat every adorable critter I can't in the states. I was having trouble finding reindeer, but then I discovered this place. It was an awesome last dinner filled with moose, reindeer whale, elk, and various fishes. The restaurant is pretty large and has both tables and bar seating. It's Norwegian comfort food with foodie twist. And the prices seemed low relative to many Oslo places read more
12 years ago
If you want to experience Norwegian, delicious food, this is the perfect place to do it. Nice location, good atmosphere, would recommend prebooking the table during weekends. We had smoked whale, rorbuas bacalao and viltgryte. The flavours are perfectly combined, good portions, but most importabtly, it's the kind of food that melts in your mouth. Highly recommend it! read more
7 years ago
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8 years ago
Tried fish soup and seafood salad. They are claimed norwagean style. Both are delicious. The only surprise is That there are barely any veggie in the salad. Recommended. read more
10 years ago
Very cute place. We went here on our last night in Norway and were seated right away. It was on the water but set back more so less crowded then the restaurants with a water view. I ordered the shrimps and me not being much of a seafood person did not know what to expect. I thought I would get some shrimp I could just pick up and eat, but nooooooo. These were WHOLE SHRIMPS, eyeball, eggs, and ALL!!! Not only was this my first time ordering shrimp at a restaurant, but this was my first time having to pop the head and tail off, along with peeling the legs and shell off. It was quite comical and I even had the waiter show me the best way. Almost all of the shrimp literally had like thousands of eggs in them which he said was a delicacy to some. Brave ol' me did try the eggs, but that was about it. The rest went in the bucket with the shells. If you have the Oslo pass you also get a percentage off your bill (I think it was 20%, but don't quote me on that). For as much shrimp as I got I thought the price was quite reasonable. I believe I paid like 152 NOK which is about $18 USD. I did not think I was going to be full, but boy was I. It also came with mayonnaise and bread. I didn't touch the mayonnaise much if at all!! The process of peeling was a lot of work, but it was a fun experience!! Great place and great staff!! Definitely a must try!!! P.S. the bathroom is unisex and has multiple stalls inside....don't be scared if you walk out of the stall and there is the opposite sex washing their hands. Happened to my friend! lol She thought she was in the wrong bathroom!! read more
7 years ago
Since it was the Monday after Easter Sunday, I had called to make sure the restaurant was going to be open and its hours of operation. My party of three arrived at 7 pm and we were asked if we had a reservation, we didn't. We were seated promptly and given the menu, by the way I already knew what I wanted since I had reviewed it prior. We all ordered the Mack arctic beer which was very light and pleasant. My friend ordered the salmon and we ordered the Viltgryte which is a taste of Norway, moose, deer and reindeer served with mash potatoes. I must say that it was my first time trying these meats, and I loved them. My friend enjoyed her salmon. read more
7 years ago
Outstanding! Popped in here for lunch and couldn't be happier. Cod open face sandwich was fresh and exploding with flavor. My lady enjoyed a seafood soup that had Cod, salmon, and prawns (of different varieties). Bread was good and included. Great beer selection and the house wine was better than the americas. read more
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More info about Rorbua
Stranden 71
0250 Oslo
Norway
Aker Brygge
Directions
22 83 64 84
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http://www.rorbua.as
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10 years ago
7 years ago
