A moment to yourself: the best book cafés in Oslo
- Mario
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Picture this: you've spent half a day wandering through an unfamiliar city. Your feet are aching, it's freezing cold, and you've absorbed quite enough impressions for one day. At moments like these, it's absolutely wonderful to find somewhere you can ground yourself. A bit of peace, a bit of relative quiet.
For me, such places are often filled with books and I love book cafés. There are two reasons for this. I find an enormous sense of calm emanating from books and the stories they contain. And I feel comfortable in such places, able to be still and alone without pressure, without needing an excuse. If you're that sort of person too, I'd love to share a few fantastic tips for escaping the bustle of the city, reading a book, or simply staring out the window for an hour. Let us set off on a little trip past the best book cafés in Oslo.
Elling
You could say this little gem hides in plain sight, given the enormous number of people streaming out of the busy National Teateret metro station, completely oblivious to its existence. Café Elling sits one floor above street level, which gives you a marvellous view of everything passing by below. Great or a fair share of people-watching. And that fits perfectly with what Café Elling takes its name from. When Ingvar Ambjørnsen's Utsikt til paradiset was published in 1993, a literary cult figure was born. The novels sketch out vulnerability and wisdom, humour and loneliness. They've been filmed, dramatised, and read by hundreds of thousands. Elling is also a reader and a curious observer. Hence the name. And that parallel naturally extends to reading books as well, as a reader, you're curious and observant by definition.
Now, about the place itself, possibly one of the best book cafés in Oslo. The interior is exceptionally tasteful. You might call it mid-century Scandinavian, without it feeling particularly nostalgic. Deep earth tones alternating with accents in light blue and, naturally, plenty of brown veneer. Lovely armchairs, comfortable seats, and, not least, proper reading lamps by the windows. And as I mentioned, right in the city centre. Perfect, then, for a little break. The fantastic location might explain the slightly absurd price of a cappuccino: NOK 50 for a modest cup of coffee with frothed milk. Yea, yea, inflation... and all that jazz.
Deichmanske
Your next option for a few hours of undisturbed reading pleasure is perhaps the Deichmanske Library opposite Oslo Central Station. I must confess that when the building was under construction a few years ago and I walked past it every day, I didn't have terribly high expectations. An apparently massive concrete behemoth was rising from behind banners featuring promising renders of the interior. But my jaw dropped when this palace of knowledge opened its doors. Inside especially, it's truly an architectural masterpiece. Step onto the escalator and let it carry you through the full space, experience the depth and mystery of what is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful libraries built in recent years. Hats off to Lund Hagem Arkitekter and Atelier Oslo, who were responsible for the design.
Every floor is worth exploring and offers wonderful reading spots at various levels. Beautiful designer armchairs, large work tables, benches, you name it. It's become a favourite workplace for me. I've recorded several job applications there on camera, and I regularly work on my blog posts there. This is, without question, one of the places you must see if you're in Oslo. A cappuccino in the little café on the ground floor will set you back just over 40 Norwegian kroner. A nice detail, and perhaps a joke from the designers, the religious section is located at the highest point of the building.
The marvellous thing about Oslo is that every district has its own library to keep knowledge and skills readily available to everyone. It moves me as I write about it. So wherever you are in the city, you can always take refuge in a library to read a few pages. And this is also a rather nice way to get a sense of the character of the different neighbourhoods and their demographics. My favourite after Deichman Bjørvika is definitely the library at Tøyen Torg.
Anarres
Anarres is a place where good people gather. And by that I mean people with progressive ideas and the will to give them shape together. These progressive ideas were initially expressed from a caravan. But later, they moved into this cosy premises in Grønland. Naturally, it's run by volunteers and might be called libertarian-socialist. It's characterised by a friendly and eccentric atmosphere and organises events such as academic lectures, reading groups with brunch, and magazine launch parties. The café functions as a meeting place for radical and social literature, offering a welcoming space for discussion and knowledge-sharing. It operates according to a cooperative model with a strong emphasis on political and social engagement. Should this put you off, that's perhaps an excellent reason to pop in and pull a book off the shelf that you might not normally be quick to open. Coffee isn't expensive there. You can imagine why.
Literaturhuset and LesBar
LesBar, or 'Reading Bar' is a cosy sitting area in the heart of Café Oslo in the Literature House in Oslo, where literature and daily life meet. It's a place where you can eat without any obligation, enjoy a book, newspaper, or magazine you've brought along, and participate in the atmosphere of the house. Café Oslo offers unpretentious and decent food, and LesBar provides a relaxed and literary setting for a café visit without requiring you to order anything. And I find that so lovely. Nothing is more irritating than the annoyed glare of a barman at the back of your neck because it's been half an hour since you last ordered something. In general, LesBar is a delightful place. And in summer, you'll find a wonderfully sunny terrace with views of all the greenery in Slottsparken. It might be a bit elitist, but that absolutely doesn't spoil the atmosphere. An absolutely wonderful place with well-stocked bookshelves. The price of a cappuccino is around 45 kroner.
Café Laundromat
Café Laundromat is something of an institution and popular with a broad demographic for various reasons. It's a unique combination of a café and a self-service launderette, located in Majorstuen at Underhaugsveien 2. The place has a warm and welcoming atmosphere with vintage furniture and an impressive collection of more than 4,000 books in different languages, making it a popular meeting place for locals, travellers, and students alike. It's one of those places where you truly get a good impression of Oslo's soul, if such a thing exists. And as you can imagine, it's a lovely spot to stick your nose in a book. What struck me was the warmth of the staff. That's not always a given. I forgot to ask what a cappuccino costs there. I was drinking beer when I visited.
Nasjonalbiblioteket
Without a shadow of doubt, a visit to this stately power building is well worth the effort, if only for the architecture and the beautiful and impressive decorations in the interior. The mission of the National Library is just as stately as the building itself: "to preserve the past for the future". The library is responsible for collecting, digitising and disseminating all published information and documentation from Norway, and is also concerned with the application of the Legal Deposit Act, which requires that all documents produced in Norway must be delivered to the National Library. The library branch in Oslo is housed in the building that was originally the University Library, built between 1908 and 1914, and which is of great cultural-historical and architectural value. This might not be your cosy neighbourhood café on the corner, but it is nevertheless a lovely place to bury your nose in books for a while. There are also regular exhibitions of all sorts and sundry, and various curiosities are displayed to the public. Whether you can get a coffee there escaped me during my brief visit.
