Grisen sits at Torshovgata 2 in the residential Torshov district north of central Oslo. It is an L-shaped gastropub that folds a bar, cafe, and kitchen into one room, with a fair selection of craft, local, and imported beer on tap.
This is the room for a neighbourhood pint and a proper plate of food, not a late club night. Anyone after cocktails or a dance floor should look elsewhere. The crowd is mostly Torshov locals who treat the place as a living room with a tap wall.
The room. Grisen runs as an L-shaped bar and restaurant with cosy seating groups and a counter that The Crafty Cask describes as a relaxed local with a solid beer list and good food, including vegetarian plates. The layout suits both a quick pint at the bar and a longer sit-down meal.
What to order. Ask the bar what is pouring from the craft and local taps, since the rotation is the draw, then pair it with the kitchen's burgers or a vegetarian plate. Wine by the glass covers non-beer drinkers. Pricing sits in the mid range for Oslo, which keeps the room full of regulars.
Who it is for. Grisen suits an after-work pint, a casual dinner, and a beer drinker working through local taps. It is the wrong call for a cocktail crawl or a big party.
Best time to go. Early evening on a weekday is the calm window for a table and an unhurried pint. Weekends pull the Torshov crowd, so arrive before the dinner rush if a seat matters. The bar keeps daily hours, with the kitchen running earlier than the bar.
Grisen is one of the most-recommended Oslo craft beer bars for a neighbourhood pour and fits an easy itinerary in our Oslo bar guide. For the wider field, browse the craft beer pillar.
The crowd and vibe. Tripadvisor and local reviewers praise the food and the relaxed Torshov setting, and the most common note is that the room is best for an unhurried hour rather than a quick stop. Service runs friendly and easy, in line with the neighbourhood feel.
What regulars say. Regulars consistently flag the craft beer list and the kitchen's burgers as the reasons to return, and several treat the cosy seating groups as the better perch for a long catch-up. The recurring note is that Grisen is a true local rather than a destination, which is exactly why Torshov keeps it busy. Reviewers also praise the vegetarian options, which are easy to find on the menu.
The bottom line. Grisen is Torshov's reliable gastropub, and the rotating beer taps plus the full kitchen are why locals keep it in rotation. A drinker choosing between a loud bar and a calm neighbourhood pint should pick Grisen when the plan is good beer and good food close to home.
The neighbourhood. Grisen sits on Torshovgata at the heart of Torshov, a quiet residential district north of the Grunerlokka nightlife strip and well off the tourist track. The setting keeps it a true neighbourhood bar, within a short tram ride of Grunerlokka's busier bars and an easy walk of Torshovparken, which is why the after-work regulars treat it as a local rather than a destination. The surrounding blocks hold the cafes and shops along Vogts gate, the main Torshov street, so Grisen works as the anchor of a low-key evening rather than a night on its own. The residential calm is part of the appeal, since it trades downtown noise for a relaxed counter and a kitchen that runs all day.
