Mysterud Bar is the kind of local Sagene keeps for itself: two cosy rooms, 12 taps that lean Norwegian, and a bottle list that runs long. It opened in 2017 north of Grunerlokka and built a regular crowd on beer rather than buzz.
Published December 29, 2025 - By Daniel Okafor
Mysterud Bar sits at Arendalsgata 18 in Sagene, the residential Oslo district north of Grunerlokka near Torshov. Tripadvisor describes it as a cool and cosy medium-sized two-roomed pub, established in 2017, with 12 beers on tap drawn mostly from Norwegian breweries. The tap list names regulars like Graff, Homborsund, Kinn, and Schouskjelleren, and the bottle list runs well past the draught line.
The room
The bar splits across two rooms, which keeps it cosy rather than cavernous and gives the place a neighbourhood feel. Seating is comfortable and the lighting low, built for a slow pint over a fast round. It is the sort of room where regulars and staff know each other by name.
Sagene rewards the trip north for drinkers who treat beer as the point rather than the backdrop, and Mysterud sits at the centre of that small scene alongside the neighbourhood's cafes on Vogts gate. The two rooms give it flexibility, one for a quiet pint and one for the weekend social nights the bar runs, and the staff keep the tap list moving so regulars always have something new from Graff or Kinn to try. The bottle list is the safety net, long enough that a slow night can still turn into a tasting that outlasts the draught menu.
What to order
The 12 taps rotate regularly and lean Norwegian, so the move is to ask what is fresh from Graff or Kinn and follow the bar's steer. When the draught list runs out of ideas, the extensive bottle list picks up the slack with rarer pours. Pricing sits in the $$ band, fair for an Oslo craft pub and gentler than the centre.
The crowd and best time to go
The crowd is Sagene and Torshov local, beer-literate and unhurried, with weekend social events adding energy. Hours run Sunday to Thursday from 2pm to half past midnight and Friday to Saturday until 1am, so an early evening visit lands the calm version. Go midweek for a quiet tasting, weekend for the busier room.
What regulars say
The recurring praise across Tripadvisor and Foursquare is the friendly service and the strength of the Norwegian tap list, which punches above the room's size. The honest caution is location: this is a residential-district local, so it is a deliberate trip rather than a central drop-in.
Who it is for
This is for the beer drinker who wants Norwegian taps, the Sagene regular, and anyone after a cosy pint away from the centre. Skip it for a central bar crawl or a cocktail night, since the trip north is the cost of entry and the rotating Norwegian taps are the reward that makes it worthwhile. For more of the city, see our Oslo craft beer guide and the full Oslo bar guide.
The verdict
Mysterud Bar wins as a true local: 12 well-chosen Norwegian taps, a deep bottle list, and two rooms built for a long sit. Make the trip to Sagene, ask the bar what is on, and settle in. For more Oslo craft beer, compare the central tap room at Crow Bar, the cellar brewery at Schouskjelleren Mikrobryggeri, and the rock-leaning taps at Brewgata. Our craft beer guide covers the rest.
