Parkteatret sits on Olaf Ryes plass 11 in the heart of Oslo's Grünerløkka, a bar and concert venue housed in what opened in 1907 as Norway's first cinema. The art deco foyer is now one of the district's best-known bars, and the hall behind it is a 500-capacity music room.
Who would love it: a drinker who wants a characterful room, a craft beer or a coffee by day, and the option of a concert at night. Who would not: anyone after a quiet, intimate bar, because Parkteatret is a busy social hub on one of Oslo's liveliest squares.
The bar occupies the old cinema foyer, with the original art deco detailing intact, on Olaf Ryes plass at the centre of Grünerløkka. The square is the heart of the district, ringed by cafes and bars, and Parkteatret's tables spill toward it in summer. Per the venue's own listing, the nearest tram stops serve Olaf Ryes plass directly, which makes it one of the easiest addresses to reach on the east side.
The building carries its history openly. It opened in 1907 as Norway's first purpose-built cinema, and the conversion to a bar and concert venue kept the period detailing rather than stripping it out. The foyer reads as a room with a past, the kind of space that does some of the work before a band has played a note.
Per the venue's listing, the menu runs to classic cocktails, wine and a wide craft-beer selection in the evening, and by day it serves coffee, soft drinks and organic breads and pastries from the Handwerk bakery. The evening pour leans on the craft-beer list and classics rather than an experimental menu, the right fit for a pre-concert room. Oslo pricing applies.
The hall behind the bar is the other half of the operation. The 500-capacity Parkteatret Scene holds a strong reputation for Norwegian and international acts, and the format is to meet in the foyer, then move through to the show. That pairing, a proper bar attached to a respected mid-size venue, is what sets it apart from a straight concert hall.
Per its published hours, the bar opens late morning daily, running latest on Friday and Saturday toward 2am. The crowd shifts from a daytime cafe trade to a concert-night audience, and the square outside fills in summer. It is busiest on show nights and warm weekends.
It works best as the start of a Grünerløkka evening, a daytime coffee on the square, or a drink before a gig in the hall. For a quiet, intimate nightcap, a smaller bar nearby is the better fit.
Best time to go is a concert evening, with a drink in the foyer before the doors to the hall open, or a summer afternoon on the square. See where it sits among the best live music bars in Oslo and the Oslo bar guide, and read our wider live music bars roundup.
Pair this bar with
For an Oslo jazz club, compare Blå Jazz Club Oslo. For an intimate jazz room, try Herr Nilsen Oslo. And for a live-music restaurant-bar, Lyche Oslo makes the natural next round.
Sources
Parkteatret official site · Wikipedia: Parkteatret · VisitOslo: Parkteatret Bar · Google Maps reviews (accessed 2026-06)
Reviewed by Marcus Webb, barsforKings. Published Jan 14, 2026 · Last reviewed Feb 4, 2026.
