Vin Vin occupies a converted basement on Torggata in central Oslo, with its entrance around the corner at Badstugata 5, and it bills itself as the largest wine bar in Norway across roughly 700 square meters.
Who would love it: anyone who wants a deep by-the-glass list without a restaurant booking, on one of the city center's busiest streets. Who would skip it: anyone after a quiet corner, since the cellar runs as much an event space as a wine room.
The venue opened in September 2022 from the Flott Gjort group, the team behind several Oslo hospitality projects. Aftenposten covered the launch as the city's largest wine bar, and the cellar holds a list reported at more than 5,000 bottles. The format mixes deep racks of wine with beer, cider, fruit wine, and a set of alcohol-free pours.
The room reads industrial under the old Torggata building, with long tables built for groups rather than couples. Star Wine List files Vin Vin among the city's top wine bars, which sets the expectation for the by-the-glass range more than the decor does.
Order by the glass and lean on the staff, since the list rotates and the racks are the point. Expect central-Oslo pricing rather than discount rounds, with the value sitting in the breadth of what is open on any given night. The kitchen keeps small plates alongside, built to pair rather than to fill.
The crowd is an after-work and weekend mix of locals and visitors working through the city center, and the cellar leans social. Vin Vin programs live music, painting sessions, and live podcasts in the space, per its own listings, so the energy shifts toward an events room on busier nights.
Best time to go is early evening on a weekday, before the group bookings fill the long tables. Vart Oslo reported the venue as a destination for wine tasting and events, which tracks with the later-night shift toward a fuller, louder cellar.
The cellar's range is the draw for tasting groups, and the venue runs wine flights and guided sessions alongside the by-the-glass card. The Flott Gjort group also operates other Oslo rooms, which shows in how the space programs music and events rather than trading on quiet.
The by-the-glass card is the unit here, and the staff will open something off-list for a curious table, which is the practical upside of a cellar this deep. Norway's alcohol pricing keeps every pour at a premium, so the breadth, not the bargain, is what justifies the stop.
The space carries the bones of the old Torggata building, with exposed brick and long communal tables that seat groups rather than couples. On a quiet weekday the cellar reads calm; by the weekend the events programming takes over and the volume climbs.
For a visitor mapping the city center, Vin Vin pairs with the Youngstorget bars and the Torggata food spots within a few minutes' walk, which makes it an easy first or last stop on a night through Sentrum.
It sits a short walk from the Torggata strip and the Youngstorget squares. Compare it with the city's other by-the-glass rooms in our guide to wine bars in Oslo, browse the wider city on the Oslo bar guide, and set it against the global field in our wine bars pillar. Walk in for a glass at Torggata 18, and book ahead if the group is large.
Sources
- Vin Vin — official site, format and program
- Aftenposten — launch as Oslo's largest wine bar
- Star Wine List — top Oslo wine bars listing
