Oslo
Oslo's best speakeasies hide behind unmarked doors and ask you to whisper passwords. The speakeasies on this list span every neighbourhood worth a trip — the central districts all show up — and every price tier from a $5 local pour to a $25 hotel-bar tasting. Each bar earns its spot for a different reason. We have visited every one.
ST HANSHAUGEN · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Akersmykja Bar draws a steady local crowd in St Hanshaugen. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
GRUNERLOKKA · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Aku-Aku Tiki Bar draws a steady local crowd in Grunerlokka. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
SENTRUM · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Amundsen Brewery draws a steady local crowd in Sentrum. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.
A FORMER KIOSK IN GRÜNERLØKKA. TWENTY SEATS · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Andre Til Høyre — meaning 'Second on the Right' — is a tiny cocktail room in a former kiosk in Grünerløkka. Twenty seats, two bartenders, a short menu that chan. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.
GRUNERLOKKA · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Arakataka draws a steady local crowd in Grunerlokka. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
SENTRUM · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Arsenalet draws a steady local crowd in Sentrum. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
SENTRUM · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Asnes Brewery draws a steady local crowd in Sentrum. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.
GRUNERLOKKA · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Asylet draws a steady local crowd in Grunerlokka. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.
THE CENTRE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Bank Bar inhabits a 19th-century banking hall near the National Theatre, and the building does the heavy lifting before a single drink arrives. The original vau. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
GRUNERLOKKA · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS
Bar Boca draws a steady local crowd in Grunerlokka. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
Use this guide either as a single curated route through Oslo or as a checklist to revisit over a long weekend. Reservations are flagged where they matter. Otherwise, walk in. Below: the ten speakeasies that any serious drinker in Oslo would tell you to put on the list.
Akersmykja Bar draws a steady local crowd in St Hanshaugen. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.
Aku-Aku Tiki Bar draws a steady local crowd in Grunerlokka. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.
Looking beyond Oslo? See our guide to the best speakeasies worldwide, or compare speakeasies city by city.