Food and drink in Bergen - great places for groups and FIT travellers

Bergen is a Unesco City of Gastronomy and has a long culinary history. With access to a great variety of produce from magnificent, pure surroundings, the region provides inspiration for a creative and innovative cuisine. 

Bergen is a member of UNESCO’s City of Gastronomy network, where cities cooperate and share experiences linked to food, creativity and gastronomy. For the people of Bergen and visitors, this means a great variety of high quality restaurants to choose from. If you want a tailor made food experience, you have some passionate chefs that can create a memorable experience for your clientele.

Photo from Bergen Food Festival: Bergen Matfestival 

Tailor made food tours for smaller groups

One of the passionate foodies you can meet on a tour with Bergen Fjord Adventures. Marianne Person takes you on an incredible seafood experience, after boating through the fjords, where you get to taste fresh seafood caught on the trip, prepared on an open fire right by the sea. And if you are up for it, get your feet wet and help harvest the delicacies that will be used as ingredients in the various dishes she prepares.

Take a look at our latest Famtrip “Food in the Fjords”  when we invited Marianne and a few other great chefs from Bergen to show us some of the fantastic dishes and ingredients that you can find in the Bergen region.

Food experiences for larger groups

Bryggeloftet & Stuene welcomes large groups and is a popular choice if you would like to dine in the Bryggen area. The menu features traditional Norwegian cuisine including the famous Bergen Fish Soup.

Photo: Visit Bergen 

There are  a large number of restaurants in Bergen that welcome groups of various sizes. Here are a few more options to choose from:

• Skyskraperen Restaurant
• Fløirestauranten
• Bryggen Tracteursted
• Colonialen Litteraturhuset
• Fish Me, Fjellskål
• Nama Japanese Fusion
• Olivia Zachariasbryggen.

See more restauarants in Bergen here.

If you like to combine dining with a boat cruise, Bekkjarvik Gjestgiveri Hotel & Suites and Cornelius Seafood Restaurant welcomes both small and large groups. Glesvær Cafe is a charming option for smaller groups. 

Photo: Bekkjarvik Gjestgiveri Hotel & Suites

Apple cider, Hanseatic beer and the world's best gin

An increasingly popular food experience is cider tasting in the Hardanger region. Apple cider is nothing new to the fruit farmers in Hardanger – they’ve been producing it since the late 1800s. But, it’s only recently that it has been available for visitors to experience cider tasting on site and several producers now offer guided tours and tastings for groups.

Read more about apples from Hardanger and what makes the cider and juice from this region unique.

Photo: Hotel Ullensvang/Morten Knudsen  

When Bergen joined the Hanseatic League in the 14th century, the import of beer to Norway began, and eventually the local production also accelerated. The most common beer in Bergen is from the producer Hansa, but beers from smaller breweries like 7 Fjell (which means 7 mountains) has in a short time become a favorite amongst locals. 7 Fjell brewery is located just outside the city center and offer tours for groups.

Read more about beer from Bergen or check out Bergen's micro breweries.

If you like to add an extra spice to your food experience then invite Stig Bareksten to hold a gin tasting for your group. Stig is quite a character and his gin called Bareksten Botanical Gin won double gold in the "unofficial world championship in gin" in 2017.. 

Photo: Bareksten/Tommy Jensen 

For luxury tours to Bergen, here are some more options for VIP food and drink experiences.