Almost everything I ate traveling to Oslo Gluten Free
After a great couple days in traveling GF in Copenhagen and a fun, 15-hour cruise, I arrived in Oslo, completing my visit to the Nordic countries. Given the steep prices of Oslo and a limited timeline, I didn’t book a long visit to the city, but did make sure to give myself enough hours to scope out the highlights in anticipation of a much longer return, as I would love to explore the country extensively and get to the fjords.
Even with a compressed visit, I really enjoyed Oslo and felt like some of the comments I’d heard about the place quite undersold it. Even the city hall is amazingly impressive, with an interesting building outside and an amazingly decorated interior, but let’s dig in.
Oslo gluten free overview: 8/10
Dedicated GF spots
Glutenfrihuset Tøyen
I arrived in Oslo via boat, taking a 15-hour cruise, and while I had a great dinner there, breakfast options were scarce. So when I got to Oslo, I was more than ready for a bite. After dropping my bags (I used Stasher, which was far cheaper than the train station storage lockers) and grabbing a yogurt at the first market I saw, I made my way to Glutenfrihuset Tøyen, a 100% GF bakery just outside the city center and accessible by subway and/or bus.
Walking into Glutenfrihuset Tøyen was truly exciting. Not only is everything safe, of course, but they had an entire collection of pastries just laid out in the open like a Celiac’s dream buffet. No glass to block the view (or the photos) and as you can likely see, what a view it was. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a (gluten-free) cinnamon roll as impressive as the ones they had, and certainly not a pistachio one, so that’s what I went with, and it most certainly lived up to the view. Dense, sweet but with real flavor too, just great. They do not come cheap, but no food in Oslo does and given the taste and the size, it was worth it. They also sell burgers and a few sandwiches, but it was too early for lunch for me after all that.
Shared GF spots
Døgnvill Burger
Hours later, after walking back to the city center, into and then on top of the Opera house (yes, that’s a real thing you can and should do!) and through the amazingly impressive Oslo public library, I was most certainly ready for lunch. Near that part of the city is Døgnvill Burger, a sit-down burger spot, which felt like the perfect pick on a day where I was mostly running off cinnamon roll calories, and a great way to get out of the rain, which was just starting up.
Døgnvill Burger is well reviewed so I was not surprised to find their menu clearly labeled and a very knowledgeable waiter. I asked about oats / oat flour in the buns (there is none) and he was diligent in looking up the actual ingredients, not just guessing, and also confirmed a dedicated fryer. They do a whole range of burgers but given the price point (again, do not expect cheap eats in Oslo, certainly not GF ones), I stuck with the classic and it was plenty good. The bun wasn’t anything special of course but the fries were quite good and I would definitely eat here again.
Olivia Østbanehallen
Oslo isn’t a huge city but I really enjoyed the sights it has and between the great public spots, old building architecture, a couple of fun churches, and even a really old fort, I must have walked 15 miles my first day so when it came time for dinner, I was ready for something filling again. This time, I headed back to the central train station which is an impressive sight in its own right with both an older and a newer building terminal, plenty of statues and public art just outside, and lots of shops.
Right in the center of the station (and just beyond an amazing and most certainly not GF bakery) is Olivia Østbanehallen, a huge sit-down Italian spot that is quite popular. Don’t let the train station location throw you off either, it’s a nice restaurant with plenty of GF options, a marked menu, and knowledgeable staff. Here I had a pasta with bolognese and a side salad. The pasta noodles were done al-dente in a great way, though I didn’t find the sauce to be amazing. The salad was fresh and well seasoned for a simple salad, and all told, it was a nice meal. It’s the kind of spot I’d gladly come to for a functional eat, though I should have bitten the bullet on the cost and gone to a place like Dinner Restaurant ($50+) to try some local cuisine.
Baker Hansen
Shared bakeries with their risk of flour and adjacent pastries are usually a pass for me as a Celiac, so I was surprised to see so many great comments on Baker Hansen but a few visits later and I totally get it. Further digging in, they are noted by the Norwegian Celiac society and make their GF line in a dedicated facility.
Walking into their shops is both a total tease with the rows of fresh, gluten filled treats around, and totally exciting as nearly every location I went into or near had clear, gluten free signs all over. Inside takes a bit of adjusting but it’s worth it, looking at GF sandwiches and pastries sitting just above normal ones. Gluten free is something they are serious about, everything is marked, they use different tongs, even special bags to note it, and while their selection isn’t extensive, it is very nice to get something without a fuss. If you are also oat sensitive like me, be sure to check labels or ask as they do use them.
Los Tacos
After many hours of walking to get in all the sights I could before my afternoon flight, I wasn’t feeling another burger or a trek back to Glutenfrihuset Tøyen, so I decided to venture into a less reviewed spot, Los Tacos. Mexican food is one of my usual safer spots and while the fast-food, counter vibe wasn’t completely ideal, the cashier working was immediately on it when I mentioned GF, handing me an allergen card and explaining they prep everything separately. I ordered through a kiosk and so don’t think there were many extra precautions taken but when my bowl came out, he seemed confident and I dug in. I had no reaction but wasn’t amazed either and would probably skip it unless you just want a simple and fast meal.
As an alternative, I did notice La Mexicana, a new Mexican spot in the Oslo Street Food food hall which looked to be entirely GF. Of course this was just after I had eaten at Los Tacos but they would absolutely be worth checking out.
Airport Options
Bjørn’s Backyard
Getting to the airport, I wasn’t starving but also knew I would be landing at my next stop too late to want to have to go searching for food so I started hunting around the airport a bit. As is all too common, airport options were limited and reviews were not encouraging, but I was passing by Bjørn’s (think classic airport burger spot, the kind of place with some seating and a lot of takeaway) and noticed a sign for GF chicken strips.
As you can see from my photo of the menu board, they have options clearly labeled. The cook working the cashier was very confident, explaining they had a GF option and separate fryers. After ordering, he shouted back to the kitchen and I heard “gluten free” about 10 times before my food came out, clearly all done fresh. I’m sure there was a fair bit of jesting involved but I’ll take it if that means people really dig into the protocol. Again, no reaction or issues, except with the amount of sodium in that meal (and that day).
Grocery store options
While smaller markets were a bit of a bust, Oslo is not short on gluten-free snacks and all around the city center, I was able to find dedicated sections selling at least a few treats if you need to stock up. Throw in well-labeled, naturally GF items and I had no issues supplementing the rather junky meals I had out with yogurt, berries, and veggies, and I took full advantage of the kitchen in the guesthouse I was staying in.
Closing thoughts on a (short) gluten free Oslo visit
As I’ve shared across this post, I really enjoyed Oslo both for what I got to see and what I got to eat. There are not a ton of well-reviewed spots as, like basically all of the Scandinavian capital cities, it’s a carb-centric place. But even still, it’s not a hard spot at all and I never felt pressed on getting food when I got hungry. GF is well-known and options more than work for a couple day visit, even if they do come at a hefty price, and require being willing to eat in shared spots.
Heading to Oslo from Denmark? Check out my full review of the Go Nordic Ferry Gluten Free Experience to plan your trip.
Other Nordic guides: Visiting Stockholm GF | Visiting Copenhagen GF
