Best Restaurants in Tromso (2026): Where We'd Eat Again (& What We'd Skip)
Updated: 2 days ago
From unforgettable reindeer steak to £100 pizza dinners, we tried the best restaurants in Tromso. Here's what's worth the splurge and what we'd skip next time.
Eating out in Tromso is expensive. Really expensive. The sort of place where 2 pizzas and a couple of pints can set you back nearly £100, and somehow you find yourself considering doing it all over again.
Fortunately, we ate exceptionally well during our Arctic adventure. From the reindeer steak that won the entire trip to enormous cinnamon buns and a tasting menu that left us with decidedly mixed feelings, we discovered that not every expensive meal is worth the splurge.
So, if you're looking for the best restaurants in Tromso, here's our honest verdict on where we'd happily spend our money again, where we'd think twice, and the places worth booking before you arrive.
In a Rush? Here's Our Quick Guide to the Best Restaurants in Tromso
Restaurant | Best For | Our Verdict |
|---|---|---|
Bardus Bistro & Bar | Arctic cuisine & cosy vibes | Our absolute favourite. Book it! |
Casa Inferno | Pizza & atmosphere | Ridiculously expensive, ridiculously good |
Hav Sushi & Ramen | Takeaway before an excursion | Excellent poke bowls despite mixed reviews |
Emma's Dream Kitchen | Seafood lovers & tasting menus | Good, but not worth the splurge for everyone |
Kaffebønna | Cinnamon buns | Our favourite bun |
Vervet Bakeri | A relaxed cafe break | Better atmosphere than pastries |
Contents
What To Know About Eating Out in Tromso
Book well in advance. Popular restaurants fill up quickly, especially in winter. We tried reserving Restaurant Smak two months ahead and still couldn't get a table. Don't leave your favourites to chance.
Budget generously. Drinks, starters and desserts can turn an expensive dinner into a small financial event. But some meals are worth every krone, so we'd rather choose carefully than miss out.
Plan around Northern Lights tours. Many excursions promise dinner, but that could mean a field meal if you're lucky, or sitting around a bonfire passing around a packet of hot dogs. We grabbed takeaway poke bowls from Hav beforehand. An excellent decision.
Don't overlook the bakeries. Some of our happiest discoveries were enormous cinnamon buns, considerably kinder to the wallet than another three-figure dinner.
Our advice? Book a few special meals, leave room for spontaneous discoveries and accept that Tromso probably isn't where your food budget goes to behave itself.
Best Restaurants in Tromso: Our Honest Reviews
Bardus Bistro & Bar: Our Favourite Restaurant in Tromso
If we could return to just one restaurant in Tromso, it would be Bardus. No deliberation required.
We came for the Arctic cuisine, left thoroughly converted to reindeer steak, and spent the rest of the trip regretting that we didn't book a second dinner.
Housed in a building from 1868, once a bakery and later Tromso’s first cinema, Bardus Bistro & Bar has clearly found its calling. Timber beams, low lighting and an intimate, cosy atmosphere, paired with genuinely knowledgeable staff who will steer you towards what suits your palate rather than just nodding along.
James needed no convincing when it came to the reindeer steak, while I needed a bit of a pep talk. It’s usually served medium rare, but we had it medium and it was our best meal in Tromso. Cook it any further and it risks turning rubbery as reindeer is extremely lean. It’s also one of the few red meats naturally higher in omega 3 thanks to the lichen-rich diet of Arctic reindeer, which makes it feel almost healthy.
On their recommendation, we paired it with juleøl, Norway’s traditional Christmas beer. The custom dates back to the Viking era, when brewing beer for Yule was required under medieval law. Modern juleøl is dark and malt-forward with notes of caramel and dried fruit, and with the reindeer steak it was spot on.
We finished with the cookie dough fondant and Baileys ice cream. Even if cookie dough isn’t usually your thing, order this. We ordered one. We instantly regretted not ordering two.
And don't even think about dropping by without a reservation. We made ours through their website here.
Opening hours: Tue–Fri 11am–3pm & 4–10pm · Sat 12–3pm & 4–10pm · Sun–Mon closed
Casa Inferno: The £100 Pizza Dinner We'd Happily Repeat
Nearly £100 for 2 pizzas and a couple of pints. Had someone suggested that before our trip, we'd have thought they were having a laugh.
But this is Tromso, where eating out comes with a hefty price tag, and Casa Inferno turned out to be one of our favourite evenings.
Between the gloriously eccentric steampunk interior, wonderfully friendly staff and excellent wood-fired pizzas, it was less a quick pizza dinner and more a proper night out. We ordered the Carnivora and Estiva Bianca, and neither survived long enough to leave a crumb.
Their signature Inferno pizza lives up to its name. It arrived at a neighbouring table literally on fire, topped with spicy salami, chilli flakes and fresh chillies.
Would we spend that much on pizza again? In Tromso, absolutely. Back home, we'd probably need a moment...
Like all the best restaurants in Tromso, you must book a reservation. We booked through their website here.
Opening hours: Sun–Wed 4–10pm · Thu–Sat 4–10pm
Hav Sushi & Ramen: The Takeaway That Exceeded Expectations
Hav Sushi & Ramen had some mixed reviews when we were planning our trip, so we weren't entirely sure what to expect. But with a Northern Lights tour looming and no desire to spend the evening hungry, we decided to chance a couple of takeaway poke bowls.
An excellent decision, as it turned out.
James ordered salmon, I went for tuna, and both bowls were fresh, generous and absolutely delicious. Expensive, naturally, but exactly the healthy, high-protein dinner we were craving before several hours chasing the aurora.
We can't vouch for the sushi, ramen or dine-in experience, but we'd happily order those poke bowls again.
Opening hours: Wed–Sat 1–9pm · Sun & Tue 3–9pm · Mon closed
Emma's Dream Kitchen: A Tasting Menu We'd Think Twice About
Emma's Dream Kitchen wasn't our first choice. We'd had our hearts set on Restaurant Smak, but despite trying to book 2 months ahead, we couldn't get a table. So we consoled ourselves with a 9-course tasting menu at Emma's instead.
And to be fair, there was plenty to enjoy.
The 9 courses became 12 with a trio of bonus bites, the meat dishes were excellent, and the desserts were genuinely memorable. Even the salmon won me over, which is practically unheard of. I've spent a lifetime avoiding the stuff, yet somehow finished every forkful.
Unfortunately, several of the other fish courses were a little too enthusiastically fishy for my palate. James benefited from some generous plate transfers.
The dining room was pleasant rather than special, and while the service was fine, it lacked polish and the warmth we'd experienced elsewhere.
Would we book it again? Probably not.
Not because the food was bad. Far from it. But at these prices, a tasting menu needs to be exactly what you're after.
If you adore seafood, appreciate elaborate multi-course dining and have your heart set on a tasting menu, Emma's could be a lovely choice. For us, it was an enjoyable consolation prize rather than an evening we'd rush to repeat.
There's no chance of eating here without a reservation. We made ours through their website here.
Opening hours: Tue–Sat 5–11:30pm · Sun–Mon closed
NOTE: We ate at Emma’s in February 2026 and it's been closed since March 2026 for renovations and isn’t accepting bookings. We suspect they’ll reopen in time for the peak season starting in December 2026, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
Best Cinnamon Buns in Tromso
Kaffebønna Stortorget: Our Favourite Cinnamon Bun
In the Nordics, cinnamon buns are not a snack, they’re a commitment. The kind that require both hands and possibly a strategy.
Kaffebonna Stortorget was absolutely heaving when we went, which is usually a promising sign. Despite the queues and the shoulder-to-shoulder seating, their cinnamon bun was the standout. Properly spiced, soft in the middle, slightly sticky on top and unapologetically enormous.
Our only gripe? It wasn’t warm. Why are they never warm??
Opening hours: Mon–Fri 7:30am–6pm · Sat 9am–6pm · Sun 10am–6pm
Vervet Bakeri: Better for a Relaxed Coffee Break
Over at Vervet Bakeri, things were calmer and the cafe was much cuter. Fewer crowds, more breathing room, and a very good bun in its own right. Light, fluffy, generously swirled. If you prefer your bun without the bustle, this is your spot. But for sheer bun supremacy, Kaffebonna edged it.
Opening hours: Mon–Fri 7am–4pm · Sat 8–10am (takeaway only) + 10am–4pm · Sun 10am–3pm
Restaurants We Wanted to Try but Couldn't
Even with our best efforts, a couple of Tromso restaurants managed to elude us.
Restaurant Smak was top of our wish list, but despite trying to book two months in advance, we couldn't get a table. Apparently, our enthusiasm was no match for everyone else's. If you've got your heart set on their tasting menu, book as far ahead as possible.
Mathallen Tromso was another restaurant we'd hoped to squeeze in, but there are only so many meals 2 people can eat, particularly when each one requires a minor financial commitment.
We can't personally vouch for either, but both were high on our radar when researching where to eat in Tromso. If you manage to snag a table at Smak, you should definately feel smug about it.
Are Restaurants in Tromso Worth the Money?
Tromso is not the place to arrive hungry and financially unprepared. Eating out is expensive, even when your dinner consists of something as innocent as pizza or a takeaway poke bowl.
But we ate remarkably well, and a few meals became genuine highlights of our Arctic adventure. Of all the best restaurants in Tromso we tried, Bardus would be our first (and second) reservation if we were planning the trip again, followed closely by Casa Inferno.