It’s a veritable pizza jungle out there – in Oslo as much as anywhere else. Norway’s capital has loads of high-quality pizzas on offer, if you know where to go. These are our top five pizza joints in the Norwegian capital.
Norwegians have fancied pizza since its introduction to the country in the early 1960’s. It’s safe to say it has evolved quite a bit since then. When the young Italian immigrant Gino Valente met Oslo’s restaurant scene in 1962, he must have been astounded by the lack of fresh produce to be found. Nevertheless, he was the person who first served pizza on Norwegian soil the following year. Valente travelled the country for the years to come, working in a number of cities, and in 1970 established his own place in Oslo. That very same year the American entrepreneur Louis Jordan established Peppes Pizza in Norway’s capital city. Valente unsurprisingly favoured the Italian pizza, whereas Jordan wanted to serve Norwegians the classic American pizza with a thicker crust. The rest is history. Peppes Pizza shot off like a rocket fueled by tomato sauce. It became a major success, in Oslo at first, before conquering the rest of the country. On the other hand, Valente never made a name for himself as a pizza guy, but introduced a lot of Italian dishes to Norwegians, rewriting the country’s culinary history in the process.
Before going into Falstaff’s five favourite pizza joints in Oslo, it has to be noted – at least for the sake of context – that a frozen pizza named Grandiosa is considered a Norwegian staple food. Since its’ introduction to the market in 1980, more than 600 million Pizza Grandiosas have been consumed by Norwegian supermarket customers. Today some of Norway’s – and especially Oslo’s – pizza places are considered world class. Not only one, but two of the capital’s pizza restaurants, are among the current nominations for possible inclusion on the prestigious The Best Pizza Top 100 list published by The Best Chef Awards.
The latest addition to Oslo’s pizza scene and one of the most innovative. ZZ offers classics like margherita and pepperoni pizzas but takes flight into formerly unknown territory (at least in Norway) serving French onion soup pizza, oxtail and gochujang pizza, pork and peas pizza and several other mouthwatering concoctions. Also note that the dough is spectacular. ZZ is one to watch carefully, located just outside the city center, in the vibrant Gamle Oslo (old Oslo) neighbourhood, next door to the internationally renowned, combined coffee house and cocktail bar Fuglen.
ZZ Pizza
St. Halvards gate 33, 0192 Oslo
www.zz.pizza
Pizza chef Michele Volpicella is one of the contenders for the prestigious The Best Pizza Top 100 list, understandably so. He heads the original Winther branch in the modern Aker Brygge area which houses its own cheese factory alongside the pizzeria/restaurant as well as a delicatessen shop. Not only are the cheeses produced daily lip-smackingly good, but the toppings are also great. Winther offers a wide range of pizzas – red and white – among them its signature pizza named From the pig, Calabria and the super tasty Made in Norway.
Two locations:
Winther Aker Brygge
Grundingen 3, 0250 Oslo
Winther Frognerparken
Middelthuns gate 17, 0368 Oslo
Pizza chef Petter Sukumar from Jungel Pizza is also a contender for The Best Pizza Top 100 list. For these guys it’s all about the dough. The flour used which is especially rich on proteins is the cornerstone of the production, and Jungel Pizza has developed a unique sourdough. Upon adding a bit of tender care and lots of love, the next thing is the topping. The ingredients are carefully chosen and among the pizzas on the menu are a number of meat, vegetarian and vegan pizzas. There really is something for everyone, and the quality is exquisite.
Four locations:
Dalsbergstien 6A (St. Hanshaugen), 0170 Oslo
Dannevigsveien 18C (Sagene), 0463 Oslo
Vogts gate 54 (Torshov), 0477 Oslo
Ullevålsveien 88 (Adamstuen), 0454 Oslo
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www.jungelpizza.no
Mamma Pizza was established in Oslo by two brothers from Bologna, Luca and Davide Zannini, several years ago, and they have been joined by younger sister Alice. The original restaurant is located in Dronningens gate, close to the main train station, to remind the brothers of the café run by their nonna in Bologna from the time they grew up, which had a similar location. Mamma Pizza is a proper family-run Italian restaurant in downtown Oslo, red checkered tablecloths and all, and the pizzas are still the main attraction on the menu, being among the best in the city.
Two locations:
Dronningens gate 22, 0154 Oslo
www.mammapizza.no
Ruseløkkveien 26, 0251 Oslo
www.mammapizza.no/osteriadimare
Lofthus Samvirkelag was the first pizza restaurant to challenge the conventions of ordinary pizza making in Oslo, showing creativity and inventiveness that were not present before it was established in 2010. Spectacular cheeses such as Kraftkar from the Norwegian producer Tingvollmoen, buffalo mozzarella Guffanti in Italy and Montgomery cheddar and Sparkenhoe Red Leicester from Neil Yard’s Dairy in London are to be enjoyed alongside handpicked hams and sausages, anchovies, chicken and – lest we forget – reindeer. These are truly extraordinary pizzas.
Lofthus Samvirkelag, locations all over the city, including:
Åsengata 42 (Torshov), 0480 Oslo
https://www.lofthussamvirkelag.no/torshov
Damplassen 2 (Damplassen), 0852 Oslo
www.lofthussamvirkelag.no/damplassen
Waldemar Thranes gate 70 (Tranen), 0173 Oslo
www.lofthussamvirkelag.no/tranen
Wergelandsveien 17 (Kunstnernes hus), 0167 Oslo
www.lofthussamvirkelag.no/kunstnerneshus
Kirkegårdsgata 7A (Apostrophe), 0558 Oslo
www.lofthussamvirkelag.no/apostrophe
