Being new to any city can be an exhilarating and exciting experience, but at the same time one can experience uncertainty and confusion as one tries to get to know one’s new home. One common question we may face when moving or visiting a new city is; where can we go when we want to have a meal? Kristiansand is a relatively small city when compared to Oslo or Bergen, but fear not, the city has still a significant selection of restaurants and foods to offer to hungry city-dwellers. Here are our recommendations for where to go when feeling hungry. The restaurants in this overview are not sorted in any particular order and are all worthy of a visit.
Bellini’s
For the Italian lovers, Bellini’s can be a good place to go. Bellini’s offers a good variety of Italian food, from the traditional oven-baked pizzas, down to the most sophisticated of pastas. The restaurant has a cozy and welcoming interior, which pays good homage to the homeland. If you are in the mood for Italian food, definitively do pay Bellini’s a visit, but keep in mind the restaurant can get really crowded, and space is at a premium, so expect to be sitting close to neighbouring diners.
Pret Thai
Pret Thai is one of the city’s many small restaurants. They mainly serve food from the thai kitchen and have gained a very good reputation for their excellent taste and relatively large servings. They have rightfully earned a recommendation on Trip Advisor, which they proudly display in their restaurant. Pret Thai is mainly a take-away restaurant but dine-in is still an option. The restaurant’s interior and décor is relatively lackluster, though the staff’s choice of decorating the walls with kitchen utensils and family photos do add a homely atmosphere.
Drømmeplassen
Drømmeplassen is one of the city’s numerous bakeries. Their hot drinks are highly recommendable, especially their hot chocolate, while their baked goods hold a high level of quality and are rich in tastes. One downside to Drømmeplassen is that they are on the more expensive side, but their high quality makes up for this.
Piri Piri
Piri Piri; one of the city’s kebab places. Their products have very good taste, and the fact that they handmake the bread and pastries are a definite plus. Their prices are good, and the servings are more than enough for any hungry city-dweller. Their kebabs with fries are highly recommendable, though the rest of their menu is equally delicious.
Herlig Land
This is one of the city’s more fashionable restaurants, and are not really a place students should go, but if you wish to celebrate a special occasion – maybe passing your exams at the end of the semester? – they are worth every kroner. They have a wide selection of foods, both on the meat side such as beef, and on the soup sides. Their restaurant is well decorated and invokes a sense of being invited and welcome.
Lotus Grill Bar
Lotus is perhaps the city’s most popular Chinese restaurants. Their menu gives a wide selection of different dishes, all served in servings which are quite large, and have a dish which can suit everybody’s tastes. The prices are acceptable. One recommendation I can give is to order the food extra spiced, as the food can be taken as being rather bland and tasteless if not ordered with this. Lotus should be taken as a strictly take-away restaurant. There are seats for dine-in. But the restaurant’s complete lack of décor, and cheap furniture, means dine-ins won’t be the most pleasant of experiences.
Tiara’s
Tiara Kaffe is one of the city’s smaller cafes but makes up for their small size in excellent tastes, good quality coffee, and interesting menu. Their location close to Noroff makes the café easily accessible for students who are studying there.
HT Sushi
If you ever feel hungry for sushi, than do pay HT Sushi a visit. Their location right next to the town square makes them an easy visit when being in the city center. They offer a good selection of sushi dishes, and best of all; their prices are very student friendly. The servings are decently sized, and the sushi itself is very tasteful and hold a good level of quality.
Monsoon
While on the subject of the town square and sushi, one can mention Monsoon. Monsoon is a restaurant specializing in provided food inspired by the kitchen in Southern Asia. They offer sushi, which is not too badly priced – although they are a significant leap up in pricing compared to HT Sushi, some Thai dishes, and even a Korean BBQ dish. Monsoon falls in the middle of the tree, they are not the most student friendly in terms of pricing, but at the same time they are not the most expensive restaurant either.
