7 Best Restaurants in Southern Norway, Norway

Norwegian emigrants waited here before boarding steamships crossing the ocean to North America 150 years ago. The historic wharf house is now a popular waterfront restaurant and bar that was renovated in 2020 with the emigrant history still on its walls---and ceiling. At street level there is an informal brasserie where you can get barbecue spareribs. Upstairs is the elegant and more expensive Annen Etage dining room, with prix-fixe menus that change weekly and may include such entrées as grilled steak with garlic, or bouillabaisse with crayfish, halibut, and mussels.

Europe's first underwater restaurant, Under sits well below sea level, with a massive wall of glass that gives you a look into the icy waters of the North Sea. It's an architectural and engineering marvel, looking like a modern building tipping gently into the ocean and connected to onshore rocks by a bridge. The seafood here is among the best that Norway has to offer. The price is for an 18-course set menu focusing on seafood.

Toralf Bølgen and Trond Moi, two of Norway's most celebrated restaurateurs, run what's the southernmost addition to their chain of high-profile restaurants. Near the old fishing pier, the scene is more chic than rustic, with artwork and dinnerware designed by local artist Kjell Nupen. Norwegian game and fish are cooked in an international style.

Fiskebrygga literally means "the fishing dock," and the name sets the tone for this restaurant on the waterfront in Lillesand. The menu consists mostly of (fresh) seafood, and throughout the summer they host live concerts on the dock.

In the center of town, Luihn is an elegant, intimate restaurant, perfect for a quiet dinner. Fish dishes are a specialty, and the menu varies according to season. Don't hesitate to call in advance if you have any special cravings—providing they can get hold of it, the chefs can prepare just about anything for you. The wine selection is impressive.

This pub-style restaurant's interior is in keeping with the traditional Norwegian dishes that emerge from the kitchen. Enjoy local favorites such as lutefisk and pinnekjøtt (lamb cooked on birch twigs) during the months leading up to Christmas, or seafood, Angus burgers, grilled steaks, and other meats that are available the rest of the year.