Description: On our first evening in Oslo we went walking around the city centre looking for a suitable place to eat. There were plenty of choices but we were horrified at the prices. Main courses were between Nkr 150 and 250 with drinks Nkr 40 to 60. We later realised that this was a problem throughout Norway.
After checking out several places we came across Thank God It’s Friday and Egon side by side in the main street. High-class restaurants they were not but the food served on the outdoor terrace looked good and the menu prices seemed reasonable. We had not heard of Egon so we decided to try it. And what a good choice it was!
We quickly discovered that Egon has restaurants spread across the length and breadth of Norway, from Harstad in the north to Kristiansand in the south. It is a very popular restaurant chain. It offers lunch, starters, steaks, fish dishes, pizza, wok dishes, moussaka, fajitas, hamburgers, salads and desserts. In addition to all this Egon offers a daily all-you-can-eat pizza buffet. There is also a separate children’s menu. We were tired so it was just the perfect ‘no-hassles’ place to be.
The friendly staff were happy to welcome us and to suggest some dishes from the menu. We discovered they had a broad, varied menu (available in Norwegian, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese), meaning most people should find something to whet their appetite. Service was quite fast although we were not concerned about this because we were at a sidewalk table and it was great watching the passing crowd. We probably learned more about Norwegian characteristics in an hour sitting here that we had all day.
We later discovered that there were several more Egon restaurants around Oslo including one at the main railway station. Most are folksy and rustic and many have antiques and weird objects on the walls or in the corners. All have the same menus and the same family-friendly atmosphere. They are not elegant or sophisticated places to eat, but the food is good and the price is right. In our opinion the outdoor terrace at the Karl Johan gate restaurant is still the pick of the places if it is not raining.
Egon restaurants open from 10am to midnight Monday to Thursday, 10am to2am on Friday and Saturday and midday to midnight on Sundays.
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