Pingvinen

Nice local pub with authentic food. We were happy to sit at the bar and people watch.

I was here earlier for an early dinner (or was it a late lunch?), before heading to the opera. I walked in, and fortunately snatched the last available table before the evening rush hour so to speak.
I ordered a small lapskaus, which seemed like a vegetable stew that has pulled pork in it. It looked exotic so I ordered it, and it tasted good too. I followed that with the reindeer, which was definitely surprisingly good, and very tasty. My sister told me that I keep eating adorable animals during this trip, but I guess that is how it is in Norway, they cook adorable animals here.
They also have a large beer selection, though I opted for an ice coffee instead, as I needed some caffeine for the long evening.
The staff were friendly, and they have an English menu as well.
Overall it was a great place, and I am definitely a fan. I’d be back here if I have the chance.

One word: fiskegrateng! Okay, more than one word… a really popular arts hang-​out (packed and jumping many nights) famous for traditional Norwegian cooking with some twists. A really warm, hip-​without-​being-​actually-​HIPSTER atmosphere. I look forward to going back… ahead of the evening rush. And yeah, the fiskegrateng DOES rock… tasty!

This place was such a refreshing place to be at after traveling so much. It had such a nice vibe to it, really nice lighting, and classic style Norwegian dishes. We ordered the meatballs, plukkfisk, potato bacon soup, and a cheese platter. The plukkfisk was so good that I am tempted to go back home and make my on when I get back! The meatballs were cooked perfectly with a nice side of potatoes, and the cheese platter was an arrangement of four great local cheeses. The soup was also exactly what we wanted, with a generous side of bacon! I would absolutely recommend this to anyone visiting Bergen!

Lovely traditional Norwegian menu. Very cozy, chilled out atmosphere and nice friendly service.

Cuando llegas a Noruega lo primero que te llama la atención es lo caro que es todo lo relacionado con comer…
Cuando estás ya desanimado y piensas que no vas a probar bocado de comida local… ¡Zas! Te encuentras (gracias a Unilocal) con este fantástico sitio, que se pone hasta arriba, pero que puede llegar a tener un ambiente relajado.
Si no eres de los que te acostumbras a los horarios locales para comer, no te preocupes, la cocina abre todo el día para servirte un delicioso plato noruego.
La comida está deliciosa y si vas fuera de las horas punta puedes estar tranquilo.
Yo probé las albóndigas de carne pero el bacalao también tenía buena pinta.
Un local muy recomendable.

Like this place a lot, had an IPA beer and the Meatballs for dinner, fairly reasonably priced compared to other local places, good food and good beer selection.

Hearty (Norwegian) homestyle cooking. Think meat and two veg. Cozy atmosphere with various people in attendance. Locals and travellers galore. Lives up to its name as worthy stop for a visit.

Una muy buena opción en el centro de Bergen para probar algunos de los platos tradicionales de su «escueta» gastronomía. Partimos de la base de que en Noruega crecen pocas cosas aparte de patatas y zanahorias así que ningún plato me excitó ni encontré nada que me quisiera llevar a mi memoria selectiva, en cuanto a cata de cocina de otros países se refiere.
El chico empezó seco pero mejoró con el rato que comimos allí, y nos explicó los platos de la carta casi uno por uno recomendándonos, sin embargo, dos de los que me parecieron más insulsos: la trucha (sin sabor y poco cocinada), y el pastel de pescado (bañado en mantequilla a todo tren). Me gustó mucho que tuvieran cerveza de jengibre, con y sin alcohol y que los precios fueran muy ajustados para nuestros bolsillos españoles (salimos a 285 NOK o 30 euros por barba con bebida y sin postre), pero la comida noruega sigue sin convencerme. Las pelotas de carne (muy similares a las suecas) estaban ricas pero no dejan de ser albóndigas. Lo que sí me pareció algo más original y, desde luego muy sabroso, fueron los champiñones gigantes a la brasa con queso camembert. Los champiñones estaban espectaculares y tenían un sabor muy intenso. El resto de guarniciones de patata, brócoli y zanahoria me aburrieron mucho. Aún así el sitio es muy recomendable y asequible.
Ah, no aceptan reservas y la mayoría de mesas son con taburetes de madera altos bastante incómodos, por lo que cuesta (que allí es barato) no esperes mesa y mantel. Y si eres fan de las palomitas pedimos un bol y estaban de muerte, con mantequilla a manta como todo lo demás, por supuesto.

Old faithful. This place has the best traditional Norwegian food, my husband and I frequent this place and have a great meal every time.

Lovely little nook. Martha was a calm and pleasant lady. Good beer and the food was consistent and delicious.

This place was recommended by the friendly staff of Bergen tourism office. Probably because they have a partnership (10% off if you own a «Bergen Card»), but well, this restaurant was good indeed!
Our meals were good, with generous portions. Staff wasn’t that friendly compared to others I met later in Norway.
It was very dark in the evening so there is no picture of my plate!

Cute, cozy, decent food and ok prices (for Bergen).
We went back a second time because the first time the wait was too long. Alternatively, we went to Café Opera down the street, which had great food, similar prices, and much less of a wait.

I wanted to like this place… but I didn’t.
It took over an hour to get my mediocre food from the apathetic bartenders. I was so disappointed with my food that I (calorically) splurged for an ice cream cone immediately after.
On the bright side, they have local drafts and password-​free wifi so you can get drunk and surf the Internet while waiting for your pile of mush.

My friend and I stopped by Pingvinen for a drink after she read about it somewhere online… What a great find! This cute little pub is so cozy and has a really nice selection of local beers/​ciders and authentic Norwegian food like whale steak, herring, and meatballs. The ambiance is really relaxed, in spite of it being quite packed on a Wednesday night around 8 PM. The crowd seemed to be made up of a fair number of fellow tourists, but I’d like to think we were all the «good» or at least «okay» kind of tourists– the ones that are trying to blend in and really experience the culture, rather than only eat fish and chips. The service was very nice and friendly, with the waitress letting everyone know that the kitchen was a bit backed up so food would take 30 minutes– I thought it was very considerate to warn people of this before they ordered so that they could factor this into their plans. I’d recommend this adorable bar for anyone seeking a nice, relaxing meal at a good price.

Tried the sandwiches. Blood sausage sausage and pork rib sandwich were really good and satisfying. The main course: fish of the day and smoked herring sandwich was disappointing. The herring was cold and fishy, and the fish of the day is a little like rubber and has very less flavour.

Overall, decent food at reasonable prices (for Norway), and above average service. That being said, the place is a little confusing for travelers. Pingvinen is a pub, not a restaurant and with that in mind know that you have to seat yourself. Seating is first come, first served — no matter what else the entrance may convey.
The food itself is pretty good, fresh ingredients and made with some care, but it’s also under seasoned and a bit bland. The Lamb sausages and fish entrée are both decent (though the potatoes and vegetables in the fish dish badly need seasoning).
Things go awry with the Lamb stew because it’s simply funky. The taste is a little off and I had to eat it with the accompanying buttered flat bread to get it down. If that sounds weird to you, known it was weird for me to eat it that way and to see it in writing.
The beer and alcohol list has some great items and if you are interested in drinking, it’s probably a great place to go.

The place is very simple and quaint. The food reminds us of grandma’s home cooking. It’s no nonsense and quite delicious. We had the lamb sausage and the house dumplings. Food is very hearty and filling. The service was great as well.

This place was recommended by the travel guide ‘Le guide du routard’. My friend and I ate here daily during our stay in Bergen.
This was the most delicious and affordable food I experienced in Norway. Everything was extremely fresh and flavorful. The size portion was generous.
The service was great.
The atmosphere was relaxing.

Very friendly waitress, cozy ambiance, and tourist friendly (without yet being too tourist-​filled).
I ordered the salmon sandwich, and was happy with the quality of the salmon. I was unable to try the famous lamb stew/​lapskaus as they were out but my friends had great fish cakes and cat fish.
Great prices and quality– it is worth the short walk from the harbor to eat here!

Es habitual encontrarse con mucha gente comiendo o cenando en el local. Os recomiendo las albóndigas con puré de guisantes. Quien lo diría pero están divinas.

I came here strictly for the food since it seemed to have relatively high reviews. I knew it was a bar but I figured good food can come out of anywhere. In my quest to try unique foods that I can’t get home I ordered horse and popcorn. I know there’s plenty of popcorn back home but I got suckered by another Unilocalers review :(
HORSE (259 NOK)
I’m pretty open about food and I’m willing to try most things once. This dish came with 2 small chunks of horse meat, a handful of tiny potatoes, and some onions with some white sauce. The meat was cooked a bit too rare for my liking but I still ate it anyways. It’s quite gamey, so it’s not exactly my favorite. The potatoes were good. I think I have a soft spot for tiny potatoes with the skin on it still. Despite all of this, I finished everything on the plate. I wouldn’t really recommend it unless you want to try horse though.
POPCORN (39 NOK)
I don’t remember which user said the popcorn was heavenly but boy was I disappointed. Don’t get me wrong. It is decent popcorn but I suspect that the person who wrote about how amazing it was may have been drunk :) It costs 39 NOK (about 6 USD) Do yourself a favor and skip this unless you have a stupid craving for popcorn.
BARTENDERS
The bartenders were very good and personable. They kept the drinks flowing and were really nice. I understand that most people here in Norway are nice and this was no exception.
****CONCLUSION****
I liked this place despite being a little disappointed in the food department. I suppose I can’t blame the place too much since I might not be the biggest fan of horse HAHA. This place was packed when I arrived but it wasn’t too noisy where you have to scream to talk to the person next to you. I think my favorite part about this place was the friendly bartenders working here.

Great cozy bar in Bergen, friendly for travelers who may not completely understand the Norwegian delicacies. My friend and I sought this place out after reading reviews and were not disappointed. The menu at the bar was written out on a long chalk board but we had no idea what each entrée or appetizer was. Thankfully, our bartender was friendly and very helpful. He explained every entrée and what he recommended we try. Before making our decision we decided to try the popcorn for a snack. OMG! GO FOR THE POPCORN! Not too salty, just perfect. We devoured it in minutes before our meal was served. I’m still dreaming about this popcorn.
Now onto the main course: My friend had trout and I had horse. YES, horse. Sorry if you’re an animal lover but I’m a big «When In Rome» type of person and I was determined to try any recommended Norwegian meal. So my week there consisted of Moose, Horse, Norwegian trout, and tons of Reindeer stew. Ok, back to my meal. The horse was lean and delicious with a rich brown sauce. Excellent flavor! My friends trout was excellent as well and everything was served with boiled plain potatoes which I find interesting. But I guess that’s a Norwegian thing because it was common in several restaurants we tried.
All in all this is a great place to have a drink and a really nice meal without breaking the bank which is tough to find in Norway. :)

Schönes, gemütliches Café im Zentrum Bergens. Der Kaffee ist furchtbar, wie in allen norwegischen Lokalitäten. Außer man trinkt ihn gerne so wie die Norweger: schwarz, ohne Zucker. Der Latte Macchiato sah auf jeden Fall nicht wie einer aus. Großes Plus: dazu gab es Kranzekake (Gebäck) — und das umsonst.

Nette Atmosphäre und immer was los. Es gibt eine kleine Speisekarte mit traditionellem norwegischen Essen zu wirklich fairen Preisen. Besonderheit im Pingvin: das frische, salzige Popcorn! Immer einen Besuch wert.