Restaurant in Oslo, Norway
Consistent Nordic value, easy to book.
Arakataka delivers ingredient-led Nordic cooking at the €€ price point with two consecutive Michelin Plates and a sustained Opinionated About Dining European ranking to back it up. It is the practical choice for Oslo diners who want serious cooking without the four-figure commitment of Maaemo or Kontrast. Book it for a date or quiet celebration — the room is calm, the credentials are real, and the value is hard to argue with.
If you have been to Arakataka before, the strongest reason to return is consistency. At the €€ price point, this Nordic-Norwegian kitchen in Grünerløkka-adjacent Mariboes gate keeps earning recognition year after year: a Michelin Plate in both 2024 and 2025, and a climb from #265 to #343 on Opinionated About Dining's European rankings — a wider list that makes the placement more competitive, not less meaningful. For Oslo diners who want serious ingredient-led cooking without the four-figure bill that comes with Maaemo or Kontrast, Arakataka is the practical answer. Book it for a date, a low-key celebration, or a business dinner where the food should do the talking without the room feeling intimidating.
Arakataka opens Monday through Saturday from 4 pm, closing at 10 pm each evening. There is no lunch service, which matters for planning: this is a dinner-only destination, and Sunday is off entirely. The energy in the room skews calm rather than buzzy , the kind of atmosphere where a conversation does not have to compete with the room. For a special occasion, that register is an asset. You are not fighting background noise to hear your guest, and the pacing feels deliberate rather than rushed. Compared to the louder, more social energy at Bar Amour or the neighbourhood warmth of Mon Oncle, Arakataka sits in quieter, more focused territory.
Under chef Jonathan Janhed, the kitchen's direction is grounded in Nordic and Norwegian produce. The sourcing philosophy here is not decorative , it shapes the menu rather than describing it. Norwegian cuisine at this level is built around the logic of what is available, what is in season, and what the landscape actually produces: coastal fish, foraged ingredients, root vegetables, preserved and fermented elements that carry a season forward. That discipline shows up in the awards history. The OAD recommendation as a Leading New Restaurant in 2023 was followed by two consecutive Michelin Plates and a sustained European ranking , the kind of track record that suggests the kitchen is not coasting on an early-career burst of attention. With 914 Google reviews averaging 4.5 stars, the public signal matches the critical one.
The recent evolution worth noting is that climb through OAD's European rankings. Moving from a new-restaurant recommendation in 2023 to a ranked position in 2024 and retaining it in 2025 is the clearest signal that Arakataka has graduated from promising to established. If you visited in its first year and came away impressed, the kitchen has only tightened since. If you have not been, you are arriving at a restaurant that has already done the work of proving itself.
Arakataka works well for couples on a date, small groups marking an occasion, and business meals where a relaxed but serious room is the right backdrop. The €€ pricing makes it accessible relative to Oslo's fine-dining tier , at Kontrast or Maaemo, you are committing to a full tasting menu at a significantly higher spend. Arakataka gives you ingredient-driven Nordic cooking and critical validation without requiring that level of commitment. If you want something more casual at a similar price tier, Kolonialen Bislett is the comparison to make; if you want a step up in formality and price, Hot Shop sits between Arakataka and the full €€€€ tier.
For visitors to Norway placing Arakataka in a wider context: the country's restaurant ambition extends well beyond Oslo. RE-NAA in Stavanger and FAGN in Trondheim operate at a different scale, as do Under in Lindesnes and Iris in Rosendal. Within Oslo itself, Arakataka is the value-anchored option in a competitive Nordic field. Globally, the sourcing-first approach that defines this kitchen has parallels at places like Le Bernardin in New York , where ingredient quality is the argument, not the sauce , though the register and price tier are entirely different. For a closer tasting-menu comparison at the technical end, Atomix in New York shows what happens when a similar ingredient-discipline philosophy meets a larger budget.
Booking at Arakataka is rated Easy. Given the consistent critical recognition and the dinner-only format, securing a table on a Friday or Saturday with less than a week's notice may be harder than midweek, but this is not a venue where you need to plan months ahead. Midweek evenings , Tuesday through Thursday , are the path of least resistance if your dates are flexible. The address is Mariboes gate 7B, 0183 Oslo. No dress code is on record, which fits the tone: serious about the food, relaxed about the room. If you are building a broader Oslo itinerary, our full Oslo restaurants guide, Oslo hotels guide, Oslo bars guide, Oslo wineries guide, and Oslo experiences guide cover the full picture. For a longer Norwegian trip, Gaptrast in Bergen and Boen Gård in Tveit are worth adding to the list.
Yes, at the €€ tier it is one of the stronger value propositions in Oslo's serious dining scene. Two consecutive Michelin Plates and a sustained OAD European ranking are credentials that typically come attached to much higher price points. If you compare it directly to Maaemo or Kontrast at €€€€, Arakataka delivers ingredient-led Nordic cooking with critical backing at a fraction of the cost. The 4.5 Google rating across 914 reviews confirms the value perception is widely shared, not just a critical outlier.
For weeknight dinners, a few days to a week ahead is typically sufficient. Friday and Saturday evenings will fill faster given the dinner-only format and consistent recognition, so aim for at least a week out for weekend visits. This is an Easy booking venue by Oslo standards , nothing like the multi-month lead time required for Maaemo or Kontrast. If your schedule is flexible, Tuesday through Thursday gives you the most room to manoeuvre.
Arakataka is dinner-only, open 4–10 pm Monday through Saturday with no lunch service and closed Sundays. There is no choice to make here: if you want to eat at Arakataka, you are coming for dinner. That format suits the occasion-meal framing well , the evening hours and calm room atmosphere are a better fit for a date or celebration than a midday slot would be anyway.
No specific dietary restriction policy is on record for Arakataka. The standard practice for ingredient-focused Nordic kitchens is to accommodate common restrictions with advance notice, but you should confirm directly before booking, particularly for serious allergies or complex requirements. Contact the restaurant ahead of your visit , the address is Mariboes gate 7B, 0183 Oslo, and reservation channels will be your leading route to getting a confirmed answer before you arrive.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arakataka | Nordic , Norwegian | €€ | Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked #343 (2025); Michelin Plate (2025); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in Europe Ranked #265 (2024); Michelin Plate (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top New Restaurants in Europe Recommended (2023) | Easy | — |
| Maaemo | New Nordic, Modern Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Kontrast | New Nordic, Scandinavian | €€€€ | Michelin 2 Star | Unknown | — |
| Hot Shop | New Nordic, Modern Cuisine | €€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Statholdergaarden | Modern European, Classic Cuisine | €€€€ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Kolonialen Bislett | Modern Cuisine | €€ | Unknown | — |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
The venue data does not include a documented dietary policy, so check the venue's official channels before booking. Given the Nordic-Norwegian format at the €€ price point, kitchens in this category typically have some flexibility, but confirming in advance avoids complications — especially for serious allergies or plant-based requirements.
At €€, Arakataka delivers credible value. An OAD Top Restaurants in Europe ranking (#265 in 2024, #343 in 2025) and back-to-back Michelin Plates put it in a bracket where the cooking is taken seriously without the price pressure of Oslo's tasting-menu rooms. For a dinner that feels considered without committing to a multi-course splurge, the case for booking is solid.
A week out is usually enough for mid-week; aim for two weeks if you want a Friday or Saturday table. The dinner-only format (4–10 pm, Monday through Saturday) concentrates demand into evenings, and OAD recognition means weekends fill faster than the €€ price point might suggest. Book early if your date is fixed.
Arakataka is dinner-only — there is no lunch service. The kitchen opens at 4 pm Monday through Saturday and is closed on Sundays, so plan accordingly. If you need a daytime option, you will need to look elsewhere in Oslo.
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