Café-Conditorei E. Erichsen

Frommer's Review

Set beside Trondheim's busiest all-pedestrian street, this is a cafe and pastry shop that many local residents remember with fondness from their childhoods. In the 1850s, well-heeled travelers from England, in Trondheim for salmon fishing, made the place into something approaching a private club, and throughout the post-World War II era, it was transformed into an occasional hotbed of political discussion. Today, much mellowed by time, it features tables that extend from its Beaux Arts, vaguely French-inspired interior out onto the sidewalk during clement weather. Every evening after around 6pm, the cozy and somewhat sedate venue of coffee, tea, and pastries is transformed into a more hip, adult, and permissive venue of a liquor bar. The consistently most famous client here, a regular, is celebrity artist Håkon Bleken, a huge name in Norway's world of contemporary painting and portraitist for members of the royal families of Norway and Sweden. Don't expect the culinary variety and sophistication of a bona-fide restaurant -- instead, what you'll get is cheerful and amiable service, several kinds of coffee and tea, and pastries, burgers, quiches, pastas, and salads. Note: At press time, rumors abound regarding the imminent sale of this time-honored cafe because of a death in the owning family. Be alert for any changes that might be activated during the lifetime of this edition.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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