The Thief Bar
The Thief Bar sits atop The Thief hotel on Tjuvholmen, Oslo's newest waterfront neighborhood built on reclaimed land at the western tip of Aker Brygge. The bar occupies the hotel's top floor with floor-to-ceiling windows offering panoramic views of the Oslofjord, the Akershus Fortress, and the city skyline. The interior design pairs contemporary Scandinavian minimalism with a curated art collection that rotates regularly. Seating holds roughly 60 across plush armchairs, low sofas, and a handful of bar stools. The cocktail menu is short, deliberate, and priced at the top end of the Oslo market. The bartenders work with precision, using Nordic botanicals and seasonal ingredients in compositions that justify the NOK 240-280 price point. A small outdoor terrace extends the space in summer, and on clear evenings the sunset views across the fjord are extraordinary. The crowd is Oslo's well-heeled set: finance professionals, design industry types, visiting executives, and couples marking occasions. Dress code is enforced without being stated, meaning you'll feel out of place in hiking gear.
What to Expect
The elevator opens onto a sleek, dimly lit space where floor-to-ceiling windows dominate. The fjord spreads out below, with the fortress lit up across the water. The bar is quiet, refined, and smells faintly of cedar and citrus from the cocktail preparation. The art on the walls is museum-quality.
Exclusive, serene, and visually stunning. The kind of bar where the view and the drink compete for your attention.
Curated ambient and deep house at low volume. The music is there but never competing with conversation.
Smart. Business casual minimum. Dark colors, clean shoes, no sportswear. The crowd dresses well.
Couples on a special evening, business entertaining, or anyone who wants Oslo's best cocktails with the best view.
Cards only. This is Norway.
Price Range
Cocktails NOK 240-280, wine NOK 200-300, champagne from NOK 350
Cocktails ~$22-26/~20-24 EUR
Hours
Wed-Sat 18:00-01:00, closed Sun-Tue
Insider Tip
Book a window seat through the hotel concierge for sunset views. Wednesday is the quietest night with the best chance of walk-in seating. The bartender's choice is usually better than anything on the printed menu.
Full Review
Reaching The Thief Bar requires passing through the hotel lobby, which itself is a design statement, and taking the elevator to the top floor. The doors open onto a space that immediately justifies the journey. Windows wrap around three sides, and on a clear evening the view takes precedence over everything else. The Oslofjord stretches south, the fortress glows amber to the east, and the city rises behind you.
The cocktail program is serious without being precious. The menu lists eight to ten options that rotate seasonally, built around Nordic ingredients and classic technique. A recent winter menu featured a cocktail with pine needle syrup, aquavit, and smoked salt that somehow tasted like a Norwegian forest in a glass. The bartenders know their craft and welcome requests for off-menu drinks if you tell them what you like.
Seating is deliberately limited. The armchairs and low tables create semi-private zones, and the bar stools offer closer interaction with the bartenders. The crowd is uniformly well-dressed and generally older than the Aker Brygge strip below. Conversations are kept at civilized volumes. You won't shout here. Service matches the setting: attentive, knowledgeable, and never rushed.
The premium is real. Cocktails at NOK 240-280 are expensive even by Oslo standards, but the combination of view, quality, and atmosphere creates something you won't replicate at a cheaper spot. It's not an every-weekend bar unless your budget is exceptional, but for a notable evening in Oslo, it's hard to beat. The summer terrace adds another dimension when weather permits.
The Neighborhood
The Thief hotel sits on Tjuvholmen, the westernmost point of the Aker Brygge development. The Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art is next door, and the Tjuvholmen sculpture park extends to the waterfront. Aker Brygge's restaurant strip is a 5-minute walk east.
Getting There
Walk through Aker Brygge to the Tjuvholmen bridge, then follow signs to The Thief hotel. From Nationaltheatret T-bane, it's about a 15-minute walk. Tram to Aker Brygge, then 5 minutes on foot west.
Other Venues in Aker Brygge
Aker Brygge Rorbua
Nautical-themed pub right on the wharf serving Norwegian seafood and beers. Rustic wood interior with harbor views and a popular outdoor terrace in summer.
Lekter'n
Floating bar on a barge in the Aker Brygge harbor. Open-air seating directly on the water. Seasonal operation from May through September. One of Oslo's most popular summer spots.
Skuret
Cocktail bar in a converted dockside warehouse with exposed brick walls and industrial fixtures. Inventive cocktail menu that changes seasonally. Attracts a late-twenties to forties crowd.
Amundsen Bryggeri & Spiseri
Craft brewery and restaurant at the Tjuvholmen end of Aker Brygge. Brews its own beer on-site. Spacious interior with views of the fjord and outdoor seating in warmer months.
Cargo
Multi-room nightclub and bar on the waterfront with a large outdoor terrace. DJs play house and electronic music on weekends. One of the few proper clubs in the Aker Brygge area.