Anno Restaurant — Restaurant in Ålesund

Restaurant Not Recommended for Tourists

We came from another part of Europe, having driven thousands of kilometers, and our visit to Ålesund was supposed to be one of the most beautiful and interesting experiences of our trip, especially after seeing the photos and knowing it was the northernmost point of our journey. We arrived at Anno at 8:00 PM, a place recommended to us by the hotel management. At the entrance, there was a family waiting to be seated. We stood in line behind them. During the next half hour, we saw several people who arrived after us being seated immediately, while we were completely ignored. I felt humiliated standing at the door while others, who had arrived after us, pushed ahead and were seated, while we were kept outside and treated with indifference. I don’t think it was pleasant for the customers already dining near the door either to witness this. No one informed us that a reservation was required, and honestly, we couldn’t have made one anyway: we arrived in Sunde around 7:30 PM, after nine hours of driving, and when we reached Ålesund, we barely found the restaurant and a parking spot. Twice I politely asked the staff at the entrance, in English, to provide us a table. The responses were arrogant and irritated, culminating in the statement: “It’s not my problem that you don’t have a reservation” – something we were never informed about beforehand. Even though I pointed out four tables that had become available in the meantime, the hostess continued to lie to me and to defy us, seating people who arrived after us and who pushed ahead. I consider this system of guiding customers to tables outdated; it may have been justified in the 19th or 20th centuries, when few people dined out, or could be an elegant system only in a restaurant with plenty of tables for guests. A sign on the door clearly stated that the kitchen was open until 9:00 PM. If we had continued to wait to be seated, there was a risk that it would reach 9:00 PM and we would be told the kitchen was closed and only drinks were available. Also, we wouldn’t have had dining options in town, since the hotel had informed us that most restaurants close their kitchens at 9:00 PM. Perhaps the restaurant should clearly state that it is for locals only if they do not want to accept foreign tourists. Also, the person responsible for welcoming guests should attend a professional ethics and hospitality course, because their attitude drives customers away rather than making them feel welcome. A person with such behavior should not work in HoReCa. If they had politely approached us while we were waiting, saying that we would be seated shortly, the experience would have been completely different. After this experience, I left the restaurant extremely disappointed. Later, at another restaurant, I met two English tourists who told me they had had an equally unpleasant experience at Anno, having to wait an hour before being seated. This confirms that the restaurant’s deficiency – uncivil and discriminatory behavior toward tourists – is not an isolated case. Traveling halfway across Europe only to be treated this way at the end of the trip seems very sad and unfair to me. I believe the restaurant is not worth recommending, and perhaps other tourists should be aware of how they will be treated before visiting. If it were possible, I would not have given a single star for the way my family and I were humiliated without reason. Since Google allows a minimum of one star, I was forced to give even that one star. I would like to emphasize that my experience at this restaurant is real and took place on Saturday, August 9th, 2025. While there are many positive reviews left by “local guides,” I am unsure how objective those...

We were here for lunch. Weather was nice so we decided to sit on the outdoor terrace.

Unfortunately this restaurant does not care about service when seated outside. You have to find a menu, grab a table. Look through the menu and order (and pay) by the bar inside. Remember to take note of the table number you're seated with.

Such lack of service from a restaurant breaks the deal for me. Staff was polite and pleasant, and my pizza tasted good. I went for the quite not so common pizza with dried and salted cod. Very original to make a pizza with klippfisk, but it's a one timer for me at least.

On a sunny day the location is great, but they have to step up the service to make the guests stay longer. If you have to order and pay inside each time you want something, I would suggest the guests stay shorter (and purchases less) if they could offer the table service also outside.

As an end note I can add that you have to leave the outdoor terrace via the restaurant anyway, so there shouldn't be any worries related to patrons running away...

We went to Anno for dinner during our visit to Ålesund. It was the strangest dining experience of our entire trip. While the food was delicious and served quickly, the wait staff seemed incredibly stressed and distracted. This was interesting, because we were seated by the kitchen and the kitchen staff did not seem to have that same stress. It took about five minutes for an employee to acknowledge us when we initially arrived despite most of the staff walking by us and making eye contact during this time. The host was very curt and could not be bothered with providing directions to the restroom. We ended up having two waiters and needed to ask for water to be brought to the table. No one checked how the food was after it was served or asked if we wanted refills on drinks. I hope they were having an off night but would recommend looking elsewhere for...