Handwerk — Restaurant in Oslo

It pains me to leave a bad review for a place that has so much potential. We chose the cafe to have lunch after our wedding last week (June) with 11 guests, around 1PM on a Friday. Their website advertises about emailing them for group orders, in which reservations can be made for larger groups - both outdoors and indoors if the weather isn't great.

I emailed them in April. It was confirmed that it would be no problem to make a reservation + pre-order food, and reserve the small indoor room. Initial back and forth communication was fine. I asked if the menu was up to date and told yes.

I sent over our selections from the menu in late May. I didn’t hear back, sent a follow up email, and subsequent phone call. I called again two days before the wedding, and was told the menu changed, so none of the things we ordered were now available (ie. Hot chicken, Brunch sampler plate, etc.) I ordered simple sandwiches, thinking they would at least all be ready for us when we arrived.

When we arrived for our reservation, nothing was prepared. No tables outdoors reserved or wiped down, the indoor room had other guests sitting in there so there wasn’t room for us when we got there. Our guests tried to piece together some outdoor tables, which still had other past cafe guests food on them.

We went up to the counter to ask what was going on, but the workers had no idea what reservations we were talking about. It was complete chaos and a disappointing experience. Sandwiches slowly came out over the next 15-20 minutes, so we did not all eat at the same time. We were either accidentally given dirty coffee cups or they were not thoroughly washed, as my husband and I had to rinse them before passing on to the guests. Some of the waitstaff tried to be helpful, while others were clearly annoyed.

I wouldn’t leave a bad review for a small business without understanding the potential repercussions. I want them to do well. It’s conveniently located in the Botanical Gardens, is aesthetically cute and not a chain cafe. However, I strongly encourage them that until their cafe is prepared to take group orders or reservations, that they remove this option completely from their website. As of today, the menu remains not updated. If someone emails your cafe inquiring about group reservations, consider responding that it’s not something your cafe currently has the capacity to do. Less disappointment and stress for everyone involved.

Perhaps an ok place to stop in if you are passing by and see they have an open table. Not a place to make group reservations on your wedding day or any other day when organization, following a time schedule, or all guests getting to eat at the same time is...

The cafe is located in the center of the awesome botanical garden, the interior is cute with a few sitting places inside and lots of tables outside. Unfortunately, the coffee and croissants are much worse now than they were two years ago. On their website they say they make the filter coffee from Tim Wendelboe, a famous coffee brand from Oslo, and previously the coffee was really good. But now the information on the website is outdated, they use the average mass market coffee beans Arvid Nordquist. It seems the same happened with the almond croissant, which was perfect and now nothing special. Dear owners, if you read this please consider returning to the previous suppliers! As frequent visitors of the botanical garden we would like to become your frequent customers again, but currently the nearby places serve much better food...

The cafetièria in Handverk Botaniske is absolutely stunning! The interior is super cozy, giving a «homey» feel. The staff girls are more than amazing. Big smiles on all the girls, giving out a beautiful athmosphere for the guests and my kids. There is a HUGE variety food options including lunch and sweets. Everything freshly baked with a wonderful smell. The coffee is delicious making me to come back for refills. The outdoor tables give off a beautiful summer vibe with colorful tulips surrounding the area. Definetly coming back here again with family and friends from across...