Kos Kos — Restaurant in Oslo

I'll start off on a positive note. The food was tasty and looked great on a plate. I was however extremely disappointed to see just how small the portions were. Our hummus looked like one big tablespoon spread out thinly in a bowl, not the amount I'd want for 74 kroners. Another surprise was the fact that we opted for a more expensive mezze dish, the kibbeh at 120,- and we only got two?! They're two mouthfuls each, so again, portion sizes for pricings just aren't great. The kibbeh themselves were laid out on some lettuce leaves that had a mouldy taste.

The biggest disappointment was being able to hear the microwave in the kitchen being used over and over again, as our mezze plates were being dished out. Even the bread seemed to be microwaved, which meant the top bread was crispy and the bottom bread was soggy from condensation. Now I understand the use of microwaves in a restaurant setting, but they made no attempt to hide just how frequently they used it.

It was a very quiet night at the restaurant and the waiter made no attempt to make us feel extra welcome, he even hovered over us whilst we were paying and choosing not to tip. The pop-up restaurant's identity seemed a little all over the place and lacked a lot of dishes I would have loved to see. Alternatively, it had Norwegian dishes and spaghetti bolognese on the menu?! My advice, if you're a Middle Eastern restaurant, do Middle Eastern food only! Because, again, it was tasty! We won't be returning, on the whole we wish we had spent our evening and money elsewhere! A real shame because we're still searching for the perfect and most authentic Middle Eastern restaurant...

I recently had an incredibly disappointing experience at Kos Kos. From start to finish, the visit was marred by poor service, an unreasonable wait time, and shockingly subpar food. The restaurant was overcrowded and loud music from several speakers to the extent we had to shout to hear each other.

To begin with, the wait time was utterly unacceptable. It took nearly 40 minutes just to get our order taken. The staff seemed indifferent and inattentive, showing no urgency or consideration for our table.

When the food finally arrived, it was a complete letdown. The meat was severely overcooked—dry, tough, and inedible. It was evident that no care was taken in its preparation. The plate was overdosed with black pepper sauce. I asked for a steak knife but didn’t get one until 30 minutes later. I couldn’t eat the grilled beef as it was not chewable. Given the long wait, one would at least expect a decent meal, but this was far from it.

However, what was most disturbing was the discriminatory attitude displayed towards women wearing hijab. It was painfully obvious that we were treated differently, receiving slower service and dismissive behavior from the staff. In this day and age, such bias is both shocking and unacceptable.

I had high hopes for this place but was thoroughly disappointed. I would strongly advise others to reconsider dining here, especially if you value respectful service and good food. This was, without a doubt, one of the worst dining experiences we’ve ever had. It was definitely not worth to spend 2500 KR for...

This is a thorough review of the Koskos restaurant in Oslo, Norway. I went to eat at this restaurant after I'd seen that it offered Mediterranean food and after having seen the reviews. On arrival, there was no one to host us. There's a sign that reads "Wait here to be seated" but after 5 minutes, nobody showed up so we had to go and talk to the guys in the kitchen (right behind the bar). They asked us to wait until the waiter came. The waiter came about another 5 minutes later. In terms of food, they offer a wide variety of mezes, which is good. However, the main dishes usually come in very small portions while the price is really high - around 35$ for the main dish alone consisting of two sticks (weighing about 50g of meat together). The tastes varied from bad to very good. Their bulgur was terrible. The falafel was kind of hard. The salmon, on the other hand, was quite tasty. Awni, the waiter, was incredibly nice. The guys in the kitchen were too loud, though, and the one who received us was sweaty, something that I hadn't paid attention to until I left the restaurant. When it comes to the atmosphere, the restaurant had a cosy setting BUT it smelled food all over the place though there were no other guests than us which could mean that the ventilation system is not the best. All in all, if you're looking for a top-notch restaurant, I don't think this place is the best choice. Kind of overrated in my group...