Villa Paradiso Tivoli (Lilleborg) — Restaurant in Oslo

The place looked great from outside and they allowed us to have a dog on the terrace, but our experience was so off-putting that I’ll never return.

It started with something as simple as water. On arrival, the waitress who didn't even bother getting up to seat us at a table asked us only one question: "do you want your water still or sparkly?”, no mention of cost. We assumed (reasonably, I think) that sparkling would be complimentary, or at least that we’d be told it wasn’t. Instead, we were charged 100 NOK for a bottle of San Pellegrino that had clearly been opened well before it reached our table. It was barely fizzy (It was definitely not San Pe). I complained to one waiter about the non-transparency as soon as I noticed it being charged on the ordering QR-code system. He left our table mumbling, and I made the wrong assumption that he would take care of it. When paying the bill, I noticed the water still being charged and when I complained for a second time to the original waitress who offered us the water, the response was a condescending “Use your common sense” and “People in Norway don’t complain about this” with an arrogant attitude. Well, I’m complaining now. I’ve worked in restaurants in Norway, and this isn’t normal. You don’t surprise guests with charges, especially not for something as basic as water.

The rest of the meal didn’t make up for it. The food was overpriced for what it was, the ravioli portion was so small I wondered if it was an appetizer (literally 4 raviolis on the plate). And for a place trying to feel upscale, the QR-code-only service made the whole experience feel cheap and impersonal. No one checked on us, no one asked how the food was. Just a robotic transaction.

The worst part was the attitude. Instead of acknowledging the issue, the staff acted like we were the problem for expecting transparency. Charging 100NOK for stale water without warning isn’t “common sense”, it’s bad hospitality. There are plenty of great restaurants in Oslo that don’t treat customers this way. I’d recommend going to one of...

Have visited this restaurant many times and I think both the salad and the pizzas are very good. Today we sat on their wonderful area on the back of the building, in the sun and had a great time. The service was good and our waitress was very nice.

I made a special order for my pizza and they solved it without a problem.

This is one of the nicest places a restaurant can be located in Oslo, in my opinion.

The only 'complaint' I could have had was that the food took a long time to get.. but to be honest we didn't mind in the nice weather to wait a bit. :)

(This review is from another time I visit, I’ve updated from my last visit. So the text below is from 2023.)

Here you have a really nice restaurant.

I have only eaten the pizzas here, several times and been satisfied every time.

The location and the food are fantastic, but the service is a bit low. It’s ok but not great. It takes some time. The restaurant was far from full when we visited so it can't be because of that.

Recommends everyone to sit outside during the summer months as it is fantastic to sit there and hear the water from...

The place is nice and we got to visit it with sunny weather, but the experience wasn't too great. First we were told off by one of the staff members that we should wait outside of the terrace because there was a sign (hidden behind an umbrella) that said so, but then he immediately give us a table. We ordered food and drinks, but somehow the food arrived earlier than the drinks (of course the beers came with 0 foam). The food wasn't terrible but the pizzas barely saw any sauce (tomato or white sauce). It was mainly bread with toppings and a hint of sauce. After eating and drinking we saw the staff in the terrace moving tables and putting cutlery in some empty tables, so I asked one of the waiters for the bill. Her reply was to shrink the shoulders and tell me: can you ask my colleague for it? Like isn't she a waiter? Couldn't she ask?. After having to ask her colleague for the bill still took 10 mins to arrive, when is literally just leaving the card machine on the table. Not a very pleasant experience for a Saturday...