Edit: This place has really gone downhill since I first reviewed it. The food and prices continue to be decent, but they really better be. You've heard the expression "you're paying for the atmosphere"? Well they've cut out the atmosphere and passed the saving on to you. I don't want to be waited on hand and foot, but I do expect to be treated with a modicum of respect. I expect the staff to come up with more believable excuses (or to pick one and stick to it) when a simple request to be seated in an empty section is denied because the waiter doesn't want to walk another few meters. I expect to not be asked if I want to "round" 2 kroners up to 50 kroner. I expect to not have to wait on hold for what's essentially a slightly nicer Applebee's because their online reservation form doesn't have a queue system. Believe it or not, they'd get another star from me if they let me seat myself and go get my food from the counter.

Original review: I constantly hear about this place, but I'd never been before yesterday. To be honest, my expectations were not very high. My initial impression was that this would be fairly overrated, filled the the brim with patrons, offering (in typical Norwegian fashion) uninspired and overpriced dishes.

My expectations were blown out of the water. Even after ordering and allowing myself to get excited over the prospect of a pulled pork sandwich, I repeated the age-old "too good to be true" mantra, having never paid less than 200 kroner for a meal at a restaurant that would actually leave me full in Trondheim. But the food arrived no more than 8 minutes after ordering, and it was more than enough to sate a peckish lunch palette. Although the sandwich was unwieldy (which limited how much I could wholeheartedly claim to have enjoyed it), it was reasonably tasty (although lacked a certain punch) and was absolutely worth the price. I'd go as far as to say that the fare here is unbeatable--maybe not in terms of atmosphere or even taste--but without a doubt in value.

To anyone with the actual audacity to complain about the price: name me a single restaurant where you can order an entree and a drink and leave feeling full for under 160 kroner in Trondheim. I'll hold my breath. I doubt even McDonald's can offer that.

My only complaints are mild, and they regard atmosphere. Although they have outdoor seating, it wasn't exactly enticing, even on a hot, early summer midday. The interior is very dimly lit for lunchtime and the music (while decent) was, as it often is at places like these, just a little too loud. The worst was probably the bathroom, which was an absolute mess. A quick peek at the charts revealed that it hadn't been cleaned for 3 days. The lighting is so ridiculous that it goes beyond discouraging unsavory drunken activity--and straight to encouraging poor aim, which I'm certain one would find evidence to attest to if a walking cane weren't necessary to find the actual toilet.

But all in all, a surprisingly pleasant experience. Will definitely be back!