Exploring Oslo - Norway - page 145

latest pop and R&B, while weekends draw older, more sophisticated patrons
who dance to pounding techno. It's open Wednesday to Monday 9pm to 3am.
Karl Johans Gate 6B. & 22-41-00-14. Cover Fri-Sat 100NOK ($14). T-banen: Sentralstasjon
JAZZ & ROCK
Blå This is the leading jazz club in Oslo. Dark and industrial with lots of
wrought iron and mellow lighting, this place books some of the best jazz acts in
the world. The crowd is a mix of young and old, dressed in casual but sophisti-
cated attire. The weeknights focus strictly on jazz, with the weekend providing
more of a disco atmosphere, recruiting DJs from all over the world to spin the
best in techno and house. It's open nightly 11am to midnight. Brenneriveien 9C.
& 22-20-91-81. Cover 50NOK-120NOK ($7.10-$17). Tram: 11, 12, or 13.
Café Mono If you're looking for a relatively underfinanced punk-rock night-
club with beer-stained walls and a decor that could withstand, undisturbed, an
invasion from a foreign army, this is it. It's a haven for the alternative, boozy, and
occasionally alienated youth culture of Oslo. There's recorded music virtually all
the time, a changing roster of live bands (many of them from the U.S.) appear-
ing every Sunday to Thursday beginning around 10:30pm, and recorded house
and garage-style dance music every Friday and Saturday. Whenever there's live
music, the cover varies from 50NOK to 85NOK ($7.10-$12); otherwise it's
free. It's open Monday to Saturday from 3pm to 3:30am. Pløensgate 4. & 22-41-41-
66. T-banen: Stortinget.
Herr Nilsen This is a conventional pub on most evenings, with recorded jazz.
On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 9pm and Saturday at 4 and 11pm, live
jazz is played to an appreciative audience ranging from the young to the middle-
aged. Expect everything from progressive jazz to Dixieland or blues. Beer,
depending on the time of the evening, costs 48NOK to 52NOK ($6.80-$7.40).
It's open Monday to Saturday 3pm to 4am, Sunday 3pm to 3am. C. J. Hambros
Plass 5. & 22-33-54-05. Cover on jazz nights only 100NOK ($14). T-banen: Stortinget.
Rockefeller/John Dee With a capacity of 1,200 patrons, this concert hall
and club is one of the largest establishments of its kind in Oslo. It's one floor
above street level in a 1910 building, formerly a public bath. Live concerts fea-
ture everything from reggae to rock to jazz. When no concert is scheduled, films
are shown on a wide screen. Simple foods, such as pasta and sandwiches, are
available in the cafe. Most of the crowd is in the 18-to-40 age bracket. It's usu-
ally open Sunday to Thursday from 8pm to 2:30am, and Friday and Saturday
from 9pm to 3:30am. Showtime is about an hour after the doors open. Torggata
16. & 22-20-32-32. Tickets 100NOK-700NOK ($14-$99), depending on act. T-banen: Stortinget.
THE BAR SCENE
PUBS & BARS
Bar 1 For a connoisseur of brandy, this small cognac-and-cigar bar is the ulti-
mate. You'll find close to 300 different varieties of cognac, plus a selection of the
finest whiskeys. Accompany your libation with one of their wide selection of
Cuban and Dominican cigars. As you could imagine, you'll find a subdued yet
sophisticated post-40 crowd here. It's open daily 4pm to 3:30am. Holmensgate 3.
& 22-83-00-02. Tram: 22.
Beach Club This place embodies a classic American diner with Norwegian
flair. Its large booths and tables are welcoming—and the burgers are great. There
is a bar but not much of a social scene, with mostly businessmen having drinks.
Mellow, loungy music plays every night. It's open Tuesday to Saturday 11am to