Engebret Café anno 1857

We welcome you to a delightful meal in charming premises that exude tradition and history. The vibrant theater scene of the 19th century on Bankplassen created a need for a cozy café for actors and others. 161 years later, Engebret Café remains just as popular. Cafés did not appear in Christiania until the previous century. As the city grew and became more cosmopolitan in the late 18th century, the demand for dining establishments increased. Most of them were located in the Stortorvet and Rådhusgaten area, or by the railway square. The cafés were modeled after foreign styles and offered English, French, or Swiss cuisine.

Engebret became an important meeting place for actors, politicians, journalists, and artists, which it still is today.

Engebret Café is named after its founder, Engebret Christophersen from Nord Odal. Engebret Christophersen started out with little more than the clothes on his back and saved his pennies, much like Scrooge McDuck. As a young boy, he had a desire to explore, so he packed up what little he had and headed to the city.

Within days, he found a job as a helper at Lars Ihle's small café on Stortorvet. In 1848, he worked his way up and became a waiter at Sumpen, the basement restaurant in Gamle Logen, where artists and theater people quenched their thirst with cheap beer, toddy, punch, and spirits.

Engebret received many tips because he was a pleasant guy. He saved the money and soon was able to open his own café. In 1857, he started in a small location on Kirkegaten. He worked diligently and saved even more money. In 1862, he purchased Bankplassen 1, and that marked the beginning of Engebret Café as we know it today.

He managed to open the doors just in time for Asbjørnsen, Bjørnson, Ibsen, and Johannes Brun to come and quench their thirst. Engebret's sister was a master chef, and those who came to dine at Engebret Café couldn't get enough of her fish cakes and roasted marrow bones.

Regardless of the thickness of the cheese, open-faced sandwiches were an affordable treat during this time. A price list from 1938 shows that a lobster sandwich cost 100 øre! Mayonnaise required an additional ten øre. An aquavit cost 1 krone and five øre. In keeping with tradition, Engebret Café still serves open-faced sandwiches every day, and they are just as popular as ever.

The picture is from the early 1900s with outdoor seating at Engebret Café.

Today, we still have the same peaceful outdoor restaurant on Bankplassen.