Local food - with a twist
Here you have opportunities to taste short-traveled produce, such as reindeer meat from Finnmarksvidda and Barents Sea delicacies. Skrei, salmon, king crab and mullet berries can be singled out as local food favourites. Preferably with a modern twist, such as reindeer tacos, clipfish burgers or sushi.
Café culture
One must also not forget the café culture in the North - which is also alive and well here in Hammerfest. On Saturdays, "everyone" goes to a café to drink coffee, and preferably with a piece of cake or a waffle cake. Many also go far more often than once a week, and some meet almost daily. If you want to mix with the locals, and listen to what engages the local population at the moment - then you just go to Qa, Soma, Enjoy or Sweet Fantasy and have a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning. The latter also has bubble waffles on the menu - if you haven't had the honor of trying it yet! When the sun is shining, there is soon a battle for the tables outside.
International food and exciting flavors
The fact that the city has over 80 different nationalities is also reflected in much of the selection you will find here. Here you can find Chinese, Thai, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, American, Turkish and Syrian food - to name a few. Check out the famous "kaikanten pizza" - admittedly not an Italian pizza variety - but it's good! Fresh has very good burgers, and SOT has real butcher's beef served on the grill with good sauces and side dishes. Food from the Asian continent can be found at Enjoy café at Nissensenteret, Sakaya and Café Nordvest.
Finnmark's most varied nightlife!
Finally, don't forget to visit the nightlife. Because Hammerfest has without a doubt the most vibrant nightlife in Finnmark, and it is quite impressive how wide a range of concerts, cultural events and festivals are organized here - considering the town's size. On Hammerfestdagan, which is organized in mid-July each year, there is also a separate food festival. Otherwise, you will find a brown pub, cocktail bar, discotheque/club and a concert stage that is open all year round - to name a few. You can also play bowling, billiards or shuffleboard here in combination with food and drink at Hammerfest Bowling. After swinging around on the dance floor, you don't have to end the night on an empty stomach. Here are several food stalls where you can find the type of food that tastes extra good after midnight!
To summarize briefly
- the taste of Hammerfest is an urban concoction of local delicacies and multicultural elements that are best enjoyed in a social atmosphere. Feel free to end with a fresh cocktail, and yes - the country's first spirits sommelier can usually be found behind the bar at Fresh.
