lille amerika - oslo, norway

Rating:  8 / 10

Let's face it, it's near impossible to get an epic burger in Oslo. Sure some people swear by Illegal, crave Munchies or crowd around Døgnvill,  but none of them manage to successfully produce a well prepared patty kissed by two buns and a variety of condiments or toppings. 

The meat at Illegal has a karbonade-texture, Munchies used to be better before they changed their recipes, Døgnvill veers to the bland side. Newer attempts like Troys or Wunderburger inevitably fail. 

​It's mathematically bemusing to calculate how difficult it could possibly be to just make one decent freaking burger spot.

As soon as I heard the name Lille Amerika, my skin crawled with petulant disharmony. Images of some semi-illiterate Norwegian USA Fanboy returned home from his two weeks in Florida, sunburned with the illusion that he is the saviour of fast food in Norway, renting a shopfront, decking it out in the gaudy collections he amassed at flea-markets and set about whacking out mediocre slop under the guise of being real American. 

Thankfully my fears were unfounded. What greeted me was in fact an Afghani man with a beaming smile who explained the "order at the table" system and then returned to the kitchen to attend to Foodora orders.

We sat outside in the melting sun, sipping our soft drinks in anticipation of disappointment. The food came finally after a long delay, and our eyes sized up the promising looking mini-burger and fries. 

It was not love at first bite, but muted joy. The patty was nice and seasoned, the cheese melted in the right way, the pickles and jalapenos (extra 8kr) added a bit of tart spice, and the bun was a tad sweet but held it's own under the weight of the meat.

The fries were definitely a step above the regular fast-food type you get in 99% of the late night spots in town. 

I'll go out on a limb and say for the price and quality, this is as close as you get to a good sloppy American style burger. The service was extremely friendly, and I'd probably re-visit if I happened to be in the area, with distant cravings.

These recommendations are just personal opinions based on my palate, things change, chefs get fired or replaced, places open-close, relocate, so take it all with a pinch of MSG and discover your own gems too. But please do try a few of these, they have been researched exhaustively.