The National Library partners with chef Heidi Bjerkan

Credo is back – in Oslo

The famous Norwegian restaurant Credo is open again!

And it's got a new, and very special, home.

The stately National Library in Oslo simmers with knowledge ...

... and is now seasoned with exceptional Norwegian cuisine to honor its heritage.

“I want to showcase Norwegian food culture, its past, present and future.”

Heidi Bjerkan, star chef and owner of Credo

Food culture is a vital part of Norway's cultural heritage. That's why the National Library is partnering with star chef Heidi Bjerkan to bring the iconic Norwegian Credo restaurant back to life. Here, guests can experience, taste, and learn about the history of Norwegian cuisine.

A cultural expression

“We believe that food is not just nourishment for the body, it is also a cultural expression. What we eat is shaped by the nature around us, the resources we have had available, inherited traditions, and encounters with other cultures, ” says Heidi Bjerkan, the unrivaled queen of the Norwegian cuisine.

Bjerkan is not just an ordinary master chef, she is also considered a visionary advocate for healthy, sustainable food, animal welfare – and an guardian of the ample Norwegian food culture and traditions.

From Trondheim to Oslo

Her iconic Credo restaurant in her hometown Trondheim was a feature on the Norwegian food scene for around 25 years, until 2024, and widely regarded as one of Norway's best restaurants. In 2019 it was awarded a Michelin star, meanwhile it became the first restaurant in the world to receive a Green Michelin Star for sustainable gastronomy.

In November 2025, she reopened her iconic Credo restaurant concept in Oslo, after several years of hard work, in close collaboration with the stately National Library.

The new Credo will run according to the same core principles.

“We have a kitchen founded on quality ingredients and work with both new and established producers. We want to show how all of us can eat simply, sensibly, and, not least, deliciously, while also taking care of the earth,” says Bjerkan.

But there's an even stronger Norwegian twist to the dishes this time.

“Our food concept is national in terms that we use local produce from all over Norway. I wish to showcase Norwegian food culture, its past, present and future,” she states.

The Norwegian culinary heritage

The innovative collaboration between the National Library and Credo aim to create a meeting place for everyone, with knowledge of the Norwegian food and traditions history at its core.

"Food culture is an important part of our cultural heritage. Credo and Heidi Bjerkan not only want to serve food, but also want to actively contribute to communicating our cultural history," says the former National Librarian Aslak Sira Myhre, who worked with the initiative to the project, to the Norwegian news agency NTB.

For all tastes and wallets

The National Library is full of students and reseachers, but while heavenly fine dining at Credo might be a bit out of their everyday budget, everyone should be able to taste Bjekans food magic in the bakery, in the cafeteria or at the beautiful, continental library bar on the second floor in the old part of the library, where you also may sample lunch food and smaller set menys at a very reasonable price.

"The most important thing to me is to continue to make great food, and to honor the craftsmanship behind our food culture. The food traditions are one thing, the ingredients are another, but we also have the people who dedicate themselves to producing those ingredients. Their craft is truly unique," Bjerkan explains.

Norwegian food culture

"It feels truly nice to be here. I hope it becomes a lively, bustling place, and that we manage to represent Norway as it is today, Bjerkan states

Because the Norwegian food culture is much more than plain fish, meat and potatoes.

"The multicultural aspect is important – because that is also a part of the Norwegian food culture. The way I see it, when we talk about Norwegian cuisine, we often refer to food from 50 or even 100 years back, but eating a kebab is just as Norwegian today," tells Bjerkan with a glimmer in her eye.

What we eat, and how we eat it, also changes with time.

She carefully adds garnish on a delicate scallop, while explaining the point.

"These scallops are growing along the Norwegian coast, but not further north than Tromsø. We ate a lot of oysters 2000 years ago too, but the oysters were usually pickled. My grand father lived off the coast, but he didn't eat scallops, they used them only as bait to catch fish. Times have changed," tells Bjerkan, now serving us ithe scallop as an exquisite delicassy in one of the Norway' s most unique restaurants.

A multicultural food history

By diving into it's history, we can learn a lot about the food we eat today.

"Todays food culture, is the result of a multicultural society. Back to the Viking age, we were also multicultural because they had spices and ingredients from other parts of the world. Now I understand more of the exotic spices that we use for, for instance Christmas, the ones that we don't grow in Norway, come from. They came with the Silk Road a very long time ago" she tells.

The Silk Road was a network of trade routes connecting East Asia with Europe, exchanging silk, spices and ideas during the same time as the Vikings ruled in Scandinavia.

"It reminds us that we where well-traveled back in the days too, and brought exotic ingredients back home to Norway, so it has become part of our food culture," she states.

“I don’t think people appreciate Norwegian food and what we grow in Norway enough.”

Heidi Bjerkan

500 year old shells

Heidi goes on preparing razor shells and ocean quahog, somewhat more unfamiliar shells that grows along the Norwegian coast.

"Just do your thing," says the photographer as she is cutting the shellfish with great precision.

"I always do my thing", answers Bjerkan confidently.

The kitchen is where she thrives, and she treats every ingredient with great care.

"Look, they are so venerable," she says looking at the shell, "I don’t think people appreciate Norwegian food and what we grow in Norway enough," she says while continuing,

"The ocean quahog is native to the North Atlantic ocean. They can be more than 500 years old, and you can count the lines on the shell how old it is", she explains. She has to put some muscle into opening the old scallop. "They’re very resistant when they get this old."

"These shells in particular are from divers ay Øygarden outside Bergen. They have a laboratory that cleanses the sea food so that no one gets sick from it. And we use everything in the shell. What we don't eat is great to use in a fish sauce," she tells.

Remember to book early, if you want to be able to secure a table at Credo!

A food journey at the library

As mentioned, Bjerkan and her Credo-team is operating all of the four different eateries at The National Library. During the day Credo serves the cafeteria both for the librarians working there and to the public for a wholesome lunch during daytime, and a la carte menu for dinner.

In addition, they run the bakery for all bread-lovers and those with a sweet tooth or in need of a good coffee.

"At the bakery we will bake bread and goods using Nordic grain, a type that is different from the grain further south in Europe, The USA and Canada. The Nordic grain grows slower and is more nutrient dense. And we focus on using the whole grain. I'm not that found of eating crossaints each day, so at the bakery we will have a different type of baked goods, such as griddle-baked goods. We use more whole grain, real butter and proper local produce. Off course, I don't mind a croissant now or then, but our focus is different," says Bjerkan.

In the evening you can visit the sophisticated library bar at the second floor of the main building, that also serves light dishes. Check out the beautiful paintings in the hallways on your way up the stairs!

The National Library

Established in 1811, The National Library preserves the past for the future. With elegant paintings on the walls, and the smell of old literacy, the library is a public meeting place for all interested in Norwegian history and culture.

In 2025, the National library opened nearly 900 square meters of the extension building called halvbroren, the half brother, in order to create a cultural hub at Solli Plass in Oslo with events, workshops, more space for students to study, exhibitions, and an enhanced dining offer for the public.

You can also visit the modern, magnificent Map Centre, that contains the world's most extensive collection of printed maps of Norway, the Nordic countries and the High North (free entrance).

The permanent exhibition Enlightened – Views on a Cultural History shows a selection of items that signify important developments in Norwegian public life.