Tim Wendelboe

A small bar with a long reach

Tim Wendelboe opened its espresso bar on 30 June 2007 at Grüners gate 1 in Oslo’s Grünerløkka neighborhood. The company calls itself a roastery, espresso bar and coffee training center, and it has built a global reputation from a room that is, by any measure, small.

That reputation is current. Visit Norway notes that The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops ranked it fifth in the world in 2025 and second in 2026.

The person behind it

Tim began as a barista at Stockfleths in Oslo in 1998, at nineteen. By 2005 he was head of staff training and quality control there, and in early 2006 he left to work as a freelance consultant and barista trainer.

The competition record is long. He won the Norwegian Barista Championship in 2001, 2002 and 2004, took second at the World Barista Championship in 2001 and 2002, and won it in 2004. In 2005 he won the World Cup Tasters Championship.

How the coffee is made

The roastery moved to Tøyengata 29c in 2018, while the bar stayed where it began. Coffee has been roasted to order every week since 2007 and shipped worldwide.

Green coffee comes directly from producers in Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombia, Honduras and El Salvador. Tim visits them every year and publishes what he pays. Since 2019 the company has also farmed its own coffee at Finca El Suelo in Huila, Colombia.

The style is Nordic light roasting: little bitterness, clear sweetness, bright and often floral flavors. Everything is single origin, sometimes several varieties from one farm. Tim started out roasting dark and moved lighter over time.

The room and the ritual

The building was once a hair salon with a 1960s interior. Many original materials were kept, and the counter was made from the old teak ceiling. It fills with tourists and locals but does not feel chaotic.

The bar has sold only coffee since opening, and the menu changes daily. Milk and sugar are the only additions. The company describes the space as closer to a showroom for its coffees than a café.

Kinfolk describes the most popular order as the tasting for two, four coffees served side by side. The signature drink is the Cappuccino Al Freddo, a foamy iced cappuccino made with an old milkshake mixer.

Visiting

The espresso bar is open weekdays from 08:30 to 18:00 and on weekends from 11:00 to 17:00. Expect a line at busy times, and plan to share a table if you stay for a tasting.

The roastery and lab at Tøyengata 29c is open to the public by appointment only. Beans, including seasonal editions, can be bought at the bar or through the online shop.