The annual food festival Gladmat

The annual food festival in Stavanger is taking place in downtown Stavanger for the 20^th time this year! The whole harbor area is turned into a pedestrian area and restaurants, breweries, local producers etc set up stands to promote their food related products. When the weather behaves, the Gladmat turns the downtown area into a very lively area with people eating a drinking everywhere. There is something for everyone and you can either buy a small portion to taste or try to find a table to order a bigger portion. My best tip is to bring a friend and buy the tasting portion and share it. Then you get to taste more.

There are also various special events in connection with Gladmat. Renaa restaurant normally hosts a dinner at their restaurant, Ostehuset has a special dinner, Egget and Vinkontoret collaborate to bring people good wine and good food etc.

In 2018 the weather has been good and the downtown area has been bustling. Here are some of the favorites so far!

Egget is a good restaurant (read previous reviews to learn more) and their tasting option was great this year. It was a couple of pieces of chicken that was unbelievable juicy served with cabbage and a mayo. Be careful with the Midsummer hot sauce – it is hot.

 

Villa 22 had a small pizza as their Gladmat dish. This was also an excellent treat as it came straight out of the woodfired pizza oven. Topped with ‘nduja, peppers and cheese it was an excellent snack.

Eg & Du is an interesting small restaurant with some good seafood options. At Gladmat this year they were brave enough to serve whale as their tasting option. The whale meat was tender and the broth and vegetables were tasty. I was not that crazy about their bolinos as they were not quite fresh and then they turn a bit soggy.

Como Mexico is a small local producer of tortilla. At Gladmat they used their tortillas to make excellent tacos with beef or pork! Well worth the wait to get it!

Craig Whitson is a bit of a legend in the Stavanger restaurant scene. This year he is back in Craigs Chili Parlor with a “simple” dish: chili con carne. I enjoyed the chili con carne – it was rich in taste and had some big chunks of tender meat.

This is just a few samples of all the food that you can try at Gladmat. If you are in town during this food festival, make sure to get their early and with a big appetite in order to taste as much as possible! Check out the Gladmat homepage for more information and download the Gladmat app on your phone!