About us

At Grans Villa, you can enjoy inspiring culinary experiences in stately surroundings steeped in history.

In the evenings, on weekends, and during holidays, you can reserve a spot at our unique events with a focus on food, or rent the house and garden for wedding and others Private events. During the day, we serve high-quality food to everyone who works at Framdrift-houses.

Grans Villa is run by Janne Gullaksen, who previously developed popular concepts such as Urdihuset and Bod24. Her team includes Sue, something of a local baking celebrity thanks to her wonderful skillingsboller (Bergen's classic cinnamon buns), along with a handful of waiting staff who know how to create the special atmosphere Urdihuset and Bod24 are known for.

Food takes centre stage at Grans Villa. Quality ingredients, classic recipes and inventive combinations create a luxurious, flavourful heart for sociable and inspiring experiences.

A very warm welcome!

At Grans Villa, Bergen's architectural heritage meets its culinary history.

The villa stands on Jahnebakken, named after the German-Norwegian confectioner Adolph Friedrich Wilhelm Jahn (1811–1897).

Jahn was born in Pomerania, but left a lasting mark on Bergen after he arrived in the city and established himself as a master pastry chef. In 1850, he opened a restaurant and ran the Fredrikspris farm at what is now the Jahnebakken. Jahn’s pastries and other offerings were met with great enthusiasm in Bergen, and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson himself was a regular guest, according to Bergen historian Jo Gjerstad. The chief poet didn’t just have a soft spot for Jahn’s food and drinks. In 1858, he married the pastry chef’s niece and foster daughter, Karoline Reimers. Adolph Jahn was also a good friend of the Buekorps, and Nygaard’s Battalion in particular benefited from both the drill ground and the beer at Fredrikspris.

Grans Villa was built in 1914 to designs by the architect Einar Oscar Schou. Few have left such a visible mark on modern Bergen as Schou. He designed both Den Nationale Scene and Fløirestauranten on Mount Fløyen, and after the great fire of 1916 he won the competition to redesign Lille Lungegårdsvann and its surroundings. Were it not for him, Smålungeren, as locals call the lake, might well have been filled in.

The building combines Art Nouveau and neo-Baroque features, styles found in several of Schou's works.

The villa takes its name from Johan Gran, who once owned and lived in the house.

History is more than an evocative backdrop to everything we host and create. It is quite literally built into the walls.