Wake up, Reykjavik!
The dining slumber that afflicts the hospitality industry has got to shake loose “Ostpaj med murklor” is scribbled on the blackboard in front of me. “What is a cheese pie?” I ask, embarrassed about my...
View ArticleGlobetrotting Menus At Hosiló
Icelandic nonchalance and delicious chaos ensues at this weekly-menu driven restaurant It is often said that adversity breeds creativity. Creative arcs across the globe showed what research has also...
View ArticleRegional Ambitions: The Hits and Misses at Gandhi Indian Restaurant & Bar
The last time I reviewed Gandhi was in 2015. Back then they were tucked away in a basement overlooking Austurvöllur and I wrote about what a lost opportunity it was that they weren’t tapping into their...
View ArticleSup, Sip and Skál!
From foraged craft cocktails to shrimp heads, this Icelandic gastro-pub exemplifies joy in brevity When I first wrote about Hlemmur Mathöll’s opening, I simply called it Mathöll, ending the article...
View ArticleAhoy, Matey!
Vestmannaeyjar is poised to be at the forefront of food as cultural heritage One of the highlights of 2022 was the birth of Matey Seafood Festival. Rooted in Vestmannaeyjar, the homegrown food festival...
View ArticleBomba-stic Paellas And Much More
La Barceloneta is a slice of Barcelona in the heart of Reykjavík If there has been one destination sought after by Icelanders for decades now and sees no sign of that popularity abating, it is Spain....
View ArticleIs It A Shop? Is It A Restaurant? It’s Nebraska
Reykjavik’s newest restaurant is a combination of many good things It was evident in early social media posts about seemingly underground suppers taking place in clandestine locations that Nebraska was...
View ArticleBreakfast Like A Queen In Reykjavík
Move over brunch, breakfast is in town Contrary to popular belief, breakfast is a fairly modern concept of a meal. Morning meals and their popularity has ebbed and flowed depending on political...
View Article36 hours in Akureyri: Whipping Through The Capital Of The North
Did you know that it was not until 1776 that the first residential house was built in Akureyri and in 1784 the population numbered a grand total of 12? Historical accounts say that efforts by the...
View ArticleFestival Fairness: A Call For More Diversity
Local media has been abuzz with horror that the line up of chefs for this year’s Food & Fun festival, now in its 21st year (sans the Covid years), is full of men. Never mind that the same media...
View ArticleThe Advent Of Skál 2.0: New Digs For The Beloved Eatery
Change is afoot as Reykjavik’s beloved casual eatery moves out of Hlemmur Mathöll It is no secret now that Skál is moving. A Reykjavik pioneer, Skál set the tone for ambitious dining in an...
View ArticleThe Ten Year Storm: ROK serves small plates in a prime location
If you live in or are visiting Rekjavík, chances are you have been to Hallgrímskirkja. If you have, then chances are that you have also seen the black, turf roof building across the road. Almost...
View ArticleA Stubbornly Seafood-Only Restaurant
Sjávarpakkhúsið is well worth the drive to Stykkishólmur Iceland is perpetually going to be known as the land of fish and even better lamb. Walk down any street, anywhere in the country and chances are...
View ArticleBan Thai Is Still The Boss, Three Decades On
Crunchy lettuce cups cuddling a mound of toasted coconut shreds, topped with roasted peanuts, slender batons of young ginger, puddles of palm sugar dressing punctured by bits and bobs of pink shallots...
View ArticleA Winner Is Crowned At The Street Food Festival
It isn’t often that those of us living in Reykjavík can boast of good weather, good food, and a festive atmosphere all at once. But someone at the Reykjavík Street Food Festival 2024 must have made a...
View ArticleWining And Dining: Taking A Bite Out Of Reykjavík’s Gastronomic Wine Bars
Iceland may not have pub culture like the Brits, or bistro culture like the French. But we do have a healthy drinking culture. I kid. Like their bratty Scandi cousins, Icelanders have a strange...
View ArticleFar Flung Food: Dining Discoveries In The Wild Westfjords
Even in over-exposed Iceland there exist areas visited by less than 10% of tourists each year. In fact, just as few Icelanders have ever travelled to the area. And it’s a shame, because the...
View ArticleThe Matey Seafood Festival Is Back!
Vestmannaeyjar seems to be hell bent on keeping that “festival town” tag intact. Hot on the heels of Þjóðahátið — the biggest music festival in the country, now in its 150th year — comes the third...
View ArticleA Timeless Classic: Luxurious Italian Restaurant La Primavera Pulls No Punches
One of the peculiar things about Italian food is that its relative simplicity often leads folk to confidently, although falsely, assume that anyone can cook it. Some also feel like they could do the...
View ArticleThree Decades Of Decadence At Austur-Indíafjelagið
Reykjavik’s fine dining icon reveals its secret sauce to enduring success “This is a pani puri,” Chandrika Gunnarsson says as she nimbly places shot glasses of verdant pani with a perfect sphere of...
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