Restaurant Review
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Restaurant Review: Óx
“No, no, no, you can’t go in there yet!,” a harried waitress stops me in my tracks as I approach the doors to Óx. I must be early, I think to myself, now seated at the bar at Sumac. I’m amused by…
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Food Review: The Greenhouse
Hveragerði is an odd town, occupying a strange space in the hearts of elder millennials and Gen Xers. The town, which is only 40 minutes away from Reykjavík, used to have the only theme park in Iceland. It wasn’t much. There were…
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Restaurant Review: Borðið
Do we still call it gentrification even if the only people being displaced are oil tank security guards and struggling indie musicians? These are the kind of low-impact questions we’ve had to wrestle with as we enter into the final phases of…
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Let Them Eat Lobster & Stuff
It’s technically langoustine, not lobster, but Langoustine & Stuff doesn’t sound right. It misses the fricative soft rhyme of “ster” and “stuff.” That’s the type of linguistic gymnastics marketing wordsmiths simply die for–and, if their product is a living creature, it’s what…
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Essensia: A New Taste Of Italy In Iceland
One thing Iceland does really well is pizza. Hold on! Iceland? Yes, Iceland. Iceland might be the only place in the world where Domino’s Pizza is good. There are many theories as to why this is correct: the water, ancient sourdough starters…
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Something For Everyone: Bike Cave
Located in the Skerjafjörður neighbourhood behind the domestic airport, the Bike Cave is somewhat out of the way for travellers and locals alike. However, given its fleet of rental scooters—parked jauntily outside like Harleys in front of a leather bar—and its proximity…
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Food Review: Iceland’s Most Popular Restaurant
Aiming for a homey menu and atmosphere, the IKEA restaurant prides itself on a cheap and varied selection of courses. I got three courses, consisting of an open sandwich with shrimp, egg and vegetables (695 ISK); the flagship course, meatballs in brown…
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Food Review: Servers Squared, Peaks Squared
There were three of us there that night and all we realised that during our lives, we had approached the Icelandic restaurant scene from many different angles. We had worked as servers, food truck vendors, cooks, managers, part-owners, restaurant reviewers, restaurant promoters,…
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Sólon, And Thanks For All The Fish!
Hrefna: We visited Sólon on a particularly ordinary Wednesday afternoon. The place felt familiar. Maybe because I pass it every day on my way to work, envying the patrons who always seem so happy with their curly fries and drinks. The location,…
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Kitchen & Wine For A Good Ol’ Time
Hrefna: I feel like Kitchen & Wine is the kind of place where I’ll be lunching on the regular once I’ve made it in the biz. The journalism biz. Walking in, I was glad I’d dressed up because the place is really…
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Icelandic Fish & Chips
Not your average fish’n’chips joint, this healthy restaurant uses only organic vegetables and quality fish products to serve their fancy take on a fast-food classic. The spiced ‘Skyronnaise’ sauce is a special treat, and their clean, casual location by the harbour is…
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Restaurant Review: Gló Is A Hippie Chipotle (That’s A Compliment)
Throughout most of Iceland’s history, food has been considered but a means of sustenance, “fuel,” if you will. Therefore, the likes of Gló proprietor Solla, Sólveig Eiríksdóttir, cannot be praised enough. A visionary true to her cause, Solla has tirelessly promoted the…
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Restaurant Review: At Íslenski Barinn, Retro Confusion
Íslenski Barinn was established shortly that famous economic collapse of 2008, the founders citing it—along with the subsequent wave of protests—as inspiration. At its initial location, the restaurant overlooked Austurvöllur, the sleepy square by Alþingi where Icelanders gathered to voice their outrage…
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Food Review: Bergsson Is A Place To Enjoy, Slowly
While not the first of its kind in Reykjavík, the appearance of Bergsson Mathús clearly signalled the arrival of something different—a shift in Icelanders’ food culture. Essentially a breakfast and lunch spot, which also serves terrific brunch during weekends, Bergsson places great…
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Food Review: West Side Story
One of the dangers of living in Reykjavík is that you quickly adapt to the local concept of time and space. As a city rat, I now think that anything outside of the 101 postcode is “far.” Even the 107 hood has…
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Restaurant Review: Who Am I? I’ll Never Tell. XO XO Gossip Girl
Spotted: Grapevine writer and his girlfriend at a new fusion takeaway restaurant in Vesturbær, XO. Things seemed to be going smoothly until the couple took an extra long time ordering drinks. He wanted to order a beer, but his behaviour last week…
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Restaurant Review: No, Mandi, Thank You!
In an ideal world, the few Syrian families who have settled in Iceland over the last few years would be here by choice. They would have been free to come here and start a new life—not to seek refuge far from their…
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Inspired By… Guy Fieri? Roadhouse Reviewed
It may be difficult to pinpoint the exact allure of US gastronomy. Perhaps it can be summed up thusly: “It’s deep-fried and drenched in sauce.” It is a style of cuisine that your cardiologist will certainly not recommend, but then, sometimes you…
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Best Place To Babysit And Get A Buzz On: Laundromat Reviewed
The term “family restaurant” usually connotes low quality food, but especially patient staff. Laundromat Café doesn’t use the term in its advertising; however, it manages to be an idealized version of such a place, with good quality food and a broader definition…
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Cruising At Caruso
My gay-for-pay date for the evening was looking very happy with his meal. His manly physique was wrapped in an Entombed t-shirt and his muscular fingers tapped away in preparation for an upcoming issue of the very magazine you hold betwixt your…
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Laminated Menus, Hits And Misses
Primo is a relatively recent addition to the Reykjavík downtown restaurant scene, although it used to operate as somewhat of an Italian fast food take-away restaurant (pizza being its forte) in the suburbs not too long ago. Having acquired one of the…
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Casa Grande: Go Big Or Go Home
Located in a red corrugated iron house overlooking the old harbour, Casa Grande is situated smack-dab in the middle of one of the city’s tourist hubs—whale watching tours, an IcelandAir Hotel—and yet, when we arrived, there wasn’t much Gore-Tex on display. Sure,…
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Matur Og Drykkur: Whole Cod Heads And Licorice Pancakes
If you have your heart set on traditional Icelandic food with some creative flourishes, then there are three places worth exploring. In the lowest budget tier (still not all that low, this is Iceland we’re talking about), we have Café Loki serving…