Author: Björn Teitsson
Straight Outta Suðureyri: Fisherman Brings The Westfjords To Reykjavík
Suðureyri is a small fishing village in the Westfjords with a population of roughly 300 people. Once isolated, it is…
Make Lamb Great Again: Reinventing Icelandic Lamb The Middle Eastern Way
Icelanders have been eating lamb for a while now. If you’re going to a typical Sunday family dinner, the chances…
The Street Food Olympics: A Grapevine Guide To Grandi Mathöll
by John Rogers, Shruthi Basappa and Björn Teitsson
Reykjavík food halls are, as it turns out, just like London buses: you wait around for one, and then two…
Let’s Say Cheers For Skál! A Gourmet Feast At Hlemmur Mathöll
There are some privileges in writing about food. One of them is getting assignments that you cannot wait to complete,…
All Aboard! Grandi Mathöll Is Setting Sail This Summer
The Reykjavík restaurant scene is going through a paradigm shift. Until recently, most of the restaurants in the Greater Reykjavík…
All Good: Family Food In The Heart Of Reykjavík At Gott
Gott Restaurant is a delightful recent addition to the restaurant scene in downtown Reykjavík, with a long history. The first…
A New Hope: The Inspiring World Of Natural Wines At Port 9
Natural wines are taking the world by storm. At least, the hyper-consuming yet woke nations of Scandinavia, the British Isles,…
Pizza Party In The Financial Zone: Black Box Enters Reykjavík’s Hunger Games
The great metropolis of Reykjavík has a financial district, not that far from downtown Reykjavík. This “district” is actually limited…
‘Tis The Season: Ten Christmas Menus Worth Writing Home About
by John Rogers, Shruthi Basappa and Björn Teitsson
As Christmas approaches, it seems like every restaurant in Reykjavík is posting appetising Instagram pictures of their special seasonal menus….
All Things Nice: Borðið’s Christmas Menu Is Flavourful & Festive
‘Tis the season. The darkness is overwhelming and the northern winds bite to the bone. In the darkness every piece…
We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat: Fish Restaurant Messinn Opens Second Location
Most informal communication between Icelandic locals and visitors of this volcanic island have for decades revolved around the question “How…
Livin’ On A Prayer At Sæta Svínið
It’s difficult to pinpoint when, or how, the emergence of the gastropub happened in Iceland. If memory serves, it was…
Pizza Will Never Betray You: Eldofninn Reviewed
It’s a cold night. The mind races. You think about pizza, the only friend who hasn’t betrayed you. If that…
Mai Thai Bistro: The Rookie of the “Thai Triangle”
The Hlemmur area in downtown Reykjavík has for recent years been the supreme destination of Thai food lovers. It has…
Sumac Grill: Paris of the East, in the North
There has historically been a real lack of culinary institutions in Iceland representing the northern parts of Africa and the…
Andri Snær Magnason Says Poets Are Like Rats
Andri Snær Magnason says poets are like rats; even when they aren’t visible, they are ever present. His second poetry…
‘Tis The (Tourist) Season: 101 Harbor Restaurant Cashes In
It would have been very difficult to foresee the Reykjavík harbour area growing into a thriving melting pot of restaurants,…
Last Words: To Fit the Needs of the Present
In my late teens, when I was still playing football somewhat seriously, I had a teammate hailing from Nigeria. A…
Go To The Bar And Give It A Smakk
I remember vividly the revelation of reading Anthony Bourdain’s ‘Kitchen Confidential’, and how those “Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly” are…
The Vegan Safe Haven: Kaffi Vínyl Brings The Revolution
Kaffi Vínyl is a hip and stylish café/bar/restaurant located in the gritty upper part of Hverfisgata. Although fairly new to…
The Classless Society Of The First Icelandic Diner: Lunch On The Harbour At Kaffivagnin
Reykjavík’s old harbour area Grandi has gone through a rapid transformation in recent years, with new restaurants and bars popping…
Last Words: Once In A Lifetime
Two news stories caught my attention during the first weeks of the short and bittersweet Icelandic summer. They made me…
Last Words: Urban Love Song
It is well documented. How good it actually feels. That first rush. That first time everything is just right. You…
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…
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…