Hornið, which literally means ‘the corner’, is an old haunt of the Grapevine staff. Our offices used to be located directly above them, but it wasn’t just the convenience that attracted us to the place. Hornið has been operated by the same family since 1979 and prides itself on providing a consistent menu, with some of the courses having been perfected over decades.
When two of us came back recently, it quickly became apparent that nothing had changed. The decór was the same, some of the staff was recognisable and the menu, predictably, was the same. That, mind you, is a good thing. Our mission was a simple one: try a couple of the dishes we had previously enjoyed and make sure standards haven’t slipped.
Feeling that starters weren’t strictly necessary at what is, essentially, a pizzeria, we started out with the main courses: a four-cheese pizza and a plate of penne pasta with a creamy chicken and paprika sauce. The pizza had that thin, crispy base and crust that we fondly remembered and the cheeses were well chosen and not too heavy or rich. The pasta was quite good as well, with more than enough chicken to justify calling it Penne a Pollo (chicken penne).
To round things off we chose a warm apple pie with cream, and homemade ice cream for dessert. While I’m not generally a big fan of a lot of cinnamon in my apple pies, their offering was more than satisfactory, if not particularly memorable. The ice cream was clearly the star of the dessert menu. If you have had good homemade ice cream before you know more or less what to expect, and shouldn’t be disappointed.
Overall, Hornið is a fairly priced and consistently good restaurant that keeps true to its traditions. You may not be wowed by all of the dishes, but most people should walk out satisfied.