There are guides and there are guides. Longevity sets us apart and for 20-plus-years we have dined, wined, ordered takeaways and visited spots once, twice, a dozen times in our quest to find the city’s best burgers, bakeries, brews and more.
The Best of Reykjavík dining category has always reflected reality and nothing warms our hearts more than to see Newcomers graduate to winners as the years go by. Now we have winners who will have the added recognition of being Reykjavík Institutions, a badge of honour to commend establishments that have stood the test of time — so keep an eye out for the *I as you peruse our lists of what’s Best.
Here’s to another year of deliciousness, skál!
Best Goddamn Restaurant
Winner
Austur-Indiafjelagid (I)*
Hverfisgata 56
Photo by Art Bicnick
It bears testimony to just how vibrant the food scene in Reykjavík is that choosing the winner in this category becomes increasingly challenging each year. If you thought that a 30-year old establishment possibly has nothing new to offer, Austurindia does just that with their showcase of regional Indian food whilst shining a spotlight on local Icelandic produce, tempered with exceptional hospitality and technical execution. You’d do well to order a few grilled dishes, a curry or two, and mop it up with some flaky kulcha — order family-style for a balanced, wholesome experience. And before you go thinking wait, why an Indian restaurant is the definitive best in town, pay attention to the exacting cooking of (Icelandic) ingredients: the grassy, wild range lamb is grilled to a textbook medium rare in the kalimirchi, salmon shines from the same cuisson, highlighting the inherent butteriness of this fatty fish, heightened by the herbaceous green marinade, local pride cod steams gently in its pan-fried banana leaf parcels of cod pollichathu, all as masterfully executed as at any starred establishment. This marriage of two seemingly unlike culinary traditions is innovative without being gimmicky, a technical sleight of hand so good, yet often overlooked. Particularly exciting about dining here is that you’re bound to stumble upon a dish that will end up being a fast favourite if you venture beyond butter chicken, as is the case with the exquisitely spiced Mangalorean Kori Gassi. Please consider this a petition to also put the curry leaf martini on the menu as a permanent drink cause who knew that martinis were a natural pairing with Indian food?
RUNNER-UP
La Primavera
Grandagarður 20
Here is a restaurant focused on the pleasure of their guest from the get go. The front of house has been the same team for years now, the food is effortlessly refreshing and the ambiance moves from laidback ease at lunch to an elegant evening avatar. Built on principles of Italian cuisine — simplicity, fresh ingredients and regionality, La Primavera’s expression is Italian by way of Iceland. Expect cod roe in late January to early spring, usually in a piquant caper-tomato sauce; bitter greens that’d put the prettiest flowers to shame come fall; and an annual truffle festival just before the holidays. It’s hearty food but chef Leifur cuts out the superfluous noise, allowing the few ingredients on a plate to tell their own stories.
RUNNER-UP
Mat Bar
Hverfisgata 26
Art Bicnick/The Reykjavík Grapevine
There are few restaurants in town that have that local neighbourhood haunt vibe like Mat Bar. From its stylish interiors to its compact corner presence, the small plates from the even smaller wood fired grill have always punched above their weight since day one. Locally-grown vegetables are treated with the same care as meat, and the meats are tended to lovingly. After a brief departure from their “Nordic-Italian” focus, Mat Bar has for the past couple of years returned to their old form, borrowing freely from global pantries while still being approachably modern.
Previous Winners
2024: Skál
2023: Austur-Indiafjelagid
2022: Skál
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