Words by

Rex Beckett

Hornið
Hafnarstræti 15, 101
Thirty years ago in Reykjavík there were very few restaurants, much less ones serving up authentic fare from foreign lands. In 1979, Hornið opened its doors on Hafnarstræti as the first restaurant to serve up real Italian cuisine and pizzas. They instantly became a hit amongst the locals and have remained an institution of fine dining in the city throughout the years. Still serving up classic Italian dishes, their patrons are now equal parts local and foreign, and rarely have a quiet night all year.
Asking how they have managed to be so consistently great, their owner Jakob told us that they haven’t changed their menu much over the course of the years, except adding a few new items and adding new twists to their style. “If you are going to open a steakhouse or a pizza place in Iceland, you have to stay true to your original idea,” he tells us. “Now it’s a mix of Italian and Nordic dishes.” Adding to their wide array of delicious pizzas and pastas they have mixed in traditional fish and lamb dishes as new specialties. Jakob says his personal favourite is the fish soup.