Then there was that splendid vegetarian restaurant. Á næstu grösum, it’s called. Probably this place is everything that world weary pop stars would seek in Reykjavík … it’s a very pleasant little place where you will be served the best of wholesome…

And finally, the exquisite Tveir fiskar, the expensive one, this week, where everybody seemed to be speaking French. Great fish. Great chocolate soufflé. Sophisticated waiters, yet friendly. Nice industrial harbour view out the window, and a great imitation of Northern Lights in…

Suddenly I realized what it looked and felt like: An airport! More specifically: Any airport or even: the any airport. What is aimed at with the white walls, stainless steel, smooth wood and glass look is utopia in its original sense: non-place.…

Why would a place called Pasta Basta try to de-ehmphasize its Italian background and place fish and steak in the foreground of its menu, but cut the pizza variations down to five? Are culinary trends so overwhelming, is Italian simply out? Is…

Bookstore employees in the city centre complain about the bothersome tourists that bump in from the rain, one after the other, wet, confused, with a map in their hands, asking the same question over and over again: Where can I find a…

Described as “chic, upscale and casual” on its website, the hotel restaurant, Salt, actually is. Each table is decorated with a small porcelain bowl with pink, white and black sea salts, each imported from its own continent. The salts are, I was…

This cheesy fast-food pizzeria offers a no-nonsense buffet, soup, steak, pizza, vegetables, pasta courses … the whole lot – English-Italian cuisine the Icelandic way. The name of the place is Icelandic for Robin Hood, and in line with its ideologue’s vision, the…

It seems to be common practice when one restaurant files for bankruptcy to start another one in its place. In this tradition, Maru is a sushi place by Aðalstræti, where there used to be a sushi place. Sushi consisting of various combinations…

Sitting on a barrel inside the Sægreifinn fish shop, staring up at the stuffed seal and stuffed ram’s head, having owner Kjartan shuffle by to serve another customer and repeating with a broader and broader smile “Vínurmín” (My friend) I acknowledged that…

Heavily romantic. Huge candlesticks. Accompanied by my sister, we were quite pleased, after a drink in the upstairs parlour, to be relocated by the waitress to a table more suitable when no one is proposing marriage to anyone. Those tables are to…

The Bagel House only arrived on Laugavegur two or three weeks ago. They serve bagels. The bagels are good, the raw material fresh, the guy who was working there when I dropped by was charming and efficient … I could hold it…

El Racó is a new Mexican place by Tryggvagata, where there used to be a … Mexican place. Unfortunately my knowledge of Mexican food is quite limited, and so when I actually complained to the chef that my fajitas were not spicy…

The old joke about selling ice to the Eskimos gets a dose of reality in Iceland: Icelanders love ís, or ice cream. The sheer quantity of ice cream consumed on a sunny summer day is astounding to visitors, especially those who try…

“I saw your turnover, going to Cuba in the autumn?” “Well, you don’t jump around just anywhere, if Icelandair doesn’t fly there.” “The owners have changed …” “The owners have changed but it’s still about loyalty.” “Air Atlanta?” “I don’t even know…

Eldsmiðjan was one of the country’s first pizzerias, a sensation when it opened 18 years ago in the city centre. They seem to have established a whole generation of old fans, and my companion was one of those – stunned to see…

Prikið used to be a similar place to Café Mokka, in Skólavörðustígur, where elderly stoics drank their coffee in the morning, beer in the evening, leaving the outside world to its own … until five years ago or so, when young sputnik…

A Whole Lot Better than They Have to Be One of the complaints I hear about dining out in Iceland is that Italian, Thai and Indian restaurants severely tone down the spices to suit the Icelandic palate. For many visitors to Iceland,…

Opened a month ago, Fjalakotturinn, which means “the cat on the boards,” (boards as in theatre), stands on the oldest street in Reykjavík. Its exterior actually spreads over three quaint looking buildings from the 1900s. From the exterior, the hotel looks as…

Unless you have the parking god on your side you are going to have to cruise for a parking space for this wildly popular bistro bar a few steps from Laugavegur, across the street from Mal og Menning. The noisy two-story space…

I can say without hesitation that Argentina is the best place in the world for a red meat-loving person to have a special celebration. Reykjavík has some great chefs and all sorts of nifty sauces, but with all the discussion of fish…

Location, location, location. Kaffi Sólon is a big, friendly space with a big upstairs bar and possibly the best window for people watching in Reykjavík. Originally a paint store, then a bistro-cum-jazz club cum art venue, it floundered until it hit the…

This quiet modish bistro adjacent to the discreet Hotel Fron seems miles away from Reykjavík’s thumping party central while being right smack in the centre. Owner Hanna Magnúsdóttir is intent on making the Angelo Mediterranean in feeling while relying on good Icelandic…