Best Of Guide: Eat, Pray, Quarantine

The best takeaway for your time alone

It’s evening, you’ve just started ‘Succession,’ and the prospect of any kind of human contact is at least 6 days away, or maybe even 14. So how does one quell their sadness in the light of such solitude? That’s right! It’s time to eat your lonely, lonely feelings. Of course, you’ll need todo so through delivery places or kind friends and family members who will bring the food(safely) to your door. Please, don’t risk the safety of others just to satisfy a craving.

And remember: Your lonesome tears will add a nice salty seasoning to every meal.

Photo by Art Bicknick

Ramen Momo
Tryggvagata 16
Start off your inside time by ordering some ramen from Momo. The beloved hole-in-the-wall ramen bar was the first in Iceland and also gives a discount for bringing your own container. (Not that you can! You’re in quarantine, remember?) Although most of their ingredients are made in Iceland, that Japanese taste means that if you close your eyes and concentrate very hard, you might be able to convince yourself—just for a moment—that you’re somewhere far, far away from here. But you’re not. So try the Gyoza.

Photo by Art Bicknick

Local Salad
Various locations
It’s been a whole day now. Is that enough time to suddenly start questioning your life choices, have a minor breakdown and resolve it by swearing off carbs for the REST OF YOUR LIFE? Of course, it is. This won’t last, but while it does, try a Local Salad. Do some yoga, taste the vitamins and dream absent-mindedly of your childhood, when everything was simpler. Along with veggie and vegan options, they even have keto-specials, for those who won’t let quarantine ruin their gains.

Photo by Art Bicknick

Flatey Pizza
Grandagarður 11 & Hlemmur Mathöll
Okay. 24 healthy hours was a pretty good stint, but who are you kidding? This is quarantine. You wouldn’t be doing it right without eating an entire pizza, drinking a bottle of wine and passing out in front of an episode of ‘Friends’
you’ve seen ten times already. But if you’re going to ruin your diet, at least make it classy: Flatey Pizza boasts a killer sourdough base and they even have pizzas to match the seasons. Does it get much classier? We’d recommend the
Tartufo, which features mozzarella, ricotta, potatoes, and truffle oil, but that said, if you wanna go nuts, you can always opt for the Nutella pizza. But please have some self-respect whilst eating it. On second thought, that would be… perfection.

Photo by Art Bicknick

Kore
Various locations
There are two kinds of people in the world: The one who eats “Asian food,” and the one who understands that continents are composed of more than one country (ignoring Australia, obviously). Luckily, Kore is for both. The food there is not only sublime, but the head chef has put a lot of thinking and research into the menu. Which basically means that now Icelanders can buy the Kimchi (it’s insane) or the crispy Tteokbokki—which is incredibly fun for me to order over the phone with my accent. Kore is the best when it comes to Korean food in Iceland and is highly recommended when one is hungover or just fed up by the winter darkness.

Dirty Burger and Ribs
Austurstræti 18
It’s a sad fact that some people go through their entire life without being truly honest to themselves. But the monotony of quarantine calls for some brutal soul-searching; it’s an opportunity to finally accept yourself fully. Start with this honest fact—Dirty Burger & Ribs is as real as it gets when it comes to greasy food. They have the best homemade buffalo sauce, smoke their own bacon, serve up wings that are nothing less than perfection and slow cook their pulled pork with nothing short of love. Dirty is the place you call when you admit to yourself that you’re done with green juice and want a real barbeque fest. It’s also not a bad option when you want to cry into your pillow and wonder why you are so disgusting. Either way, it works.

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