Grapevine’s Best Of 2017: Best Newcomer

One of the most-asked questions by visitors to Iceland is: “Where do we eat?” It’s a tough question to answer, as Reykjavík has restaurants catering to many different palettes, and on top of that, it seems like they’re always rising and falling in popularity for one reason or another. But we try to stay on top of things where eating out is concerned. With the help of a panel of self-proclaimed experts, we’ve been able to piece together a guide that gives you a pretty good idea of what’s here in 2017. Use the guide, check out the Facebook page of restaurants and make reservations, if need be, for a true epicurean experience in Reykjavík. And if you have recommendations to the contrary, then drop us a line. We are listening. And we’re hungry.

Winner

Geiri Smart
Hverfisgata 30
Geiri Smart fashions itself on the popular 70s song of the same name (you know the one! Let’s sing it together! A-one and a-two, and… No?), and the musical influence continues through the menu design. But quirkiness aside, they serve up some serious grub that had our panel hankering for more. The Gnalling cheese with prosciutto and savoury french toast was a revelation, and the goose tart with beets had us casting jealous looks at our colleague who declared “these beets were beat out of their muddiness into delicious submission.”

Runners Up

Burro
Veltusund 1
Needless to say, we are excited about Reykjavík’s first South American restaurant! With a vegan tasting menu and a smattering of ceviches (and a tongue-in-cheek bar serving tropical delights upstairs at Pablo Discobar), Burro holds a lot of promise.

Kumiko
Grandagarður 101
Reykjavík’s first Japanese-focussed tea house is a colourful Harajuku-style cafe that offers fine Japanese and Chinese teas, delicious cakes and desserts, and a killer brunch menu. The brunch presentation is an event in itself, with three layers of fruit, breads, dips, savouries, scones and cakes arriving on a three-tiered serving tray. It’s a perfect weekend treat for two.

You can buy a copy of the full Best Of Reykjavík 2017 magazine, posted worldwide, at gpv.is/buybestof.