Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.08.2005, Síða 35

Hornið: The Chianti in wicker kind of
classy
How do you take a quaint restaurant with the kind
of consistently good Italian that always goes with the
Chianti that comes in a wicker basket? Well, you make
it affordable. Hornið, which has been in the same
location for 20 years, has maintained its quality and its
affordability throughout. This is the kind of place you
take your gal to, or, if you’re a struggling student or
artist, that you treat yourself to once a month.
The great thing about a mid-range restaurant that
has been around so long is the ease that the staff has
with the clientele. In fact, Hornið has the best service
in Reykjavík among restaurants with dishes under 4000
ISK. It also has the best spaghetti carbonara (1650 ISK)
in the city and extremely refreshing pizzas.
This restaurant is an institution in town: it will not
get more hip, and it will probably not be covered in
any local magazines, but it is timeless, or, even better,
somewhat dated—to twenty years ago when people just
went to restaurants to enjoy the food and feel pleasant.
Hafnarstræti 15, 101 Reykjavík Phone: 551-3340.
www.hornid.is.
Go there for a Friday lunch
and have the blackbird salad.
If you’re starving, add a fish
steak. Praise the chef. Even
hope you might seduce the chef
and secure your future.
Sægreifinn is one of the charming
locales in Reykjavík where English
doesn’t pop up at all. It is a shop for
locals, and the lobster soup, at 650
ISK, is a cherished secret.
Serving the old (gamli) style
ice cream, which, according to
customers in the ever-present
line, is water-based, this is
the favourite for any true
Reykjavíkur.
Previous Bezt í Heimi winners:
Ostabúðin
By Bart Cameron
Lobster Soup at
Sægreifinn
Ísbúð Vesturbæjar
Frím
ann