Reykjavík Grapevine - 20.05.2011, Qupperneq 50

R E V I E W S
LOTS OF FOOD REVIEWS 2009-2011!
We have been reviewing and
writing about restaurants
in the Grapevine for the
duration of our eight
years as a publication.
We love food, and going
to restaurants is one of
our hobbies. Throughout
the years, we’ve strived
to cover new restaurants
as they open, and revisit
old ones to see if they still
suck (or indeed if they’re
still excellent in every way).
Sometimes we’ve been
proven wrong as time has
passed, other times not so
much. Such is life.
We don’t pay for the food (we
can’t afford to), instead we have
an elaborate system of signed and
stamped ‘review slips’ that we pass the
waiter when he asks for payment. This
means that the restaurant’s proprietors
are not expecting us when we show
up and they don’t give us any special
treatment while we dine (it is only in
those last, crucial minutes that they
know who we are). This system seems
to be working out pretty fine as far as
we can tell.
Since 2009, we have tried to have
the same person reviewing restaurants
for prolonged periods of time. Sari
Peltonen did it for around a year, then
Catharine Fulton took over for a year,
and now the lovely Madeleine T. is
doling out the Gs. We feel this adds
consistency to the reviews; it enables
the constant reader to familiarise
herself with the reviewer’s tastes and
preferences and make up her own
mind as to how much faith she can
place in the reviewer’s assessment of a
given place.
We thought for this issue that it
might be a good idea to compile a
random selection of the reviews we’ve
done since 2009 and print them for
your convenience. You might find a
place you’ve forgotten about in there,
or one you’ve yet to try (or yet to
avoid). As is the style in Reykjavík,
some of them will have gone bust by
now, and others will have changed
management three times over. If you
find something in here that you totally
disagree with, why not write us a
letter and tell us about it? letters@
grapevine.is HSM
Issue 03, 2009

Restaurant Dill, The Nordic
House
Address: Sturlugata 5
Bottom line: Amazing food, beautiful
setting, bargain price
Price quoted: 1000 - 9000 ISK
Rating: +
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen
Kaffismiðja Islands
Address: Kárastigur 1
Bottom line: The best coffee in town
and beans for home.
Price quoted: Espresso 250 ISK; Latte
350 ISK; Filter coffee 250 ISK; Beans
750 ISK/300 g, 50 ISK reduction if you
bring back the bag for reuse.
Rating: +
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen

Issue 04, 2009

Salaatbarinn
Address: Faxafen 9, Skeifan
Bottom line: Healthier food for fuel
Price quoted: 1500 ISK
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen

Súpubarinn
Address: Hafnarhúsið, the Reykjavik
Art Museum. Tryggvagata 17.
Bottom line: Good lunch in a grand
setting
Price quoted: 1290 ISK
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen

Issue 05, 2009

Fjöruborðið
Address: Eyrarbraut 3A, Stokkseyri
Bottom line: Good soup, great service
Price quoted: 3.240 ISK
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen
Rauða Húsið
Address: Búðarstígur 4, Eyrarbakka
Bottom line: Pretty house, brilliant
lobster
Price quoted: 3.400
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen

Issue 06, 2009

Silfur
Address: Pósthússtræti 11
Bottom line: Fine Icelandic dining in a
pre-financial crisis setting
Price quoted: 4900 ISK
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen
Litla Kaffistofan
Address: Road 1 between Reykjavík
and Hveragerði
Bottom line: Coffee and a pancake
Price quoted: 420 ISK
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen
Issue 07, 2009

Balkanika
Address: Vitastigur 10
Bottom line: A cheap, good
alternative to the usual pizza, burger,
and pylsa
Price quoted: 1090 ISK
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen

Austur-India Félagið
Address: Hverfisgata 56
Bottom line: Austur-India is like
Harrison Ford: reliably charming,
easygoing with a dash of style, but just
a bit too big of a name to come cheap.
Price quoted: 4.195 ISK
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen

Issue 09, 2009

Hamborgallabúlla Tómasar
Address: Geirsgata 1
Bottom line: If you want to eat a
burger in Reykjavik, this is the place.
Price quoted: 1190 ISK
Rating: Best Burger of 2009
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen
Segurmo
Address: Laugavegur 28
Bottom line: Consistently good food
at bargain prices - a gem.
Price quoted: 2000 ISK
Rating: Best Restaurant of 2009
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen

Issue 10, 2009

Fishmarket
Address: Adalstræti 12
Bottom line: From charming to
sketchy
Price quoted: 3900 ISK
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen

Ali baba
Address: Veltusundi 3B (by
Ingólfstorg)
Bottom line: The new fast food
favorite
Price quoted: 900 ISK
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen
Issue 11, 2009

Sushismiðjan
Address: Geirsgata 3
Bottom line: Eat in, not out.
Price quoted: 2800 ISK
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen & Simon
Barker
Sushibarinn
Address: Laugavegur 2
Bottom line: Good sushi, slow service
Price quoted: 2150 ISK
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen & Simon
Barker
OSuSHI - The Train
Address: Lækjargata 2a
Bottom line: O-oh my fish is warm
Price quoted: 100-400 per piece
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen & Simon Barker
Issue 13, 2009

Á Næstu Grösum
Address: Laugarvegur 20b
Bottom line: It´s like a Volvo - a
dependable classic that gets you there
safely
Price quoted: 1890 ISK
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen
Issue 14, 2009
Fiskifélagið
Address: Vesturgata 2a
Bottom line: Fun, interesting, and
ambitious
Price quoted: 4530 ISK
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen
Issue 15, 2009

Argentína
Address: Barónsstígur 11a
Bottom line: Bloody good
Price quoted: 4950 ISK
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen
Tapas Bar
Address: Laugarvegur 20b
Bottom line: When in Iceland, do
tapas as the Icelanders do
Price quoted: 1100 ISK
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen
Issue 17, 2009

Garðurinn
Address: Klapparstígur 37
Bottom Line: Interesting concept,
healthy food
Price quoted: 2200 ISK
Rating:
Reviewed by: Sari Peltonen
ssue 18, 2009
By Various Grapevine food writers - Photo by Hörður Sveinsson
Noodle soup with chicken IKR 930
IKR 930 Noodle soup with beef
Home of the best noodle soup!
Skólavörðustígur 21A