Reykjavík Grapevine - jun 2020, Qupperneq 34

The Country
Cuisine Handbook
Eatin! in Reykjavík is so January 2020
Words: The Grapevine Country Crew Photos: Art Bicnick & Various
So you’ve been to Dill, Bæjarins
Bestu, Grillmarket and Hlölli. You
think you’re the King of Icelandic
cuisine. Well slow down champ,
there’s a lot of goodies to be found
outside the capital around the is-
land. So expand your palate—and
your mileage.
Sænautasel
Jökuldalshei#i, Highlands
This Highlands turf house is the
definition of a hidden gem. Lying in
the middle-of-nowhere, the farm/
museum/campsite/hotel/restau-
rant is run seasonally by a father/
son duo and is actually rumoured
to be the inspiration behind Hall-
dór Laxness’s ‘Independent People.’
Stay the night in their secluded no-
electricity turf house and wake up
to traditional Icelandic pancakes
with blueberry jam served family
style by a father and son duo. Then,
spend the rest of your life dreaming
of that idyllic breakfast.
Bryggjan
Grindavík
Another place that definitely de-
serves more attention. This Grin-
davík café (that has signs all over
the city so you can’t possibly miss it)
serves up potentially the best lob-
ster soup in the country—no hyper-
bole—that’s so flavourful one bite
will leave you spinning. Btw, you
Icelanders are in for a treat because
this place is the brainchild of none
other than the legendary TV chef
Siggi Hall. Bryggjan is a place with
heart and some serious local-core.
Simbahöllin
Fjar#argata 5, &ingeyri
Who says you can’t get mouth-wa-
tering Belgian-style waffles in the
middle of nowhere? Certainly not
Simbahöllin. This café, nested in
the tiny fishing village of #ingeyri,
makes a damn good latte, magical
jam, and a Reykjavík 10-years-ago
vibe that instantly makes you feel
like a very in-the-know cool artist.
Hello, fellow kids.
Farmers Bistro
Gar#astígur 8, Flú#ir
Welcome to Iceland’s only mush-
room farm, where you can learn
about mycelium, hyphae, fertiliza-
tion, waste-free practices and other
fungi-facts. The adjoining farm-to-
table restaurant boasts a menu of
locally-grown and fresh food that
includes not only delicious mush-
room soup, but a mushroom ice
cream dessert. The prices are pret-
ty outstanding for Iceland as well.
Now that’s a shroom trip that can’t
go bad.
Nor( Austur
Sey#isfjör#ur
The crown of the East, Nor! Aus-
tur’s sushi will lead you to rethink
your existence and even the fact
that atoms combined to make us
at all. And when you taste that Py-
lsu Sushi, your brain will explode
into distant galaxies. This place has
literally left our food experts—yes,
plural—speechless. One of our best,
Shruthi Basappa wrote in 2017: “Is
Nor! Austur worth the trip to Sey!-
isfjör!ur? Is it the best sushi in Ice-
land? A resounding ‘yes’ to both.”
Find the best
food in Iceland!
Download our
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APPENING, on
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Greetings, fellow eaters
Food
FISH & MORE
SkólavörDustígur 23 • 101 reykjavík
Steamed Fresh Fish, Traditional Icelandic Fish ‘Stew’, Fish & Vegan Soups,
Smoked Salmon & Vegan Toppings on Sourdough Bread, Beer, Wine, Coffee & more
15% DISCOUNT
SALKA VALKA
15% discount of total bill, every day
IF you bring this ticket
Photo by Jac. Janssen/Flickr.com
Photo by John Rogers
Photo by Timothée Lambrecq
Photo by Bryggjan
Laugavegi 28
537 99 00
sumac@sumac. is
sumac. is