Reykjavík Grapevine - jan. 2022, Blaðsíða 14

14The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 01— 2022
It’s sad but true: when a lot of people
talk about “vegan food” or “vegan
restaurants,” what they all too often
mean is “vegan analogs of my favou-
rite Western foods.” While there’s
no disputing the tastiness of a good
vegan burger done right, there are
cultures all over the world who have
been making food without animal
products for millennia.
So let’s give them some love, shall
we?
Hra!lestin
Numerous locations, but we like
Lækjargata 8
Consistently one of the best places
for Indian food, (itself a super broad
umbrella), they’ve got something
for everybody here. Their expansive
menu can be a little overwhelm-
ing, but you can’t go wrong by just
ordering the vegan thali—a platter
of many smaller portions of some
of the best food you’ll ever taste.
Round it off with a vegan masala
chai and roll yourself happily home.
Noodle Station
Laugavegur 86
You’ve just trundled off the bus at
Hlemmur after a long and harrow-
ing journey into town. You’re tired,
you’re cold, you’re hungry and you’re
vegan. You want—nay, need—to eat
now. What do you do? You walk no
more than half a block from where
you are to Noodle Station and order
the vegetable bowl. You can even
add some of your favourite extras
for just a few coins more.
Ali Baba
Austurstræti 12a
If you have a hankering for some
good Syrian food sans animal prod-
ucts, then this is a great choice,
especially for takeaway. Take your
time savouring the falafel plate, or
get the fully loaded falafel wrap up
in your face. Friendly, affordable
and consistently tasty, it’s absolute-
ly a top pick, whether after a night of
partying or for a quick lunch break.
Krua Thai
Skólavör!ustígur 21a
Already a respectable Thai restau-
rant in its own right, Krua Thai goes
one step further for those avoiding
animal products. For literally any
dish on their menu, you can sub-
stitute the meat with tofu. Is tofu
Thai? We don’t know, but it tastes
like whatever you cook it in, so it
makes for a fine substitution in any
of their sumptuous, tasty dishes.
Fine Restaurant
Rau!arárstígur 33
You could be forgiven for having
never heard of this Szechuan restau-
rant located just a few blocks south
of Hlemmur. Heck, you might have
even walked right past it numerous
times without over noticing it. But
Fine Restaurant is an absolute gem:
cozy, reasonably priced, and consis-
tently better than the more popular
choices in town for Chinese food.
We highly recommend their mapo
tofu, which will make you forget
about all your troubles, if only for
a moment.
There are likely many places we’ve
forgotten. All we ask is that when
looking for vegan food, you explore
beyond the boundaries of seitan
burgers. You won’t regret it.
Fine Restaurant
Best of Reykjavík
How About Ve"anuary?
The best places in town for vegan food
Words: Andie Sophia Fontaine Photos: Art Bicnick
Storytelling is probably the most
important cultural tradition in
Iceland and a lot of its places
have enthralling tales to tell.
This book is a round trip around
the country, with thirty stops at
such places along the way.
A LITERARY
TOUR
AROUND
ICELAND
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