Hidden treasures up North

Dining in Reykjavik is a culinary celebration of fresh ingredients and cultural variety. There are over 170 restaurants in the greater Reykjavik area where top Icelandic chefs have the advantage of cooking with pure and natural Icelandic ingredients. Fruits and vegetables are grown organically in greenhouses and meat and dairy products are free of additives and growth hormones. Seafood is caught fresh daily from the glistening, pollution-free waters of Iceland. Very often the mouth-watering halibut swimming in a delectable sauce on your dinner plate was carelessly swimming in the ocean during breakfast.

Iceland just scored big in Conde Nast Traveler's 2004 Hot List of the hottest tables, bars and hotels in the world. The bar at 101 Hotel in Reykjavik received an award as one of the global hotbeds of nightlife. Iceland is not just for late-night action though - Sjavarkjallarinn, (The SeafoodCellar), in Reykjavik was rated as one of the world's Hot Tables by the magazine for its Viking history and asian-influenced food.

The selection of restaurants in Iceland is so diverse that you could take an epicurean tour of the world - all on one street. It would be difficult to describe them all but every cuisine type is available including sushi, tapas, Indian, French, Mexican, Italian, Thai and American.

One eatery with the market on scenery is Perlan (The Pearl) which overlooks the city of Reykjavik from Oskuhlid Hill. In this deluxe revolving restaurant you can enjoy a panorama view of the city while dining on free-range Icelandic lamb, grilled to perfection. The exquisite flavor of Icelandic lamb, which is famous around the world, comes as a result of an unpolluted environment and the mixture of grass, moss and berries the lamb feed on throughout the summer.

Thrir Frakkar (Three Frenchman), with its cozy atmosphere, is applauded for their take on a traditional Icelandic favorite, Plokkfiskur. This creamy fish and potato dish, usually made with haddock orcod, takes comfort food to a whole new level. One bite of this and much like the fish - you’re hooked!

Ultra-delicious Arctic lobster is another popular menu item around Reykjavik - especially at Humarhusid (The Lobster House) located in the heart of the city. At this outstanding gourmet restaurant you can indulge yourself on succulent lobster tails served with the purest drawn butter you’ve ever tasted.

Speaking of dairy products, you haven’t lived until you’ve tasted Icelandic cheese. There are dozens of varieties for chefs - and you - to choose from. At Caruso, a charming Italian restaurant that’s an antique lover’s dream, they make a lasagna simply swimming in mozzarella cheese. You may feel the need to scoop up this overflow of cheese with some of their delicious garlic bread and wash it down with a crisp chardonnay. You’ll think you’ve died and gone to Iceland - er, heaven.

According to Conde Nast Traveler Magazine we can’t discuss dining in Iceland without mentioning Master chef Siggi Hall’s self-named restaurant at Hotel Odinsve. Stylish settings and an informal atmosphere grace Mediterranean-influenced entrees made from seafood, bacalao, game or lamb.

Of course we could go on and on telling you about the fabulous restaurants in Iceland, but you’ll just have to come and taste for yourself. Please note that prices on menus always include all taxes and gratuities. Dress is usually smart casual to formal and it is strongly suggested that you make dinner reservations. Bon Apetit!

Coffee house culture
Long before Starbucks and Coffee Tree’s took over the world, Icelanders have embraced the art of sitting in a cafe, chatting with friends and leisurely sipping a steaming cup of java. In fact, Icelanders take their coffee drinking so seriously that you will not find it served ‘to go’ anywhere. This is considered a sin against the almighty coffee bean as they believe that a cup of coffee should be savored and not rushed.

There are dozens of coffee houses throughout Reykjavik, each with its own unique charm. At Cafe Paris you can drink your cafe au lait with a kleina (Iceland’s twist on the doughnut) while enjoying a lovely view of Austurvollur, a grassy piazza facing the Parliament building and Domkirkjan Church. If you’re craving a hot cup of joe but your buddy is craving a beer, the perfect place to check out is Vegamot where the crowd is young and the music is hot. Icelandic artists and writers alike gather at Kaffi Mokka for their freshly baked waffles and dreamy hot chocolate.

Dog eat dog world
If there’s one Icelandic phrase every visitor should learn it’s, “Eina med ollu.” These magical words unlock the door to a hotdog-lover’s paradise. Literally translated it means, “Give me one with the works.” The ‘works’ consists of an Icelandic hotdog (pylsa) served in a steamed bun topped with ketchup, mustard, crunchy fried onions, raw onions and a remoulade sauce. Pylsa-stands are sprinkled throughout the city but the most popular is Baejarins Bestu located directly across from Reykjavik harbor. People have been lining up there for delectable, secret-recipe hotdogs every day for decades!

Ice to go
Once your trip to Iceland is coming to a close and you’re already experiencing ‘Iceland withdrawal’ never fear the Duty Free is here! At Leifur Eiriksson International Air Terminal you can pick up all the Icelandic goodies you won’t be able to live without back home. Various seafood products are sold vacuum packed: delicacies such as smoked salmon, smoked trout, or gravlax (dill-cured salmon). Pickled herring and lumpfish caviar are sold by the jar. Cheeses, hot dogs, and hardfiskur (dried fish) are all conveniently packaged for travel. And don’t forget to pick up some skyr, a traditional dish the Icelandic nation has enjoyed for centuries. In flavor and consistency it is somehat of a cross between yogurt and cream cheese, and it can be purchased plain or flavored, traditional or with cream.

Coolville, Planet Earth
Many visitors often fly over to Reykjavik for the weekend - just to embrace the night. In the evening, the downtown area teems with activity, reaching its peak on Friday and Saturday. The number of pubs, cafés, discos, and other night-spots in the downtown area is astonishing - as though just about every other door led into a hopping, throbbing, pulsating hub of activity.

There is a rich variety of places to go: Europeanstyle cafes, chic bars for dancing and peoplewatching, nightclubs with live entertainment, discos, dance halls for seniors, alternative-lifestyle clubs, sports-theme pubs with big TV screens, romantic piano lounges, Irish pubs, French wine bars... yes, the list could go on. New places, it seems, open every week - each trying to outdo the other in terms of innovation and chic. Just to name a few: NASA, Prikid, Thorvaldsensbar, Pravda, Café Victor, Gaukur a Stong, Sirkus, and Kaffibarinn.

Now, you may just venture after dinner, primed and eager to experience some of the fun and excitement we’ve been describing - and find none! Well, do not despair. Here’s the scoop: It is an informal tradition for Icelanders to gather at intimate‘house parties’ before hitting the city nightlife. Between midnight and 1 a.m., things are usually starting to hop - after which lines are quick to form outside the most popular places.

As for opening hours, most places close around 1 a.m. on weekdays, 6 a.m. on weekends, though some stay open longer. Late night, particularly in the summer, the downtown area takes on a carnival-like atmosphere. For the Icelanders, especially in the perpetual daylight of summer, the night is always young.