I recently experienced this restaurant right after Christmas.
The entire experience is exceptional. The restaurant has an atmosphere that is unmatched. The cocktail sitting room transported me back in time to memories of my own grandmothers home. The service was top notch. All the staff are knowledgeable and attentive. Watching the chefs create your dish while you’re seated around the island is an entertaining experience.
To discuss the food let me start by saying…..This is the best meal I have ever had. The Lamb Broth, patte cookie, the duck all tremendous dishes. My favorite of all the dishes is the icelandic wasabi desert.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
kr 20,000+
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Duck
Finding it wasn't straightforward and I had to ask someone to only realize there's a door requiring an intercom call. Upon entering I was greeted warmly, but what took me by surprise is I was instantly seated between a group of people I didn't know and was forced to socialize with them. This was a huge let down for me! Later as the evening progressed I realized I wasn't able to enjoy my food, because of the 'socializing' aspect. I came there for the FOOD* not to talk to strangers about their lives. Yet, I did like how the servers explained each dish and plus the Head chef was one of the warmest people I've met :)
Now just the food - One thing that irks me, not just about this place but most high end restaurants, is the tendency to hide behind the flavours of (excessive) butter, caviar and aged meats/bread. The food tasted good, but flavours were nothing new, almost felt like the same thing kept repeating over and over.
The only dish that stood out was the rye bread which was really unique.
Towards the end of the evening it got nearly unbearable for me to even stay, wishing I could have just gone to the popular hot dog stand.This was the only disheartening experience from my visit to Iceland, which has been so good this far!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
kr 20,000+
Food: 3
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 1
The atmosphere is amazing here. The location is rather difficult to find. It can be very awkward, because at the beginning, you will be forced to sit with strangers and the talking is way too loud. No class. The juice pairing is amazing! Staff is super friendly.
The food is way too salty and the food is way too exotic from my taste eg wasabi ice cream ... Yet, not sure about the one Michelin star tho. Do not recommended
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
kr 20,000+
Food: 1
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Absolutely loved the speakeasy vibe. The non alcoholic pairing was such a treat and, as a lover of all things butter, I thoroughly enjoyed the food. Chef Þráinn and the team were brilliant.
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
kr 20,000+
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
The best meal of my entire life. This meal is hands down a core memory for me. This Michelin star restaraunt has a speak easy vibe starting with the unassuming door off the street you have to buzz in to. You begin at Amma Don, a cozy bar and waiting area modeled after the grandma's cozy living room where you have drinks and the first four of your twenty course meal. You meet other guests, imbibe, and get to know one another before heading through a hidden door/bookcase into Ox for a chef's table style meal. It's hard to describe the food as anything other than mind blowing, creative, complex, and tasty. The entire experience, and it was an experience not just food, was incredible from start to finish. You feel like you're having a meal with close friends where everyone is laughing, having an amazing time, sharing stories, marveling in the food, and by the time it's over you don't want the night to end. While I've said a lot, the entire 3.5 hour dining honestly can't be put into words. We left with new friends, great memories, and food we can't stop thinking about. I loved that drinks were included in the price so you don't have to worry about choosing drinks that pair well with the food as they have chosen a variety of both alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages that enhance and elevate the dishes served. Highly recommend this restaraunt for a true Icelandic tasting menu elevated beyond belief.
Of note, they are unable to accommodate dietary restrictions, vegetarian/Vegan, and the building is a historic building with stairs and I am not sure they have an elevator. While the dietary part might offend some, it's important to understand that this meal is twenty courses, intimate, the menu is preset, and part of the dining experience is talking with each other about the mutual food and flavors; therefore it would be very hard to cater to individual requests (imo). I honestly believe if multiple people had different items/flavors it would distract from the overall feeling, conversation, and vibe of the dinner. I don't find this to be non-inclusive, but rather this particular restaraunt is set up and presented in a way to make everyone eating feel part of a collective whole and making a shared memory together.
Lastly, if you have a degree of social anxiety do not worry, after the first thirty minutes and first few courses all of the nerves will ease away and you'll be excited to continue your food journey with new friends, I promise! The entire experience is set up to make you feel very comfortable and get to know each other in a laid back, non stuffy way and relax in a living room before heading to dinner. I was nervous about the set up and I shouldn't have been. It's really an amazing time and makes you feel like you're part of something.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
kr 20,000+
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Duck
This was absolutely the highlight of our trip to Iceland. If you love really unique and intimate food experiences this is for you. We luckily snagged a reservation on a Friday for lunch because our plans changed (thanks to the volcano erupting) and we felt like we won the lottery with this experience. The entire experience was phenomenal from the moment we arrived to when we left. Highly recommend and they accommodated a shellfish allergy with grace and elegance. Non alcoholic option was fantastic as well - carefully curated and didn’t feel like you were having an “alternative”. Loved it.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
We accidentally booked the dinner for November 30th instead of December 30th. When we showed up we realized our mistake, very bummed, Manual was so helpful in getting us in for a dinner. He was able to move our reservation to an opening they had and we got to enjoy the 17course meal. We were extremely impressed with the entire experience. Worth the visit while in town if you enjoy food!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Skyr Potatoes Smoked Egg
Wonderful dinner here to end our trip in Iceland. One of the best chef's table private experiences I have ever had. We enjoyed 16 courses paired with wine throughout the evening. The chef (and sous chef) were amazing and we loved the story of how the concept came about.
Just had the most amazing & lively dinner in my whole life! And I’ve had my fair share of fine dining experience all over! This cozy restaurant is really unique with the closeness to the chef, seeing how they work in front of you, the relaxed atmosphere and all the other guests coming from all over the world really added to this special dining experience!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Best surprise diner as we arrived in Reykjavik. Extraordinairy experience in terms of gastronomy, of course (the chef has travelled and definitely lifts local food with an open and creative spirit), the decor was also outstandingly fun and cosy and -cherry on the locally grown wasabi desert cocktails - we go to connect with great people during the 20 course meal.
Meal type
Dinner
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
