Matur og Drykkur

The story

Matur og Drykkur, Reykjavík – Icelandic Cuisine Rooted in Seasons and Sea

Food and Drink, Elevated

The name says it all. Matur og Drykkur — Icelandic for "food and drink" — carries more weight than most restaurant names. It is borrowed directly from Helga Sigurðardóttir's landmark 1947 cookbook, a volume so embedded in Icelandic domestic life that it has long been a traditional moving-out gift. That book quietly insisted that Icelandic cooking deserved a place at any serious table. This restaurant, recognised by the White Guide at a very fine level, makes the same argument every evening — and makes it convincingly.

A Tasting Menu Shaped by Iceland Itself

The kitchen at Grandagarður 2 follows the seasons rather than a fixed repertoire. The tasting menu draws on what Iceland genuinely offers: ingredients sourced from the immediate surroundings, wild-foraged plants, and seaweed pulled from Icelandic waters. It is an approach that treats the country's larder not as a limitation but as the whole point. Each course is prepared with what the restaurant describes as precision and passion — words that, here, feel earned rather than decorative.

The menu is offered at 24,500 kr, with a drink pairing at 19,300 kr and a premium wine pairing at 22,600 kr. Guests with dietary requirements are encouraged to reach out in advance, as the kitchen is unable to accommodate vegan, gluten-free, or lactose-free variations.

Why It Matters

Reykjavík has developed a genuine fine-dining scene over recent decades, and Matur og Drykkur sits near its heart — not by chasing international trends, but by doubling down on what is local, seasonal, and distinctly Icelandic. The White Guide's recognition reflects exactly that: a restaurant confident enough in its own identity to let the ingredients, the landscape, and a 1947 cookbook do the talking.