Iceland: Saegreifinn

Before leaving Reykjavik for Southern Iceland, we had one last meal in the city.  The lunch crowd at Saegreifinn ("The Seabaron") was much less intimidating than the dinner crush we saw the previous night.  There was still a bit of a line though:


In lieu of a printed menu, there's a giant refrigerated display shelf right by the counter where you place your order:


You'll have plenty of time to stand next to it and debate what you want while you wait in line.

The interior looks tiny at first glance, but if you step behind the counter, you'll find a whole other side to the restaurant.  There's even more tables upstairs:


Just beware the man sitting under the staircase.  When my friends first whispered for me to turn my head that direction, spotting the life-size wax (?) figure of an old man nearly seized the air out of my lungs.  But it didn't end there.  My friends then directed my attention to a framed photograph...of that same old man.

Cripes.

Apparently both the photo and the figurine are of the original owner of Saegreifinn.  The OG Sea Baron?  I guess that's one...um, two ways to honor your roots.

Saegreifinn is lauded for having the world's best lobster soup.  The soup and bread combo goes for 1350 ISK (around $13.50):


The soup is tomato-based and has large chunks of lobster in it:


Not a lot of chunks, mind you, but certainly a few.  Was it the world's best?  I can't really answer that, but I can say it was pretty darn good.

The special of the day consisted of a lobster soup and a skewer of tusk for 2500 ISK.  This was perfect for us because we wanted two lobster soups to split between the five of us and we had no clue what tusk was. 

Actually, I'm still not really sure what kind of fish tusk is.  All I know is that it's white:


And tasted like a mild fish.

What we were most excited about was the opportunity to try minke whale steak (1850 ISK):


It had a surprisingly liver-y taste to it:


While I enjoyed the experience, I don't think I'll be craving it any time soon.

Unsure whether that would be enough food, we threw in a cod skewer (1850 ISK) and to balance out the meal with some veggies, we got a potato skewer (250 ISK) as well:


Given the cost of vegetables in Iceland, we joked that the bell pepper and red onion pieces on the skewers were the most expensive things on the plates.  We made sure to eat every single one.

For a relatively (emphasis on the "relatively" part) affordable place to get your seafood fix in Reykjavik, check out Saegreifinn.  The seafood is fresh, the atmosphere is relaxed, and the interior décor has...character. 

Just don't make eye contact with the Sea Baron.  You won't be able to sleep at night.

Do, however, take time to explore Southern Iceland.  The views will leave you breathless for a whole other reason:

 
Here's an Iceland tip for you: invest in waterproof gear!


Saegreifinn
Geirsgata 8, Reykjavik 101, Iceland 
+354 553 1500
http://www.saegreifinn.is/en/

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