This little-known Icelandic island gives Reykjavík’s food scene a run for its money

When you think of Iceland, you think of hot springs, waterfalls, black sand beaches and the Northern Lights. And when you think of food in Iceland, you think of Reykjavik. Why wouldn’t you? Its restaurant scene is second to none. 

Me? I skipped it altogether. I flew into Reykjavík and got straight in a car to Vestmannaeyjar (or the Westman Islands), an archipelago of 15 islands off Iceland’s south coast with a population of just over 4000. The islands are best known for the volcanic eruption of Eldfell that took place there in 1973, which devastated the main town of Vestmannaeyjar including hundreds of homes and the town’s church. Oh, and it’s been rumoured that it’s quietly the foodie capital of Iceland. That’s why we’re here, for Matey Seafood Festival, a fine dining festival still in its infancy.

The Westman Islands are about three hours from Reykjavík. We drive past beautiful plains and glistening volcanoes – many of which are ‘naked’, I’m told, which means the sky is clear enough to see them standing proud in all their glory – straight to a small ferry port at Landeyjahöfn.

A 45-minute ferry ride and it feels like you’ve reached the end of the world; nothing but huge, towering, rugged cliffs illuminated by blinding sun. No one in Vestmannaeyjar lets me forget how lucky I am to see it in the cold sun. 

The food 

As you might have guessed, Matey is not the kind of festival where you trek through fields in muddy trainers. This is a festival that invites international chefs to the islands to take over its top restaurants, with the challenge of creating intricate fine-dining menus out of local ingredients (some of which has just been pulled out of the sea that morning). The whole thing is headed up by Slippurinn chef Gísli Matt, one of the names responsible for the growing spotlight on Iceland’s food scene.  

The result? Some of the most spectacular food I’ve ever eaten. Like bluefin tuna belly, caught that same day (I even saw a photo on the chef’s phone, for evidence), served up with kohlrabi and dill by French chef Adrien Bouquet at Næs. It’s fatty, sweet and salty, the kind of dish that you just want to sit softly on your tongue and never finish eating. We had a mackerel tempura with capelin roe, a brown butter cod with a sweet, intense celeriac cake and then a pan cotta with horseradish granita and sesame seeds, which sent me into a state of sweet and savoury delirium.

Francesco Triscornia’s menu at Einsi Kaldi was an Italian food lover’s dream; an intricate half-panzanella-half-gazpacho hybrid was topped with melty burrata and a whole king prawn head. Confit cod was covered in smoked potato foam, rich and buttery and thick; leaving you in desperate need of a ricotta and stewed pear dessert, which is lucky, because that came next, drizzled in truffle honey. 

Certainly the most daring and creative was the tasting menu by Cúán Greene at Slippurinn, who was over from Ómós Digest in Dublin, Ireland. Hot fermented potato bread was accompanied by cheese and plankton, and the famous bluefin tuna was served up as assemble-your-own sushi, dotted with capelin roe and bright green oyster mayo. When the pollock came, each of us opened our personal sugar kelp parcel to reveal it, steamed inside with kelp butter and saffron, served with a little baked nest of potatoes to share. 

For our final meal at Gott, chef Adam Qureshi from London’s Kol served up cod carnitas and pollock estofado with tart redcurrant salsa, followed by a nutty sweetcorn cake with chamomile and a spicy gin margarita, deeply sweet with honey. 

Why go?

Well, not only for the festival (so if you can’t get there in September, don’t panic). My tip would be to chat to locals and to get a tour guide, if you can, and dive head-first into everything the Westman Islands have to offer. Like quad biking through the volcanic mountains. Or the Beluga Whale Sanctuary. Or shuffling into a fluorescent boiler suit to speed boat through the island’s caves (to the sound of an incredibly loud boom box), which is one of those things that makes you remember you are a tiny human in a very big world. This is where you’ll see one of the Westman Islands’ most famous attractions, the magnificent Elephant Rock. 

To learn about the history of Vestmannaeyjar and the 1973 eruption, get a ticket to Eldheimar, a fantastic interactive exhibit with an audio guide. In the morning, head to Vigtin Bakhús for coffee and snúður (an Icelandic cinnamon roll), and in the afternoons, check out Brothers Brewery, which feels straight out of London or Amsterdam with 20 different craft beers on tap. Oh, and you cannot miss Lundinn, the original Puffin Bar, with the most retro logo you’ve ever seen, pool tables and the cheapest pints you’ll find on the island (they’re £9 – you’re still in Iceland).

The must-do? Throwing baby puffins back into the sea. These adorable creatures tend to lose their way on land, and local kids will spend their days rounding them up to throw them back to safety. Don’t be afraid: they’ll quickly show you how (in fact, they’ve likely got a few boxes of baby puffins at home ready to go). Passers by will stand and watch, so no pressure – but it’s pretty magical when you get it right. 

Matey Seafood Festival will run from September 5-7 2024. 

Ella Doyle travelled to Iceland on a press trip with Visit Iceland. For information on our policies around editorial independence, reviews and recommendations, see our editorial guidelines.