MAT BAR

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Small Room with a Big Personality

At the corner of Hverfisgata in downtown Reykjavík, Mat Bar occupies a space that is, by any measure, small. Graphic black-and-white flooring, green walls, brown leather seating, a gleaming brass bar and well-placed mirrors give the room a chic, considered feel — the kind of interior where every detail has been thought through. The White Guide, which awarded Mat Bar its Fine level recognition in 2026, put it well: the custom furnishings reveal a "no holds barred approach" to a room that could easily have been treated as an afterthought.

What Comes Out of That Kitchen

The kitchen is even smaller than the dining room, which makes what it produces all the more impressive. Mat Bar began with a Nordic-Italian identity and has since found its own confident stride: an ever-evolving menu of shareable small plates built on Icelandic ingredients and pulled in directions that shift with the seasons and the team behind the pass. A rotating cast of chefs keeps things genuinely unpredictable — the restaurant's own tagline, "like a box of chocolates — you never know what you are gonna get," is not false modesty.

Dishes that have drawn recent praise from guests include pork wontons in broth, chicken spring rolls, homemade sourdough with butter, and burrata with a sauce that carries a quiet heat. A five-course fixed menu is available and has been called good value. The format is designed to share, the flavors are direct, and the portions are calibrated to encourage ordering across the whole menu rather than settling into a single plate.

Recognition and a Regular Following

Seven "Best of Reykjavík" medals from Reykjavík Grapevine Magazine, alongside the White Guide's Fine level award, confirm what regulars already know: Mat Bar punches well above its square footage. The atmosphere is warm and unhurried, the service friendly, and the bar — with its wine pairing options — gives the room an energy that suits both a quick dinner and a longer evening. For anyone eating in central Reykjavík, it is a strong and honest choice.