Lava Restaurant

On our second day in Iceland, we headed out to the Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s famed geothermal hot springs mega-pool. It’s a mostly tourist attraction, as locals have geothermally heated pools in their own neighborhoods at a fraction of the price. My tour guide Bjerni says Icelanders go to their local pools in lieu of clubs or bars, several times a week.

But we were tourists on our Icelandic Excursion, so we spent several hours in the Blue Lagoon, applying mud masks, schvitzing in the hot Hobbit cave, steaming in the dry sauna, and trying to go under waterfalls without getting our hair wet (something about the high silica level of the water turning your hair to straw).

By 1 p.m. we were hot and pruney and ready to be done being wet. So, we checked out of the spa and headed to Lava Restaurant, one of several onsite eateries. Built right into a lava cliff, it overlooks the picturesque, steaming pools of the Blue Lagoon. It was a great location for a relaxed lunch amongst other blissed-out strangers—some of them still wearing thick spa robes.

Lava is Blue Lagoon’s medium-tier eatery; their Michelin-starred eatery Moss was not available for lunch. So we made reservations for Lava. We got hungry and arrived early, but the hostess graciously seated us in the glass dining room overlooking the craggy lava rocks, steam from geothermal springs billowing in the background.

Parched from hours soaking, we refreshed with ginger beer and soft drinks as the waiter brought us a bread board with sourdough rye and brown nut bread. On a round lava rock in the middle of it was a soft mound of whipped butter topped with pepper and salt. We love Icelandic butter! It’s the best ever.

We ordered from the lunch set menus, with a starter and main course for ISK 9,900 per person (or 12,900 with dessert). I got langostine soup to start, which was foamy and creamy with generous amounts of langostines, and a dusting of sweet dulse on top. J started with the chicken liver parfait with blueberries coulis, seeds, bacon, and crusty grain crackers. The paté was smooth, and not bitter at all—a sign that the chef took the time to remove all connective membranes in the liver before preparing. We liked the paté with the grainy bread and butter even more than with the crackers.

For my main course I got grilled cod with fennel fronds and potato-like mashed fennel in a creamy sauce. Bright purple stems of cauliflower peppered the plate along with green scallion oil. The fish was flaky and well prepared, served in a shellfish sauce.

J got a generous portion of lamb shank with mashed potatoes and root vegetables with pickled red onion and Skyr yogurt. It was tender, not too gamey, and in served with a delicious brown sauce. With a forkful of the pickled onions, it makes for a nice bite.

Sleepy and sated, we got the check then headed to the roof to snap keepsake photos of our hot springs adventure before we caught a bus back to Reykjavik. The meal was probably a bit too pricey for a casual luncheon, but everything in Iceland is costly, even the local fish and lamb. Plus the Blue Lagoon is a tourist destination and guests are a bit of a captive audience, so prices reflect that. The food was good, and the service was attentive, so I would recommend it as a fancy lunch finish to cap a morning of soaking your cares away.

Lava Restaurant
Blue Lagoon
Nordurljosavegur 9, 240 Grindavik, Iceland
+354 420 8800
https://www.bluelagoon.com/restaurant/lava

Monday-Sunday 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Save a Few Clams

Some visitors have reported receiving 20% off vouchers for meals, making lunch at Lava a better deal. This reportedly comes as part of the Blue Lagoon Experience Premium package, which includes the use of the aforementioned robe, slippers, a skin care trial pack, drinks at the swim-up bar, and an advanced tier of Lagoon Bar masks including Volcano Scrub and Algae Mask.