Friðheimar

The Verdict

Friðheimar is worth the detour on the Golden Circle route, but you should know what you're booking: a geothermal greenhouse restaurant where tomatoes are the entire point. If you're expecting a broad Icelandic menu or a wine-forward evening, recalibrate. If you want a genuinely singular lunch experience in a working farm setting — with a menu built almost entirely around what's growing overhead — book it. Reservations are easy to secure compared to Reykjavík's leading tables, so there's no reason to leave this to chance.

What to Expect

The restaurant sits inside a heated greenhouse on a family-run farm in the Hveragerði area of South Iceland. Every dish connects back to the tomato harvest happening a few metres away , soups, salads, pastas, and the house-made tomato beer that has become something of a calling card. The food is simple by design, not by accident. This is produce-led cooking at its most literal: the growing conditions, the variety selection, and the harvest timing all feed directly into what arrives at your table.

On the drinks side, don't arrive expecting depth. The list is tight and purposefully focused , the tomato beer and Bloody Mary bar are the main events, and they're worth trying. If you're travelling with someone who wants conventional wine with lunch, options are limited. For serious wine programming, DILL in Reykjavík or Moss in Grindavík will serve you better. Friðheimar's drinks program is a thematic extension of the food concept, not an independent strength.

Timing matters here. Friðheimar operates primarily as a lunch venue for travellers on the Golden Circle circuit. Arrive earlier in the service if you want a quieter table , the greenhouse fills quickly once tour groups arrive mid-session. The atmosphere is warm and informal, greenhouse glass overhead, plants surrounding the tables. Solo diners are comfortable; the communal, open layout means you won't feel conspicuous eating alone.

For anyone already covering Iceland's south , whether you're routing through to Nesjavallavirkjun in Selfoss or heading further along the Ring Road , Friðheimar is a practical and genuinely interesting lunch stop. It's not a destination restaurant in the way that ÓX or DILL Restaurant in Reykjavik are, but for what it does, there's nothing comparable on the route. See our full Reykholt restaurants guide for how it fits into the broader area, and check the Reykholt experiences guide if you're building a full day around this part of South Iceland.