In the winter and summer, we get a little jealous of residents of Akureyri, Iceland’s second city. The town of just over 10,000 inhabitants is so picturesque and cosy, while still supporting decent theatre, art and restaurants.
The Grapevine followed other Easter Breakers and went for a brief visit this spring to hit the ski hills, sample the local burgers, Akureyri burgers are served with Hollandaise sauce and French Fries on the patty, and enjoy small town life.
On the positive side, we found an affordable guesthouse near the ski hill with amenities we wish we had at home—enormous tvs everywhere and deluxe kitchen. If you’re passing through Akureyri, we can recommend Guesthouse Gléra.
On the negative, Bautinn, Akureyri’s most legendary burger stand ran limited hours and was closed when we were in town, the snow was gone, and the townies had a touch of the spring crazies, cruising past the closed buildings dropping firecrackers and honking away as kids from only the smallest towns can.
We did visit the local high end restaurant Fiðlarinn. There we found small town hospitality... Working against us. As the wait staff and the chef himself regaled the other patrons with stories about the food on display, my friend and I were told, before taking a table, to give a good read over of the menu to see if we could afford it. The food was not expensive, but it was overpriced for it’s quality. However, had we been forty-somethings, not twenty-somethings, we probably would have enjoyed the experience.
Guesthouse Glerá 2, Glerá 2, 603 Akureyri Ph# 462-5723
Fiðlarinn Restaurant, Skipagata 14, 600 Akureyri, Ph# 462-7100
Bautinn, Hafnarstræti 92, 600 Akureyri, Ph# 462-1818