Dinner at Dill, Spring 2024

We’re back!

I’m back both on the blog and at Dill, Reykjavík’s first—and for many years, only—Michelin-starred restaurant. I went for dinner back in 2021 when it was one of my first multi-course fine dining meals, and I knew I had to write about how much I loved it. That post ended up being my most-read piece on this site by far, and I’m really happy folks are interested in considering dining at the restaurant because it really is a wonderful spot.

Even though I was in Reykjavík for only two nights this visit, another dinner at Dill was high on my and my partner’s priority list. I’m a big fan of seasonal and local ingredients, so a meal at a restaurant that focuses on both is very exciting for me.

Before the Meal

Before getting into the food, I have to talk about how magical evenings in Iceland are in the spring. Although there isn’t endless daylight like in the summer, seeing sunlight through the entire dinner makes everything a little more joyful (and makes for great photos as well). It was still pretty bright out when we were walking out afterwards.

After the host took my one million layers of outerwear and got us seated, I looked at the lovely menu tied with twine, the same as the last time. This was menu #32, and I’m not quite sure how the numbering system works, but given that I had menu #22 in fall of 2021 and it’s been two-and-a-half years since then, I would assume that they move on to the next number every season. Dill offers both a wine pairing and a non-alcoholic beverage pairing which I think is a very cool and inclusive option, as well as a smart business move for the restaurant.

The Dinner

Dinner starts with a round of snacks, which the front of house staff refer to as “finger food” rather than amuse bouche. The language sets the tone of Dill and their menu—yes, the ingredients are fancy, the dishes are creative, and the technique is as fine dining as it gets, however things are anything but pretentious. This is mirrored in the decor of the restaurant as well, with a focus on wooden furniture and dried flowers. A quick rundown of the snacks:

• Smoked haddock, potatoes – this one was my favorite; I loved the mix of textures and the savoriness of the fish.
• Grilled vegetable broth – the broth is very flavorful despite being vegetarian, with the slightest zing from horseradish.
• Cured lamb tenderloin, angelica – I don’t love lamb in general, but the texture was fun and almost reminded me of fruit leather.
• Onion cake, carrots – this snack seems to be a consistent member of the finger food club, and I liked the sweetness of the cake and the pickled carrots as much as last time I had it.

Dill tends to like paired courses based on a core ingredient. Following the snacks was a course featuring pink-footed goose, a common bird in Iceland and other parts of northwest Europe. The course had two dishes, the first being a stewed goose leg with celeriac and the second being a bite-sized tartlet with goose mousse and cured pork. We were instructed to start with the goose leg and finish with the tartlet. I liked both dishes, however I found the tartlet more interesting between the two. I was a little skeptical of the meat-on-meat combination, but the saltiness of the pork melded well with the mousse.

Following the goose course is a bread and butter intermission, featuring a mushroom butter topped with what I believe were pickled rose petals. The bread was great, and the butter was salty, sour, and umami which I enjoyed.

Next up was a salad of greens, barley, tindur cheese, and dried tomatoes that tasted so much like fresh tomatoes that I was surprised. It was super fresh and bright, especially after the rich goose tartlet that came before it. The second dish of the course pair was crispy waffles with sour cream and lumpfish roe, a savory ode to the chef’s beloved childhood snack of berry jam and cream on waffles. The server explained that lumpfish roe was used because the color resembled berry jam. I’m not used to eating fish roe so I didn’t love it at first, however the texture of the sour cream, waffles, and popping fish roe was quite fun to eat. I also wasn’t sure why the two dishes were paired at first. In retrospect, I think it was likely due to both dishes having creamy and crunchy textures—the barley in the salad was impressively crunchy.

If you’re wondering what fish tongue tastes like, which I also wondered before the fish course came out, I have an answer for you: cod tongue is very much like a cod filet, just meatier in texture. The smoked cod tongue was great with the creamy tomato sauce, and the acid from the pickled cabbage was nice, even if it was a little too sauerkraut-like for my personal taste. I absolutely loved the cod filet that followed—it was so soft, almost barely cooked, and the bite from the Nordic wasabi complemented the mild fish. I was a little sad it only lasted a few bites, but the lamb course that followed made up for it (and came with a very, very good glass of red wine).

I was a bit nervous about the lamb course since I’m not a big fan of lamb. I feel like that’s almost a sin among people who love food, but I’m still willing to try most lamb dishes once. The braised lamb with kale and radishes was similar to the first goose dish from earlier in the meal, though with more depth and richness with the acidity from the vegetables to cut through. (I also loved the fishbowl-shaped ceramic bowl it was served in.) The dry-aged lamb with lamb jus was even better—it was tender with just the right amount of fat and the clear broth was very flavorful. This is the first lamb dish I can say I truly enjoyed! It was served with a crispy lamb-filled baton that came with a tangy, creamy dipping sauce, and though this felt like an odd addition at first, I forgot about that pretty quickly because this too was also delicious.

Believe it or not, pre-dessert ended up being my favorite course of the night. First up was parsnip ice cream with rapeseed oil, tuile, and caviar. The salty-sweet combo was lovely while keeping things light, and it was gone all too fast. A blue potato cake with whipped sour cream and dill ice cream followed, and this was divine. I imagined something resembling a deconstructed baked potato based on the menu description, and I’m so glad my imagination was wrong. I loved everything from the different soft textures to the sweet and herby flavors. If I had to pick my favorite dish of the night, the potato cake would take the cake.

And at the end, the cutest little desserts arrived. The three bites were red beet marshmallows, birch and fermented bilberry bonbons, and barley and pine crisp sandwich cookies. All three were subtly sweet, perhaps less sweet than the pre-desserts, and they all featured an earthiness that was very welcome to close out the night.

Service and Wine

I thought the service was friendly and attentive, but the wine pairing was somewhat lacking. I am not a wine expert so do take my opinion with a grain of salt. Because courses at Dill have multiple dishes each, the paired beverage is meant to work with all the dishes in the course. You can also order any of the drinks on the pairing list by the glass, and a longer list of libations can be requested. As I mentioned earlier, they also have a non-alcoholic beverage pairing which feels inclusive for diners who want to enjoy a pairing experience without the buzz. With all that being said, for almost $130, four glasses of wine and half a can of beer feels very steep, even at a fine dining establishment. 

Of course, there are also positives to the wine pairing. I do love that they still work with a winery founded by a former Dill staff member and that they partnered with a local microbrewery for their special beer. The red wine that came with the lamb was a absolutely a standout. It’s just hard to justify given the amount of wine and beer provided. When I had dinner in 2021, they would top off the glass of wine or beer if you drank most of your glass until the course ended and it was time for the next beverage. So at the time, the pairing felt more than worth it. I’m not sure if the wine service itself changed or if we were supposed to request more, but I do wish there was a bit more either way. My partner also felt that the glasses we were poured were on the smaller side and was a bit bummed out by the drinks.

We also weren’t offered drinks or coffee with dessert, unlike the last time we dined here. This also could have been something we specifically needed to ask for, but I would have preferred the offering rather than needing to ask for it myself.

So is Dill still worth it?

Yes! Dill is still a fantastic restaurant. The focus on sustainability and using local and seasonal ingredients is awesome , and it’s a good opportunity to a try fancier take Icelandic foods. Some dishes remain consistent between different menus—although there were slight differences, the carrot and onion cake and vegetable broth from the snacks round and the Öland bread were friendly faces with slight variations. You’ll also end up trying things that you might not have otherwise thought about trying. If you want drinks with dinner, I would recommend ordering them by the glass based on what you tend to enjoy and either start or end with a little celebratory champagne.

We’ll be back again for sure, though we have another spot we might want to try first on our next trip to Reykjavík.