Himalayan Spice — Restaurant in Reykjavik

This was an unexpected delight on our first day in Iceland. While exploring the harbor area we decided to try this restaurant and they did not disappoint.

Environment: The restaurant is exquisitely decorated to make it look like you stepped into Nepal. It was cozy and comfortable and to be honest it reminded me of Disney themed restaurants (but in a good way). The music, lighting, and abundance of decorations and attention to detail added to the experience for sure. It made you forget how cold it was outside and feel like you are in Nepal.

Food: Everything we ordered was fresh and flavorful. We dined during lunch time, but the dinner menu was available as well. Our party ordered dumplings in sauce lunch, shrimp, lamb curry, fried dumplings, and garlic naan. The flavor was rich and extremely similar to most Indian food. I think the Nepal difference is it was a little more subtle and deeper in flavor. As a result we really enjoyed the taste more and it felt more savory than Indian food. THE GARLIC NAAN WAS DELICIOUS! I enjoyed the lamb curry very much.

Food presentation and portion size: Portion sizes were sufficient. I live in the United States, so take this observation lightly. Our portion sizes are way too large. For a US perspective the portion sizes remind me of a finer dining establishment and I'd recommend planning to order and appetizer AND lunch item. If you are someone who likes A LOT of food, just plane to order more than just a single lunch item. All of the food was plated to bring a smile to your face. Attention to detail and presentation. From the nice plates and little vegetables decorating the edges. Instagram worry for sure.

Service: SUPER FRIENDLY and genuine. We chatted with our server and she was extremely nice. She was attentive and ensured we thoroughly enjoyed our time at the restaurant.

Price: I believe the price was good for Iceland. Probably a mid range. I dined during lunch. The shrimp appetizer and lamb curry cost $34 USD.

Overall: I recommend this restaurant not only for their delicious food but also for the atmosphere and...

We went here for dinner 2 times, Dec 30 and Jan 02. Amazing food! We had Veg thali, Chilli momo, Steam veg momo and Mango 🥭 lassi here.

Food: 5/5! The food was authentic! It was like home cooked food, same as what we eat here in India (or Indian subcontinent to be more inclusive). The taste of the dal was like my home cooked dal, the Alu-gobi and paneer tikka curry was delicious. The saag (majorly spinach) and tomato chutney were good too. The raita was more like a sweet fruit custard, a vegetable raita would have been great, nevertheless not a problem, it served as a desert to us. We found the balance between spice and bland to be near perfect, seems lots of effort went into the recipe! Overall amazing food!

Atmosphere: 4.5/5! The atmosphere and ambience were great, giving the Nepalese 🇳🇵/ Indian 🇮🇳 culture vibes.

Service: 3.5/5! The waters were great, they also asked us in the middle whether everything was good. They were also flexible to adjust the amount of spice in the Chilli 🌶 momo. One thing I found strange here is that you need to reserve the table in advance. When we went to the restaurant on Dec 29, we were asked about the reservation and returned. Though we could see a couple of empty tables (might be reserved for later). We did not get the warm and smiling vibe from everyone, we were like why these guys are so serious? There was a guy (I suppose the manager?) who took us to the table twice, he was damn serious all the time with no smile on his face. Lastly, in all the Indian or Nepalese restaurant we have visited till date (in Finland, Korea, etc.) we always felt more belonged there (for e.g., because of the conversations in the native language) but this aspect was...

Ok so this is a review in spite of the obnoxious American group of 8 that arrived at the restaurant. So if you see their review please ignore it. They we informed prior to ordering that there was a large catered order infront of them so their food would be slow to arrive to their table. They agreed to the wait and then immediately proceeded to be Karen's about every small detail of the menu and asked for multiple substitutions and complained about the lack of options for their substitutions. When the food was slow to arrive they accosted the waitress about the delay, saying they were waiting forever and should have been given priority bc they were eating inside the restaurant and catered requests don't matter. They were literally calling over the wait staff to scold them and demanding that their meal be compensated. This group was causing a commotion and interrupting the dining experience of others by pointing at them while also saying, "they don't deserve their food because they came later."

I feel horrible that the wait staff had to deal with them, so if you choose to dine here just know that the food was amazing. My husband and I split the sampler for 2 because we couldn't decide what we wanted and it was a great taste of everything. Followed that up with a cup of black spiced milk tea. Be warned it is a lot of food and I probably could have used a wheelbarrow to cart me out.

Be nice to your wait staff, and I hope that group of 8 steps in a puddle and their...