Monkeys Reykjavik — Restaurant in Reykjavik

Ambiance: This is such a GREAT restaurant. I loved the vibe. It felt like an upscale antique shop. I lighting just enhanced the entire experience. It’s a great spot for date night or a small group dinner. The chairs are comfortable and they’ve set up tables in a manner that gives you space/privacy.

Service: Everyone was friendly. We came only 30 minutes before closing but they were very kinda and still allowed to dine in. They also didn’t rush us as we figured out what we wanted to order and even offered us dessert at the end of the meal. They came and checked in on us often and were very helpful.

Price: This is a pricey restaurant. We paid about 12000 Krono ($90 USD) per person.

Food: I LOVED the food here. It’s amazing and they had such amazing selections for vegetarian/vegan. I got the mushroom maki, watermelon carpaccio, fried crispy plantains, crispy vegetable gyozas, and miso sesame steak. The mushroom maki was some of the best sushi i’ve had and the crispy mushroom on top really enhanced the flavors. The watermelon carpaccio is different and delicious. The pine nuts really enhanced the flavor and mixed well with the mushroom mayo. The watermelon was cut thinly and grilled to the right degree. The fried crispy plantain was nice, I’ve had something similar before but the guacamole that came with it was perfectly seasoned. The vegetable gyzozas were perfectly crispy. I rarely get gyozas as this level. The stuffing was the perfectly blend of salty, spicy, and sweet. The steak was good but very filling. I liked the seasoning on it, it’s very different than the usual veggie steaks.

Insta:...

Went to Monkey's yesterday with the wife and did the full tasting menu with the wine pairing. This was my first time at this restaurant and I made a very good first impression when I walked in, really well designed and cozy.

I started with a Whisky sour cocktail which although wasn't on the cocktail menu was very well made and one of the better ones I have had at a restaurant in Reykjavik (I usually always order one).

Soon after that, the courses started coming, 12 in total and they were all excellent! My favorite was probably the cod in sweet miso which had a tangy lemon flavor and was simply one of the better dishes I have had in a while. The salmon tiradito was similarly excellent. Also, surprisingly good was the potato chips which were crispy without being oily at all. The chips paired well with the lamb course which was served at the same time which was prepared and cooked perfectly.

Even though this was a tasting menu, the size of the dishes were generous and it left us barely able to finish the desert (which we had to pull through since it was so good).

As I ordered the wine pairing, I got to taste 5 wines. The pores were also generous so I felt it gave a good bang for the buck (even at 12.000 ISK) especially as the wines were of high quality and paired very well with the food.

The service was excellent, and friendly.

This was my first time at Monkey's and I was pleasantly surprised and given that this quality continues it will be one of my favorite...

Cozy place with lovely service. The interior is so tacky it actually works. Started our evening with some amazing cocktails. You could easily have a cocktail instead of wine together with your meal. We ordered the tasting menu (12 courses) including wine. The starters and main courses were all incredible. The style is a mix of japanese and south American tastes and ingredients. Lots of flavor and textures, your taste buds will enjoy. The tempura sushi was genius! Well pared wines. Would have preferred the cod and the lamb main course to be served separately, so the lamb would stay warm. I would have given this place five stars, because it really was over our expectations until...The desserts. It's not the first time we've come across this tendency of ending a meal with a sickly amount of desserts. There was four full size desserts served all at once for two people. Cheesecake, brownie, several ice creams, mandarin mousse... They were fine, but none of them great. Sweet, heavy and really not up to the tastes or cooking standard of the previous courses. But why would you serve so much food? I'm either going to get sick from all this sugar or feel bad about waisting good food. Please, a single dessert or two would be enough. The conclusion: this is a highly recommendable place and I would eat...