Sushi Social — Restaurant in Reykjavik

I sat down and read through the Menu but once I saw Puffin and Whale on the menu I just had to walk out. It’s all very well eating good food but it should not be at the cost of killing endangered Species like Fin Whales, of which Iceland killed 80 this season through a loophole in the International Whaling Commission treaty. Any restaurant that is serving an endangered species does not deserve to be in business it is completely unnecessary. The irony of Iceland is they sell whale watching tours all over the place selling themselves as a place that cares for whales, they even have a whale museum in Reykjavik - but at the same time behind the scenes they are hunting them. This last whaling season the commercial whaling company in Iceland called Hbalur hf (Owned by Kristján Loftsson one of the richest guys in Iceland) even killed a Blue Whale! The largest creature to live on Earth and the one of the most endagered and elusive whale of them all. Our oceans are in a deplorable state and businesses should promote sustainable fishing not contribute to the early extinction of a species and especially one so Iconic as Whale. And to all of you who go to Iceland and try Whale because it turns you on, shame on you. For those of you thinking about eating whale meet, please remember it is toxic for various reasons. First, it contains twice the level of permitted pesticides, due to agricultural run off into the oceans. Secondly, whale meat is amongst the most mercury laden foods in the world containing up to 50 times more mercury above the recommended safety limits. Conclusion: there are plenty of great places to eat in Reykjavik, if you care about the world and yourselves don’t support businesses that sell toxic foods disguised as a tourist experience and don’t support businesses that contribute to the killing of endangered species. Knowing what we know about whales and how intelligent they are, quite frankly it is beyond me how anyone would want...

Considering the plentiful seafood available to Iceland, we couldn’t help but go out for sushi one evening. We had heard that this spot is one of the most popular in the city, and it was packed when we visited! Pretty much every table was occupied, but the host was able to seat us at a narrow table with short stool chairs in the middle of the dining area.

They offered a pre-fixe dinner which looked like a tempting spread, but we opted for sharing several sushi rolls.

ICELANDIC ROLL (3.990 kr): Brennivín cured salmon, dill, avocado, mango, cucumber, dill mayo, rye bread crumble. The salmon on top was sliced thin and on the saltier side, with the dill also pretty apparent. I personally thought the piping of mayo on top was pretty strong and overpowered the other ingredients, but this has to be the most unique sushi roll that I’ve ever had, so it was great to try something new!

LAX ROLL (3.990 kr): Salmon, cucumber, avocado, wasabi masago, jalapeño mayo, sesame seeds. This was my favorite roll of the three as the salmon was super smooth and melted in my mouth.

SAMBA ROLL (4.890 kr): Tuna, cream cheese, mango, onion ponzu, avocado, jalapeño mayo, tempura crisp. Normally, I’m not a fan of cream cheese in sushi, but it actually wasn’t too noticeable. The tuna was fresh and clean, and the piece of mango added a little pop of sweetness, which contrasted with the punch from the onion ponzu.

My parents shared two Spider Rolls and a Crispy Chicken Roll, both of which were saucier than they would have preferred, and the pieces of chicken in the roll were also smaller than expected. They thought both rolls were fine though.

Service was friendly and it didn’t take long before our sushi was served, considering how busy the restaurant was. It was pretty loud inside during the dinner rush, so I wouldn’t say it’s the best place to hold a conversation, but I’d still recommend it if you're looking for sushi with a little extra...

I went here because all the social media influencers that live in Iceland said this was the best sushi place ever. I will save you some time, and I will say it is a good date night place to go to but I wouldn't put it in the tier of one of the top sushi places I've ever been to. The food was good and worth a try, but just bear in mind...like a lot of food in Iceland, it is more spendier than what a traveler may be used to. It certainly was very inventive and used local foods in their menu. We had a Minke Whale nigiri, Smoked Puffin (Blueberries, croutons, goat cheese, beet root), a Hot maguro maki roll (Crunchy shrimp, tuna, avocado, mango, jalapeno mayo, kimchee sauce), Yuzu Rice Lager, Viking Beer and Icelandic happy marriage cake (Rhubarb and yuzu happy marriage cake, “skyr” foam, vanilla sauce and raspberry sorbet). Everything was very good and very imaginative with flavors. The puffin reminds me of a duck texture/flavor. The Minke whale had a very clean and fresh taste. The maki roll basically got consumed quickly because it had a good mix of sweet and creamy with the fish. The Happy Marriage cake was AMAZING!!!! A MUST HAVE! The beer we had was also pretty clean in taste and a bit more hop-like for taste. The ambiance is very fun as well where there are a lot of cool elements of South American culture decorated throughout to try to make it feel like you're not in Iceland and more tropical, but the menu grounds you in Iceland fare. The staff was professional and approached when you needed to order or get refills for water. I would say if you have the money to spend extra and can splurge, it is worth it. But if you need to be a bit frugal or efficient with money and taste, it's...