Reykjavík
Seltjarnarnes tide-pool + seafood dinner
Walk the Grótta causeway at low tide, then cod cheeks and schnapps at Matur og Drykkur.
More about this plan
Mild stakes, which is what makes it a good date. Check the tide table — the causeway to the tiny island off Grótta is only walkable for about two hours either side of low tide, and watching for the water to come in gives the afternoon a small, funny urgency.
Poke around the tide pools, say hi to the eider ducks, get back before you're stranded.
Drive five minutes to Grandi and settle in at Matur og Drykkur, the new-Icelandic restaurant that rebuilt the old Sjávarpakkhúsið. Cod cheeks, lamb shoulder, a shot of brennivín at the end. The dining room is warm, the wine list is short and correct, and you just had a mild adventure.
The plan, stop by stop
- 1
Grótta causeway at low tide
Walk across to the little island when the tide is out. Tide pools, eider ducks, and a two-hour window before you're stranded.
- 2
Dinner at Matur og Drykkur
New-Icelandic restaurant in the old fish-packing house at Grandi. Cod cheeks, lamb shoulder, brennivín at the end.