The food scene in the Faroe Islands was an absolute treat. I was lucky enough to have some pretty amazing meals while I was visiting, but I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect before traveling there. All I knew was there would be super fresh seafood – and it was even better than I imagined!

Here is a run down of a few places I ate and drank at while visiting the Faroe Islands:

Katrina Christiansen

On our first night in Tórshavn, the capital of the Faroe Islands, we stumbled upon the restaurant Katrina Christiansen and popped in to see if they had a table free. Luckily, they had literally just opened up and were able to seat us. Though, it was very clear that reservations are pretty essential if you want to come here normally as they were turning lots of people away.

To eat, we had ordered the 7-course tasting menu and I got the beer pairing to go with it. But I had New York City-sized pairings in mind when I ordered this, so I was very surprised to see full sized beers instead.

Each dish (and beer) was really delicious, but the shrimp in that picture was seriously to die for! Their current menu looks a bit different from what I ordered, but everything on it sounds delicious. You can see it on the website linked above.

Overall, the vibe of the restaurant was pretty relaxed. Everyone we talked to was really nice and helpful when it came to explaining the menu. In total, we paid around 595 DKK per person (~$87) for food and the drink pairing was 385 DKK (~$56). In hindsight, the cost of the pairing should have tipped me off that it’d be big pours. But you live and you learn!

Áarstova

In the old part of Tórshavn, you’ll find Áarstova in an historical building that feels like large a cozy cabin. We also ordered the tasing menu for this meal, and it included 5 courses.

We did not learn our lesson from the first restaurant, and also ordered a drink pairing with it. This choice to order the drink pairing came back to haunt us though, as we literally couldn’t finish all of the drinks that were included in the pairing. It was seriously way too much.

But the food was really good! Each dish felt very comforting and classic, but still quite interesting. Most of what we ate was lamb or seafood. The food was definitely worth a visit, but I would totally skip on the large drink pairing that we had ordered.

Cost wise, this place is more expensive than the last one. It was around 800 DKK for the food (~$117) and there are two drink pairings: one with wine only (1400 DKK) and one with aperitif, wine and coffee (1500 DKK).

As a general heads up to all the tall readers out there, watch your head in this place because some of the doorways are a little short.

ROKS

If you’re looking for an upscale seafood only restaurant, this is the place for you. ROKS is owned by the same people as Áarstova (and multiple other places too) and is located right next door to it, but it’s a much different feel here. This restaurant overlooks the water and has a modern look and feel to it.

ROKS is a tasting menu restaurant as well and it offers two options, a smaller version and a larger one. We did the larger option, which was 895 DKK (~$131) and it seemed that most people there were also doing that as well. The smaller option has many of the same things and costs 595 DKK (~$87).

The food was seriously so delicious. Each plate felt really well thought out. I was really impressed with the crispy cod skin, sea urchin and the crab. I did think, though, that the tools they provided for the crab were very much style over substance. I’m very used to cracking open seafood, but even I was struggling a little bit with those tools because they were pretty flat and slippery. I could tell a lot of people around me were not used to that sort of food, though, so they were struggling quite a bit and kept dropping the food on the table.

Another thing that I really enjoyed here was the dessert. It was strawberry and black pepper sorbet with lime meringue and vermouth. It sounded so odd to me, but when I ate it, I was sure that I’d never had anything like it before. It was sweet, savoury and sour all at once.

There were no drink pairings at this place, but the server was really helpful with suggestions on drinks that would work well with different courses. He was spot on every time.

If you’re into seafood, this is definitely a spot you should check out. The view was nice, people were super friendly and it felt like a good value for your money.

Mikkeller

Moving on to drinks only, the first brewery I went to while in Tórshavn was Mikkeller. This is technically a Danish brewery, but their beer is so delicious. I’ve been to their locations in San Diego before, so I was excited to try it out in the Faroe Islands.

Mikkeller is in the same area as ROKS and Áarstova, which is a pretty area with many traditional turf homes. It’s a fun area to walk around and take a peek at the buildings. Inside is exactly like you’d expect, it feels like a cozy cabin with several tables to sit at with friends. It’s not a large space, so coming in with a group will definitely be a challenge.

The drinks overall are quite expensive in my opinion. Though, it does make sense because I believe all of the beer is imported in from Denmark. They have about 16 beers of their own, plus a few from other local breweries to order.

OY Brewing

This spot is a Faroese brewery through and through. All beers from OY are brewed and tapped in Tórshavn, which is pretty cool. I was able to try a sample of quite a few of their beers while I was there, and I really enjoyed their pilsners (Pilla Av Snar and Oyn Oy) and the Himmer & Hveiti (fruited beer) the best. Each of their beer has a really fun label on it! I loved to see the Oyster Catcher and Puffin on quite a few of their cans.

They also serve food here, but I didn’t eat there. I did see quite a few people eating, though, and everything looked and smelled great.

The brewery is definitely like a warehouse, which isn’t too shocking if you’re used to visiting breweries, but it’s definitely not as aesthetic as Mikkeller. But I would definitely say that OY Brewing is worth a stop. The beer was really tasty, it’s local and the staff was really friendly.

I really enjoyed the different places I was able to eat and drink at while I was traveling around the Faroe Islands. There are definitely many more places I want to check out the next time I’m there, but I think the ones I visited are definitely worth a visit if you’re planning a trip over there.