Eliasson Cooks Up a New Eatery in Iceland

In case you didn’t already have enough reasons to visit Iceland—the Fjords, the extraterrestrial landscapes, the Blue Lagoon, breathtaking sunsets, and $200 round trip flights with Wow Air—it’s time to add SOE Kitchen 101 to that list.

Over the past two decades, Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson has created inspiring art experiences, including his iconic New York City Waterfalls project, where he conjured pop-up waterfalls around the city’s waterways. Tapping into Iceland’s burgeoning destination restaurant culture—Dill, which offers New Nordic cuisine, was awarded the country's first-ever Michelin star in 2017—Eliasson now brings his atmosphere-altering sensibilities to Reykjavik's industrial Grandi neighborhood via an experimental new pop-up restaurant: SOE Kitchen 101, which opened August 11.

Partnering with his sister, Victoria Eliasdóttir, the inspiration for the pop-up comes directly from Studio Olafur Eliasson (SOE) Kitchen in Berlin, which is reserved for his 100+ person team. In an interview with Wallpaper magazine, Eliasdóttir explained, “SOE Kitchen 101 in Reykjavik is an experiment on how to bring the nature of the communal studio lunches out of a working space and into a place where a broad variety of guests will dine together while experiencing the spirit of the Berlin-based studio through both food and art.” The menu unites beloved recipes served at Eliasson's Berlin studio with local Icelandic ingredients gathered from its nearby harbors and farmers.

SOE Kitchen 101 is located in an art-hub known as Marshall House, which also happens to house Eliasson’s satellite Reykjavik studio on the second floor. So it comes as little surprise that guests who wish to savor Eliasson's artwork will not leave hungry: many of his pieces will be on view in the space itself. 

Reykjavik, here we come! 

SOE Kitchen 101: August 11 – October 28, 2018.

Instagram: @soe_kitchen

Photos, courtesy of SOE Kitchen 101.