Kolabrautin is housed in Reykjavík’s most expensive and spectacular piece of real estate – the concert house and conference centre Harpa that opened its doors in 2011. Designed by the danish architect Henning Larsen in cooperation with artist Ólafur Elíasson who designed the glass facade the Harpa is bound to become Reykjavík’s most distinguishing landmarks.
Such a building must have a restaurant to match and fortunately that is the case. Kolabrautin offers not only some of the best views of the capital’s restaurant but also very good to excellent food. The restaurant is run by Leifur Kolbeinsson and Jónína Kristjánsdóttir a husband and wife team that ran Iceland’s best Italian gourmet restaurant – the La Primavera – from 1994-2011. Unfortunately the decision to open Kolabrautin meant that la Primavera had to close.
The head chef at Kolabrautin is Þráinn Freyr Vigfússon, Iceland representative in the Bocuse d’Or in 2010 and one of Iceland’s most innovative chefs. The raw materials are Icelandic but the cuisine is a mix of neo-nordic, mediterranean with the occasional fusion flirt.
The views of Reykjavík harbour are worth a visit on their own but do bring sunglasses if your dining on a clear summer night – they might come in handy if you have a window table.
