Friðheimar

A working greenhouse and restaurant that grows tomatoes year-round using geothermal energy — you eat lunch surrounded by the plants that produced your meal. The tomato soup with fresh-baked bread is the signature dish, and it's genuinely excellent. They also do a Bloody Mary bar using their own tomatoes.

Friðheimar is on the Golden Circle route between Þingvellir and Geysir, making it a natural lunch stop. Reservations are essential in summer — it's popular with tour buses and fills up fast. Expect to pay around 3,000-4,000 ISK for soup and bread.

Bumblebees pollinate the vines and buzz around the tables, which is charming rather than annoying. Outside, the family keeps Icelandic horses that you can visit. Allow about an hour for lunch. It's a good example of what Icelanders do with geothermal heat beyond hot water.