Monkeys Reykjavik

Amazing experience. Came for my birthday dinner. The staff are excellent. Pricy but very generous portion sizes. Took the set menu. The staff kindly swapped the beef portions out. Can recommend heavily for special occasions. The decor is lovely. Sometimes there are great offers too.

Tasty, stylish – but pricey Monkeys is a cool and modern restaurant with a fun atmosphere and really tasty food. The dishes are creative and nicely presented, but the portions are quite small. If you're really hungry, plan to spend around €80 per person without drinks to feel full. It’s definitely on the expensive side, but the quality is very good. Great place for a special evening – just don’t expect to leave with a full wallet.

Ambiance: This is such a GREAT restaurant. I loved the vibe. It felt like an upscale antique shop. I lighting just enhanced the entire experience. It’s a great spot for date night or a small group dinner. The chairs are comfortable and they’ve set up tables in a manner that gives you space/privacy. Service: Everyone was friendly. We came only 30 minutes before closing but they were very kinda and still allowed to dine in. They also didn’t rush us as we figured out what we wanted to order and even offered us dessert at the end of the meal. They came and checked in on us often and were very helpful. Price: This is a pricey restaurant. We paid about 12000 Krono ($90 USD) per person. Food: I LOVED the food here. It’s amazing and they had such amazing selections for vegetarian/vegan. I got the mushroom maki, watermelon carpaccio, fried crispy plantains, crispy vegetable gyozas, and miso sesame steak. The mushroom maki was some of the best sushi i’ve had and the crispy mushroom on top really enhanced the flavors. The watermelon carpaccio is different and delicious. The pine nuts really enhanced the flavor and mixed well with the mushroom mayo. The watermelon was cut thinly and grilled to the right degree. The fried crispy plantain was nice, I’ve had something similar before but the guacamole that came with it was perfectly seasoned. The vegetable gyzozas were perfectly crispy. I rarely get gyozas as this level. The stuffing was the perfectly blend of salty, spicy, and sweet. The steak was good but very filling. I liked the seasoning on it, it’s very different than the usual veggie steaks. Insta: @TheShahLALand

The atmosphere of the restaurant is a unique one in Reykjavik. It’s like stepping into the past, and is such a fun vibe. Food wise I enjoyed everything except the ceviche. The ceviche was egregiously sweet and ruined the tasting menu experience. I’ve had ceviche in Peru and Ecuador before and had expected something similar, albeit with a small twist given the vibe. The twist was using passion fruit and other fruit to sweeten the ceviche, but I found it quite terrible to state the truth. Desserts were solid, but the cheesecake was a bit lacking in flavor. If you order it, I would not expect a typical New York style cheesecake which is packed with flavor. This version is a bit more low-key, and used the fruit to its advantage. Overall, I enjoyed the experience eating here but would warn against the ceviche unless you are a fan of overly sweet things.

Fancy dinner spot, made for a great date night before a show. The bathroom was very nice. Service was fantastic.