HONESTLY’S VERDICT

In a word:  Glowing

Food:  Just a joy to find somewhere without puffin or whale on the menu in Iceland…just kidding (kind of), seriously delicious healthy food here

Service:  Short but sweet, it’s a canteen-style set up, so there isn’t much interaction, however, what you do have is friendly and efficient!

Presentation:  Food on a plate in a warm and relaxed cafe away from the arctic winds

Ambiance:  Bright, sleek, warm, and busy – but never too loud or rawkus

Location:  Several in town: one just off the main strip in central Reykjavik, with the entrance hidden down a side street, another across from the Hilton and a third by the art museum

Value for money:  Definitely, one of the cheapest and nicest in my opinion in the whole of Iceland!

Worth a visit?:  Definitely, It’s hard to find tasty healthy food in Reykjavik, Glo serves this up by the plateful!

This one is an oldy dating back to January 2014, but definitely a goodie…in fact, it’s a must-do when in Iceland and i’m not why I haven’t posted this earlier.  I think we were travelling so much at the time I never got around to singing the praises of Glo…and I now I realise why: no photos!  I forgot to take my camera battery, not just to the restaurant, but to Iceland!

So no photos of the restaurant or the food, but seeing as the place was just so good, I thought i’d fill in the gaps with pictures of beautiful Iceland from my husband’s iPhone instead.  You can also look on the web, Facebook or Instagram for pictures of Glo and the food that they serve, trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

After a day at the Blue Lagoon floating in the beautiful waters, scrubbed by volcanic grit and soothed with silica mud masks, it was time to hunt down supper.  Having decided to boycott any restaurant serving whale or puffin, unicorn or mermaid, we weren’t left with much choice as we marched up the main drag, Laugavegur.  I’d done my research so knew there were options in town, it was just a hit-and-miss game as to what might actually be a) able to find them and b) whether they would be open during the festive season.

Very happily, we found Glo to be open for business during the festive period.  You do need to know where you’re going to find this one, the entrance is on a side street and isn’t particularly well highlighted.  When you do find it, it’s an inviting escape from the brutally cold winds of early January in Iceland!

As you walk up the stairs to the restaurant, you’re greeted by warmth and light, both of which are lacking in Iceland at this time of year with the sun setting at around 3pm each afternoon after a lazy rise at about 11am.

Food:

Glo markets itself as raw, vegetarian, and healthy, which translates to raw, vegetarian and vegan options and, for my carnivorous friends, meat in the form of chicken!  They have a chalk board menu to pick from, a choice of four options per day, each main is served with three salads from the fresh selection on offer each day.

I was delighted to find a huge pot of hummus next to the till, which you seem to be able to pile onto your plate for no extra charge, along with some chunky rye bread baked cruttons, and plenty of oils, vinegar and sauces, what a treat!

They also have a pretty sweet selection of cakes and desserts to the right of the till, which we only found on our exit…probably a good thing, although a raw chocolate brownie won’t hurt the clean eating.

We ate at Glo on several occasions, I had the vegetable wrap with salad, he the cooked veggie lasagna with salad, the in-laws had the soup with salad and Sag Aloo Chicken with the salad.

I can happily report that everyone was extremely satisfied with our meals, although the soup could have been a little warmer.

Service:

The service at Glo is warm and friendly, and they’re always happy to help out or advise on their favourites.  You queue at the desk, select your main and salads together with any drinks, pay at the till and then grab a seat.  Simple.

As the set up is canteen style, you don’t get too much staff contact, but when you do, it’s always good, as we found across Iceland.

Presentation:

It’s a bit of a canteen set up, so definitely not haute cuisine dining if that’s what you’re looking for.  Having said that, it’s very nicely done, with a sleek looking interior which manages to feel comfortable without being shabby.

Value for money:

We were very happy to find Glo one of the cheapest places we ate in Reykjavik!  I was expecting it to be more expensive due to the raw, vegan and veggie options – you often find that this hikes up the price when eating out.  I guess their no-frills approach keeps the cost down.

Contact:

Laugavegur 20 b, Reykjavík, Iceland

And two other branches in Reykjavik:

Engjateig 19, 105 Reykjavík (across from the Hilton)

Strandgata 34, 220 Hafnarfirði (next to the Art Museum)

Website: www.glo.is/

Facebook

Tel: +354 553 1111

Email: glo@glo.is

Opening hours:

Monday to Saturday, 11am until 9pm

**Please check with the restaurant before you head out there, i’d hate for you to be disappointed**