On my last night on the Faore Islands, I dined at Áarstova, a pricy but delectable restaurant in Tórshavn.
Restaurant Review: Áarstova, Faroe Islands
One reason I wanted to travel to the Faroe Islands for years was to eat at KOKS, a two Michelin starred restaurant that has attracted visitors from around the globe for years. However, last year the restaurant closed on the Faroe Islands for remodeling and has now re-opened at Ilimanaq Lodge in Greenland. A some point, KOKS will return to the Faroe Islands, marking another reason to return. But as a “consolation prize” I chose to dine in Áarstova instead…and found it to be fabulous.
Áarstova
1 Gongin
Tórshavn 100, Faroe Islands
+298 333000
6:00 pm – 10:00 pm (Tuesday – Sunday)
This dinner came together at the last minute, but thankfully we had no trouble calling ahead for a table about a half hour in advance. Securing a table here is not always this easy, so a reservation is recommended.
The restaurant is located in a charming old house in Tórshavn.
A five course tasting menu ran 750DKK (currently about 110USD) and included:
Laksur
SalmonLambatatar
Tartare of lambHummarasúpan
Langoustine bisqueLambsryggur
Saddle of lambella /or
Toskur
CodVeljið sjálvi omaná
Dessert of your choice
For lighter eaters, a three-course is also available.
The meal began with freshly-baked bread and homemade butter topped in sea salt.
The salmon? Lovely.
The tartare of lamb? Lovely.
The langoustine (Norway lobster) bisque? Lovely.
The highlight of the meal for me was the saddle of Faroese lamb, which was so tender and flavorful. A perfect lamb dish.
Four dessert choices were offered, including:
Rabarbutrifla
Rhubarb Compote
Sitrónfromasja
Lemon Bavaroise
Úrval av ostum
Selection of cheeses
Smátt søtt
Small sweets
The rhubarb was so rich in flavor and the tart rhubarb topped in a sweet ice cream made for a perfect juxtaposition of tastes.
Both my friend and I were keeping a US work schedule and had phone conferences to return to, which made our dinner a bit abbreviated. Even so, this was the best meal of the trip and I recommend you plan on spending an entire evening here savoring the courses more slowly than we did.
I will return!
That looks fantastic and DKK 750 really doesn’t seem all that unreasonable. Especially for the Faroe Islands.
Please charter a flight for your readership, raffle tickets in the comments, and we’ll be there
Too bad about the other restaurant…one of your readers (initials D.E. I believe) really wanted to hear all about KOKS. He obsesses, née dare I say salivates even, over the prospect of hot and steamy KOKS content.
That’s odd. I wouldn’t expect to see him in a spithole* country like the Faroe Islands spending those socialist Danish Crowns.
Lambs are cute, playful, fuzzy and delicious. What’s not to like? What a great meal. Nice to see a restaurant that offers the 3 or 5 course option.