Kyana Sue Powers calls Næs Iceland’s best restaurant: “Dad licked the plate”

Kyana Sue Powers has named Næs in Vestmannaeyjar the best restaurant in Iceland, and she is not short on praise for either its food or its chef, Gísli Matthías Auðunsson.

The influencer, who regularly highlights exciting places and new developments in the food world, says she fell for Næs as soon as it opened. She tries to visit at least once a year, and her latest meal did not disappoint. For Kyana, the restaurant’s appeal goes beyond the food. She also points to Gísli’s hospitality and the atmosphere inside the restaurant.

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I took my mom and dad to my favorite restaurant in Iceland to celebrate their birthdays. You have to take a ferry to get there, but it is absolutely worth the trip.

“I took my mom and dad to my favorite restaurant in Iceland to celebrate their birthdays. You have to take a ferry to get there, but it is absolutely worth the trip,” she wrote alongside a video from the visit.

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This man won’t let you leave here hungry and welcomes you with a hug.

Kyana recommends ordering more rather than less because choosing only a few dishes is difficult. The restaurant emphasizes ingredients from its local surroundings, and she says several dishes are best ordered for the table and shared. “This man won’t let you leave here hungry and welcomes you with a hug,” she says of Gísli. She also jokes about his middle name, Matthías, or “Matt,” which sounds fitting alongside the Icelandic word for food.

The family began with cocktails and chose the Arctic Thyme, made with thyme, as the favorite of the evening. A long series of dishes followed. Kyana singled out the milk bread with browned butter and assorted accompaniments, a menu item she says has been served since the restaurant opened. The crudo also surprised the family, particularly her father. “He taught us to be in the ‘clean plate club’ when we were little. Apparently, he still does it,” she said after he licked the plate clean. Her parents also enjoyed crispy cod-skin chips and small fish “wings,” while mushroom arancini were so good that Kyana forgot to photograph them. She also sampled a beer she says was brewed with yeast linked to Vestmannaeyjar’s volcanic environment.

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He taught us to be in the ‘clean plate club’ when we were little. Apparently, he still does it.