OTO: The Most Unexpected Meal in Reykjavík

You go to Iceland for lamb soup and skyr, not prosciutto and ponzu. And yet here we are. OTO has a way of making you rethink things.

Tucked on Hverfisgata in downtown Reykjavík, OTO is doing something that shouldn't work on paper — Italian-Japanese fusion in the middle of the North Atlantic and they are pulling it off with complete confidence. The through-line is a shared ingredient-led philosophy, and once you taste it, the pairing stops feeling surprising and starts feeling obvious. Two cuisines that both obsess over quality, freshness, and simplicity. Of course, they belong together.

Grab a seat at the bar at OTO in Reykjavík

I snagged a seat at the bar, which turned out to be the best decision of the night. From there, you get a front-row view of the kitchen in full motion. I got to watch the dishes assembled with the kind of quiet precision that makes you pay attention before the plate even reaches you. The staff is attentive without hovering. The whole room has that thing where it feels simultaneously dressed up and totally relaxed — stylish, but nobody's trying too hard.

The couple that sat next to me were clearly regulars. Locals. They didn't even open the menu — just flagged down the server and ordered the Bikini before they'd taken their coats off. That told me everything I needed to know. Prosciutto di parma, truffle honey, parmigiano on a crumpet. Sounds simple and is anything but. Order it.

The Bikini at OTO in Reykjavík

The menu is built for sharing, which means decisions pile up fast. Start with the Hokkaido milk bread and don't skip the gochujang butter. The yakatori section deserves attention — the tiger shrimp with chili, garlic and yuzu is the kind of thing you keep pulling back to between other dishes. The hand-dived scallops with savoy cabbage, ponzu and togarashi are the dish that made me stop mid-bite. The lobster cappelletti with yuzu kosho and ginger oil is rich and bright at the same time, which shouldn't work as well as it does. Save room for the cioccolato al forno — chocolate, vanilla, coffee and miso — a combination that lands exactly as good as it sounds.

If you can't decide the OTO Kaiseki or OTO Miyabi takes the wheel for the whole table. Let it. Pair it with the wine pairing and just surrender to the evening.

Chef Sigurður Laufdal has logged time at Geranium in Copenhagen and Olo in Helsinki and that caliber shows — but the room never lets you feel like you're in a temple of fine dining. That balance is harder to pull off than it looks. OTO is a reservation worth planning your trip around.

Sitting at the bar at OTO gives you a front row seat to the kitchen

Sarah's Rec:  Sit at the bar if you can get it. Order the scallops, the Bikini, and something from the yakatori. And if the locals next to you order without looking at the menu, just follow their lead.