The Unlimited Icelandic Soup That's Baffling The World's Tastemakers
Everyone loves a hearty bowl of soup. Whether you're a tomato aficionado or more of a chicken noodle kind of person, it's undeniable that soup is the ultimate comfort food for those harsh winter days spent curled under a blanket. It's also a great choice for a quick lunch stop when you're on vacation, as plenty of countries have regional specialities that you might not have tried before. In Poland, soup is often served cold, with one popular flavor being chlodnik, a bright pink beet soup that sometimes comes with boiled eggs. Another popular cold soup, this time originating from Spain, is gazpacho, a vegetarian dish made from blended up raw veggies that works as a refreshing tonic during hot European summers.
And if you're heading to Iceland, you'll have the chance to try a tomato soup that influencers are raving about for one reason in particular: It's unlimited! In a recent TikTok video, restaurant diners are shown enjoying the soup "grown in a greenhouse in Iceland that runs off geothermal energy" and purportedly enjoyed by celebs including Kim Kardashian and Zac Efron. Where can you find this storied soup? The restaurant in question is Friðheimar, located in Reykholt about two hours northeast of Reykjavík.
What's unique about this tomato soup?
People in the comments on the video are sharing their experiences of the viral soup, with one person hailing it as "the best meal I had the whole trip," and another saying, "I went here in 2017 and I've never forgotten it." One went so far as to call Friðheimar the "BEST SECRET PLACE IN ICELAND," while others suggested the location as a potential wedding venue.
@gavinandjess Kim K and Zac Efron showed me this one 🤭👀 #icelandfarm #goodsouptok #tomatosouprecipes
Set in an enormous greenhouse, Friðheimar makes the soup from the ton of tomatoes it grows each day on site, which helps explain why the menu is tomato-themed from cocktails to desserts. Other popular dishes include mussels and ravioli — but the soup, served with homemade bread and cucumber salsa, is a favorite because of the restaurant's free refills policy, meaning you can top up your bowl to your heart's content. Aside from the food, the restaurant also has attractions for animal lovers: There are bees living in the greenhouse, and the owners also host seasonal horse shows.
While other restaurants might be dissuaded by people posting their entire meal on Instagram, or feel that it disrupts the experience, Friðheimar's chef Jón Sigfússon thinks the soup's social media fame is part of the appeal. "I always say in the kitchen, if I don't see the people picking up their phone and taking pictures of this, you're not doing good," he told Thrillist.