Foodle Reviews
A few weeks ago I flew from Oslo to Svalbard to visit Huset, often described as the world’s northernmost fine-dining restaurant.
Svalbard itself is extraordinary. At this time of year there’s 24-hour daylight, which does strange things to your brain. Walking home after dinner around midnight in broad daylight felt completely wrong. Beautiful, but weird. I’m not sure I could ever get used to it.
I’d love to return in winter. Summer is stark and barren, but I can imagine the polar night,... More
A few weeks ago I flew from Oslo to Svalbard to visit Huset, often described as the world’s northernmost fine-dining restaurant.
Svalbard itself is extraordinary. At this time of year there’s 24-hour daylight, which does strange things to your brain. Walking home after dinner around midnight in broad daylight felt completely wrong. Beautiful, but weird. I’m not sure I could ever get used to it.
I’d love to return in winter. Summer is stark and barren, but I can imagine the polar night, snow and getting around by snowmobile making the whole experience even more surreal.
Huset sits just outside Longyearbyen, a town named after American businessman John Munro Longyear, whose Arctic Coal Company established mining operations here in the early 1900s.
The building dates from 1951 and was originally created by Store Norske as a communal meeting place for miners and company officials. Over the years it has had all sorts of uses — including a café, school, church and cinema — before becoming what it is today.
As for dinner? I’m glad I went, although the restaurant itself wasn’t really the highlight.
There were some genuinely interesting tastes to begin with — cured meats, seal and local seabirds among them — things I’d never eaten before and exactly the sort of flavours you hope to encounter somewhere this remote.
The main tasting menu was more underwhelming and the service wasn’t particularly polished. In fairness, running a serious restaurant at 78° North must bring challenges most restaurants never have to think about.
The real revelation was downstairs.
Huset has an incredible wine cellar, with some surprisingly good-value bottles hidden away. Friends had told me to go down and look properly rather than just order from the list, and they were right. I managed to find a real bargain.
Would I fly to Svalbard purely for dinner at Huset? Probably not.
Would I recommend Svalbard itself — one of the strangest settlements on Earth, unusual local ingredients and a great bottle from a ridiculous cellar at 78° North?
Absolutely. I’m very glad I went.
The northernmost fine dining restaurant. Flew all the way to Svalbard just for this meal — taking travel for food to the next level.
Super cool venue located in the old community center of Longyearbyen, it also hosts the largest wine cellar in Scandinavia, thus a must visit for me.
Meal itself was on par with my expectation. A few dishes were on the saltier side, the fish was slightly overcooked. But overall pretty good given how remote this place is. Favorite bite was the cured reindeer... More
The northernmost fine dining restaurant. Flew all the way to Svalbard just for this meal — taking travel for food to the next level.
Super cool venue located in the old community center of Longyearbyen, it also hosts the largest wine cellar in Scandinavia, thus a must visit for me.
Meal itself was on par with my expectation. A few dishes were on the saltier side, the fish was slightly overcooked. But overall pretty good given how remote this place is. Favorite bite was the cured reindeer heart.
I probably wouldn’t fly all the way here again just for this restaurant but if visiting Svalbard, it’s definitely worth a visit.•
•
•
•
•
#foodgasm #yum #eat #foodpic #foodpics #foodphotography #foodlover #tasty #hungry #foodblogger #dessert #foods #cooking #foodies #eating #chef #foodblog #nomnom #delicious #food #foodie #instafood #travel #travelforfood #norway #svalbard #husetrestaurant #arctic #scandinavia #travelgram Less
This Restaurant Is turning the World’s Northernmost Town Into a Fine Dining Destination.
Recommended in Longyearbyen
-
- Gruvelageret
- Svalbard, Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
-
1 Meal
-
- TASTE OF THAI
- Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
-
1 Meal
Address
Longyearbyen 9171, Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Hours
Tuesday: 18:00 - 20:00
Wednesday: 18:00 - 20:00
Thursday: 18:00 - 20:00
Friday: 18:00 - 20:00
Saturday: 18:00 - 20:00
Sunday: Closed
Phone
+4748044545
Price Range
Based on country average
$$$$ (kr 1,000+)
