Tales of the Table · One year · Golden Circle
Ylja turns one: warmth on the Golden Circle
Laugarás Lagoon opened its doors on 15 October 2025 – and with it Ylja, a restaurant led by chef Gísli Matt. A year on, it has become one of the reasons to slow down between Geysir and Reykjavík.
The lagoon sits by the Hvítá bridge in Laugarás, about an hour and twenty minutes' drive from Reykjavík. It was built by Icelandic investors and created around fifty new jobs in the area.
Ylja takes its name from an old Norse word for warmth. The kitchen focuses on fresh seafood and produce from South Iceland – vegetables above all – bought from small producers nearby. Drinks are run by Martin Cabejšek, and the bread comes from baker Lucas Keller.
For Gísli Matt it is a new chapter: his celebrated restaurant Slippurinn in the Westman Islands served its last dinner in September 2025 after thirteen seasons. The Reykjavík Grapevine singled Ylja out early in 2026 for honouring local ingredients and traditions.
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