Svalbard Cuisine

For so remote a place, Svalbard boasts a surprisingly rich and celebrated food scene, centred on the cosy restaurants of Longyearbyen, where diners warm up after a day in the Arctic cold. Menus make the most of northern ingredients, with Arctic game such as reindeer, and fish from cold waters, prepared with genuine flair, alongside hearty soups and warming fare well suited to the climate. A quirk of history, tied to the archipelago's tax-free status, has given Longyearbyen an unexpectedly fine wine cellar reputation, and its restaurants pride themselves on pairing polar dishes with excellent wines. Cosy, warming and unexpectedly refined, dining in the world's northernmost town is a memorable pleasure in itself.

What you actually see

• The Arctic game - the reindeer and northern meats.
• The cold-water fish - the fish from Arctic waters.
• The fine wine - the town's celebrated cellars.
• The cosy restaurants - the warm dining after the Arctic cold.

When to go

Year-round; Longyearbyen's cosy restaurants are a warming pleasure in every season, especially welcome in the cold and dark, and are a highlight after days spent exploring the Arctic. Reindeer and northern game, cold-water fish and the town's fine wines are the signatures to seek out.

Honest expectations

Dining in Svalbard reflects its remoteness in higher prices and a limited but quality-focused scene concentrated in Longyearbyen, rather than wide variety. As a surprisingly refined food scene at the top of the world, serving Arctic game and fish with genuine flair alongside a famous cellar, though, dining in Svalbard is a genuinely memorable and warming pleasure.

Nearby

The restaurants of Longyearbyen are the heart of the scene.