Longyearbyen - a Mecca for foodies

Who would have imagined that in the world’s northernmost town, located just south of the North Pole, you could pick and choose between exciting culinary experiences? Travel up here and experience this evolving food destination for yourself! Here are our recommendations for you.

Restaurants to suit every taste

Several of the restaurants in Longyearbyen feature local dishes and ingredients on the menu, such as Svalbard reindeer, Arctic char, seal, whale and Svalbard rock ptarmigan. You can even wash your meal down with locally brewed beer from Svalbard Brewery.

Two of Norway's best restaurants. In Longyearbyen!

Huset, which is rich in traditions, is housed in Longyearbyen’s original assembly building dating from 1951. With more than 15 000 bottles, its wine cellar is among the largest in Scandinavia. Within Huset you’ll find not only its well renowned restaurant, but also a bistro. Both of which have contributed to establishing Huset as a staple of Longyearbyens nightlife and culinary scene, and as a bucket-list culinary experience for many.
A little bit further down the valley from Huset you’ll find Funktionærmessen Restaurant coupled with Funken Bar inside the historical Funken. Funktionærmessen is inspired by an international kitchen and uses the best produce available. King crab from Finnmark and Svalbard reindeer are amongst the culinary highlights of this elegant restaurant. Their wine list boasts over 300 types of wines from their wine cellar, and in addition they can also tempt you with 70 types of champagne, including several rare vintages.

A restaurant inside a former mining warehouse

In the innermost part of Longyeardalen you’ll find Gruvelageret. Gruvelageret, as the Norwegian name suggests, is housed in an old mining warehouse in the old district of Longyearbyen called Sverdrupbyen. The restaurant’s interior and décor is clearly inspired by the early mining history of Svalbard, and they take pride in serving genuine and exquisite food. With the wilderness just outside the restaurant’s windows and the glacier Longyearbreen just around the corner this is truly a unique place to enjoy an Arctic culinary experience.

Svalbar in Svalbard

There’s never a dull moment at Svalbar Pub in the centre of Longyearbyen! A visit here is a regular occurrence for locals and travellers alike, both on the weekdays and weekends. You’re welcome just the way you are, no matter if you’ve come directly from an adventure in the wilderness or if you’re dressed up and ready for a night on the town. With their tasteful pub food and drinks menus, combined with board games and a pool table, Svalbard Pub is an ideal place for you to hang out and have a good time with your friends.

A gastronomical pizza experience

With delicious and fresh food and a relaxed setting inside Radisson Blu Polar Hotel, Barentz Gastropub, also known as “Barentz” or “The Gastropub” for short by locals, is a place you can lower your shoulders and have a nice cozy meal. The pub has some of Longyearbyen’s best pizzas on their menu and holds a special place in the hearts of the town’s sports fans as their TV is more often than not tuned into a sports channel for the guests to enjoy.

KB: A small but copious bar

Karlsberger Pub, better known as KB by locals, is a small but copious bar in the heart of Longyearbyen inside Lompensenteret. With one of Europe’s best selections of whisky and cognac (over 1000 different types), a rich collection of gin and a unique collection of Armagnac dating from as far back as 1908 until 1989, this is truly a bar that can cater to those with a taste for fine spirits. KB also has a drinks menu featuring a great variety apart from their extensive spirits collection as well, so anyone should be able to find something they’ll be able to enjoy on their menu.

Quiet surroundings you just have to visit over and over again

Polfareren Restaurant inside the boutique hotel Svalbard Hotell Polfareren offers dishes with Japanese and continental inspiration. With a new and tasteful menu every month composed by their chef Joshua Wing, and wines carefully chosen with respect for the small producer and in relation to the menu, this is a place you can return to and experience something new again and again. With its calm and cosy atmosphere, Polfareren is an excellent place to enjoy a romantic meal or a finer dinner with friends and family.

A meal with both a fjord and mountain view

Restaurant Nansen can offer a delicate selection of high quality meat cuts, Arctic fish and vegetarian dishes, all with a Nordic inspiration and delicious side dishes and sauses. With large panoramic windows facing the mountain Hiorthfjellet and the fjord Isfjorden next to Longyearbyen one may quickly forget to eat in between enjoying the awesome views. "Nansens" informal come-as-you-are atmosphere and top-notch food is an equally good choice for a nice dinner whether you're still wearing your wool layers right after returning from a snowmobile trip or have dressed up for a date night with your better half.

Arctic menu in green surroundings

Vinterhagen Restaurant in Mary-Ann's Polarrigg has perhaps Longyearbyen’s most comprehensive Arctic menu, featuring culinary highlights such as Svalbard reindeer-, whale- and seal meat on their menu. While you won’t see trees or shrubs normally in Svalbard’s nature, you’ll definitely do so inside Vinterhagen which in Norwegian means “the winter garden”. With glass walls and a glass ceiling you can enjoy sights of the Arctic sky and nature without having to leave your table. End your visit here with a stop by Peisen Bar in the restaurant and a short exploration of the unique interior of Mary-Ann’s which is an experience all on its own.

A local favourite and established institution

If there’s one restaurant in Svalbard that most locals and visitors at some point have passed through it’s likely Kroa. In the upper part of Longyearbyen’s main street with their iconic pavilion facing the street you’ll find Kroa, decorated with inspiration from local trapping and mining history in Svalbard. This is the place to gather with friends, family, colleagues, or even all at once, for a hearty meal. With a menu utilising the season’s produce and a chef’s breakfast which for many is a regular part of every day life in Longyearbyen, Kroa is an equally good choice for a visit both in the daytime and evening.

Inspired by Svalbard's whale hunting period

In historical surroundings from Longyearbyen's mining history at Lompensenteret you'll find the restaurant Stationen. The restaurant's design and name is inspired by the whale hunting period and the whale trapping stations in Svalbard dating from the early 1600s until the end of the 1700s.  Whale is naturally on the menu, together with a daily special "dagens middag" as well as a range of lunch and dinner courses based on traditional Norwegian home cooking with a few international influences and a wide selection of drinks. Stationen is therefore suitable for most occasions, whether it's a lunch right after a morning hike, a cozy dinner with the family, date night with your partner or an evening out with your friends.

The world’s northernmost food festival: Taste Svalbard

As well as a wide variety of restaurants and cafés, Longyearbyen hosts the world’s northernmost food and drink festival – Taste Svalbard. This annual festival provides a fascinating insight into Svalbard’s unique history through a range of culinary and cultural events in cooperation with both Longyearbyen’s international locals and local businesses.

Good food is not only found in Longyearbyen

As if the restaurants, cafés, pubs and bars of Longyearbyen weren’t enough, there are a number of other culinary experiences in other parts of Svalbard!

Going westwards either by snowmobile or boat you’ll arrive at Isfjord Radio Adventure Hotel on Svalbard’s west coast with a view towards the open sea where Greenland is hidden somewhere beyond the horizon. Inside this boutique hotel with a level of comfort you won’t expect to find at an Arctic outpost by the sea, Isfjord Radio Restaurant can be found. The restaurant alone is worth the long trip and even an overnight stay if you want to get a taste of their delicious breakfast. With Arctic delicacies and silence this is a fantastic place to visit with friends or your significant other to get a feel for the concept of Arctic luxury inside the restaurant and Isfjord Radio’s sauna.