Geitafell

Between Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon and the town of Hofn, the Ring Road passes through some of the most dramatic landscape in East Iceland — glacier-carved valleys, towering mountains, and farmland that has been worked for generations. Geitafell is one of those farms, and its small restaurant offers something that no city restaurant can replicate: food grown and raised within sight of where you eat it, in a setting of extraordinary natural beauty.

The Farm

Geitafell is a working farm first and a restaurant second. The family raises sheep and cattle on the land surrounding the farmstead, and the dairy products are made on-site. When you eat here, the lamb on your plate was raised in the fields you can see through the window. The butter was churned from milk produced down the road. This is not farm-to-table as a marketing concept — it is farm-to-table as a literal description of how the food arrives.

The farm sits beneath the Vatnajokull glacier, with mountains rising steeply on multiple sides. The scale of the landscape is humbling, and it provides the kind of dining backdrop that even Reykjavik's finest restaurants cannot compete with.

The Food

The menu is traditional Icelandic home cooking, and it is all the better for it. Lamb is the centrepiece — tender, flavourful, and raised on the wild grasses that give Icelandic lamb its distinctive character. The soup is hearty and warming, made from whatever the farm and season provide. Homemade cakes and dairy products round out the offering, all prepared with the care and skill of generations of farming tradition.

This is not food that tries to impress with technique or presentation. It impresses because the ingredients are exceptional and they are treated with respect. A bowl of lamb soup at Geitafell, eaten with homemade bread and a view of Vatnajokull, is one of the most satisfying meals you can have in Iceland.

Why Stop Here

Ring Road travellers often race between Jokulsarlon and Hofn, treating the stretch as a transit rather than a destination. Geitafell is a reason to slow down. The food is genuinely good, the setting is spectacular, and the experience of eating on a working Icelandic farm connects you to the country in a way that restaurants in town simply cannot.

Practical Tips

Geitafell is approximately 30 kilometres west of Hofn, signposted from the Ring Road. It operates primarily during the summer season (May to September), so check ahead if visiting outside this window. No reservations are needed. Parking is available at the farm. Allow time to enjoy the setting — the mountain views alone justify the stop. Prices are reasonable, and the homemade cakes are not to be missed.