ÓX.

Tucked behind a hidden door within the Middle Eastern restaurant Sumac, ÓX offers one of Reykjavík’s most secretive and intimate culinary encounters. The evening begins with an aperitif in the retro-styled Amma Don bar before guests pass through a bookcase to reach an 11-seat counter built around a restored kitchen unit from 1961. Chef Þráinn Freyr Vigfússon oversees a meticulous omakase-style menu that prioritizes raw Icelandic ingredients, such as hand-harvested scallops and rare local shrimp. The cooking leans toward bold, concentrated flavors and traditional techniques, often utilizing unexpected local produce like Icelandic-grown wasabi. Over the course of three to four hours, the barrier between kitchen and guest dissolves, resulting in a social, high-energy dinner party.