Q: I was wondering if you know of any Icelandic restaurants that are in the United States? More specifically, on the east coast. Even more specific, either in or around Virginia?

Gary Abernathy, King George, Virginia, USA

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A: According to Sigmar B. Hauksson, project manager at Spa City Reykjavík, there is no Icelandic restaurant in the US and definitely not in Virginia. There is a Swedish restaurant in New York called Aquavit that offers Nordic cuisine, but that is the closest you can get to an Icelandic restaurant in the US, Hauksson said.

However, there used to be a restaurant called Iceland on Broadway around 1930 that operated for a short period of time, one or two years, possibly by an Icelandic native. At that time Iceland had just begun exporting products to the US. Hauksson saw that restaurant on a picture once and has since tried to find more information about it, but to no avail.

Hauksson pointed out that the Icelandic chef Völundur Snaer has a restaurant in the Bahamas called Sabor. The menu doesn’t sound especially Icelandic, though.

The Reykjavík restaurant Icelandic Fish and Chips had for some time plans to open a restaurant in Austin, Texas, but in light of the economic situation, those plans are likely to have been postponed.

From Sigmar, Indianapolis, IN, USA:

I have run across, in my travels, a bit of an Icelandic tavern in central Florida, USA, a bit north of Orlando: http://www.thefrostymug.com/ The owners are apparently Icelandic and they attempt to serve some legitimate Icelandic food, although, admittedly, it's no full-blown Icelandic menu.