Places to eat in Svalbard

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Of all the eateries in Longyearbyen, Kroa at Basecamp Spitsbergen takes my prize. It has that mix of simplicity, rough decor reminicent of the place you are, unsnobbish service and mix of locals, students and visitors. And the food, of course!

Favorite Dish: They have one item called the chef's special/catch of the day or whatever, and it is normally an Arctic meat item very well prepared. If you cannot find seal, whale or something other exotic in other restaurants in Longyearbyen they will have it here.
Their pepper steak, "Peppernøis" named after a great trapper here is great. In our group we also tried the seal and the duck breast, all very well prepared and tasty.
As we poured over the menu the staff served a snack of polar bear meat and Norwegian berry pickles - the best polar bear dish tasted so far here.

The above was written in 2006. I I came back in May 2008 and can confirm the above quality. The Peppernøis was still there, as was the day's catch. The manu remains limited but with good quality. One more type of fish on the menu, please? Otherwise, excellent!

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Regardless of where you eat in Svalbard (except if you are on an expendition cruise) is EXPENSIVE. I paid $3 for a banana and $3.50 for an apple. So make sure to budget extra (double) for food. Everything here is expensive without exception.
If you are a vegetarian (like me) your food selection is limited to cheese, bread and occasional vegetables such as cucumbers and tomatoes but don't expect more.

There is very little in the way of vegetarian food on offer in Svalbard's eateries. The closest may be Kafe Busen which has a salad bar. This is very, very far from any tofu or veggieburger... In the Svalbard shop you will find veggetables etc. for your own cooking, but you will soon discover that vegetables and milk are the relatively speaking most costly items to be bought in Svalbard.
If you insist on remaining fully vegetarian, do find a place to stay where you can do some self-catering, bring some food with you from the mainland or abroad, and seek out the chefs on the restaurants to make you a veggie special. I am 90% sure they will help you.

Huset used to be the mining community's r&r facility and meeting place. Always a place that served food, it also continues to be a cultural centre. It is also just about the only place where local people may dress up for an event or dinner.
Despite this the place is entirely informal and lively.
Here you can sample Arctic food that you wouldn't easily get on menues elsewhere; seal, whale, even the odd polar bear steak. Their Arctic sampler is a great choise. However, most items on the meny feature hearty meals of fish, birds, reindeer, beef etc. Not much in the way of vegetarian slant, but hey, this is far from any living cabbage.
The vine cellar is outstanding, and they come cheap compared with Norway's mainland, as Svalbard is tax- and duty free.

Favorite Dish: I'd go for the reindeer, or goose steak if available. For a starter their haneskjell scallops are fantastic.
Desert: cognac marinated cloudberries.

They have a fixed three or four course dinner, too that takes your through the Arctic. Good as a sampler.

In our search for local food, Arctic menus etc., we came across MAry Ann Riggen, which is actually a gisesthouse with a good restaurant kitchen. They provide Arctic items on the menu - but was closed when we tried. Moral is: call first! I provide the phone number below...

OK, your VT food category "Arctic" doesn't really fit in here.
But if you take Arctic raw materials (reindeer, seal, whale, arctic char, deep sea red fish, salomon, goose etc. etc.) and turn them into edibles for an international clientele you will get it. The restaurant prides itself for it's international kitchen.
Great view of the isfjorden scenery from the window side of the restaurant. Well, not all year...
This is probably the best and most upmarket dining you can have this far north. Come here for excellent food and a splash-out. If you want to go for the mood, go to "Huset".

Favorite Dish: I had arctic char (a fish) fried/baked on a plank of Siberian larch (driftwood) and then various stuff with it.

Locals in Longyearbyen meet here for a chat and a coffee during the day, huddle here during blistery weather, and the local workforce have their dinners here.
The food is very standard Norwegian fare, low on excitement. This place used to be the canteen/cafeteria of the mining workforce, and has retained the name from that time, Kafe Busen and the Lompen Senteret. Lompen refers to the miners' clothing/sturdy overalls, which again comes from the German Lumpen (add Marx' "proletariat" and you get a feel for it). Busen is a designation of a worker in a mine shaft.
Anyway, what's left is this cafe, and I'd recommend the Saturday noon/afternoon cake buffet.
The dinners are as said, standard fare at a resonable price. The posted labels indicate many food items available, but it doesn't rellay to reflect today's truth!
There is a distinct focus on serving locals here, less interest in visitors, including mainlanders.

Favorite Dish: Saturday cake buffet was good, waffles likewise. Otherwise, very standard.
Stay off the hot chocolate, that smelled and tasted a mix of chocolate-related chemicals, water added.

Not for vegetarians, even if you may have your polar bear meat slice with ruccola salad...
At least 4 restaurants in Longyearbyen serve polar bear meat if you ask for it. it doesn't normally feature on the regular menu. Due to the price (toward NOK 2000 per kg) it is not a good idea as a main dish... Also, it is not particularily healthy in large amounts. However, for a taste and adventure, why not?
Polar bear meat comes from polar bears on Svalbard shot in self defence. As the animal is protected, and self-defence situations that lead to kills are rare, the meat is at a premium. It is confiscated by the state (Sysselmannen on Svalbard) but distributed/sold to restaurants after the law, researchers and health authorities have done their part.

Favorite Dish: Huset serves a slice of polar bear meat with red wine sauce made with broth as a starter if you enquire. They will even, as a gimmic, ask you to sign a certificate that you ate this by your own free will...
By the way, the polar bear taste is sufficiently unique not to regret you didn't order a full plate...