Flúðasveppir Mushroom Farm and Farmers Bistro

Flúðasveppir is a mushroom farm on the northern edge of Flúðir, the geothermal village about 25 km south of Geysir on the Golden Circle, and it describes itself as the only mushroom farm in Iceland. Its restaurant, Farmers Bistro, is open to everyone for lunch and serves dishes built around the farm's own mushrooms and peppers. The signature order is a mushroom soup buffet with homemade breads and flavoured butters.

The name simply means "Flúðir mushrooms", and for visitors it is the lunch stop a few minutes from the Secret Lagoon.

Is Flúðasveppir open to visitors?

Yes, through the restaurant. Farmers Bistro is open every day from 12:00 to 17:00, and you can book a table online. The growing rooms themselves are a working food-production site, so they are not open for casual walk-throughs.

Groups can book a short introduction to how the farm works by emailing the bistro in advance. According to the Farmers Bistro website, these farm introductions are for pre-booked tours of more than ten people, so individual travellers and couples should plan on lunch only.

How mushrooms are grown at Flúðasveppir

Flúðasveppir grows three varieties: white button mushrooms, chestnut mushrooms and portobellos. It harvests about 11 tonnes a week from six growing rooms, and the mushrooms are hand-picked, sorted and packed every day before going to market. A mushroom grows by about 4% an hour, which is why the crop is picked every day.

The farm makes its own growing substrate. Corn straw from its own fields at Hvítárholt is mixed with chicken manure from nearby South Iceland farms and water, then left to compost for three weeks before the mushroom spawn goes in. Icelandic water, the farm says, is the key ingredient.

Nothing goes to waste afterwards. The spent compost (about 60 tonnes a week) is mixed with Icelandic peat and pumice from Hekla and sold as Flúðamold, a potting soil for vegetables, flowers and trees.

Peppers, tomatoes and vegetables

The same business runs Flúða-Jörfi, a horticulture farm whose 5,000 m² of greenhouses grow bell peppers and tomatoes all year. The greenhouses are lit electrically and heated with geothermal water, bumblebees pollinate the flowers, and organic products are used for pest control. Annual production is about 100 tonnes of peppers and another 100 tonnes of tomatoes.

Outdoors at Hvítárholt and in Vestur-Landeyjar, the farm grows cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, red cabbage and carrots in rotation with corn. The herbs used in the bistro kitchen are grown on the farm too.

What to eat at Farmers Bistro

The menu showcases the farm's mushrooms and peppers, and the gourmet buffet is the way to taste the most of them in one go. It comes with coffee and tea and includes:

• Mushroom soup made with white, chestnut and portobello mushrooms (lactose-free and gluten-free)
• Homemade garlic bread and sourdough bread
• Butter-fried mushrooms with thyme and marinated mushrooms
• Bell-pepper and chilli jam, bell-pepper and feta pâté, and a pepper and mushroom tapenade
• Four butters: plain, mushroom, bell-pepper and garlic

If you want something more substantial, the main courses include a portobello burger (with a vegan version), a keto burger, a stuffed bell pepper with shredded lamb, a lamb wrap, a chicken salad and oven-baked salmon. Children can choose a ham-and-cheese sandwich or pasta fritters.

Mushroom ice cream

Dessert is where Farmers Bistro gets playful. The mushroom ice cream comes with caramelised mushrooms, lime and chilli, finished with honey and roasted seeds. A vegan version is available on request. Carrot ice cream and carrot cake made with the farm's carrots are the safer options.

Drinks include beer from Borg Brugghús, cider, wine and soft drinks. Remember that you will probably be driving on after lunch.

Prices

The official website does not publish menu prices, so check them when you book or on arrival.

How to get to Flúðasveppir

Farmers Bistro is at Garðastígur 8, at the northern end of Flúðir. From Reykjavík it is about 105 km, roughly an hour and 40 minutes via Route 1 over Hellisheiði and then Route 30 north. Geysir is about 24 km away, and Gullfoss about 30 km.

Without a car, the nearest option is our Golden Circle tour ending in Flúðir, which ends with a soak in Flúðir. Be aware that lunch on that tour is at Gullfoss, so it does not stop at the bistro.

Things to do near Flúðasveppir

The Secret Lagoon at Hverahólmi is only about 2.5 km away by road. A mushroom-soup lunch followed by an afternoon soak in Iceland's oldest swimming pool is one of the most relaxed ways to spend half a day on the Golden Circle.

About 5 km east of the village, Hruni has a white timber church from 1865 with one of Iceland's best-known folk legends attached. Miðfell, the small mountain just south of Flúðir, has trails to a summit lake if you want to walk off lunch.

Food is something of a theme in this part of the loop. The tomato greenhouse at Friðheimar in Reykholt is about 11 km west. Our guide to eating at the Friðheimar greenhouse explains how it works. One is built around tomatoes and the other around mushrooms and peppers, so they make a good pair on a two-day trip.

How long to spend at Flúðasveppir

Allow 45 minutes to an hour for the buffet, or a little longer with dessert. Pre-booked group introductions to the farm add their own time, so ask when you book.