24 Hours in Longyearbyen’s Food Scene

My first day in Longyearbyen started with me falling over myself to remove complicated boots I’d put on only ten minutes prior. I was at Cafe Huskies, a coffee shop where you can escape the loneliness of long, dark winters by getting a cuppa and petting the owner’s huskies. I was there during the midnight sun portion of the year, but I’m always in for puppets.

But back to the boots. Many establishments in Longyearbyen hang on to an old custom of removing your shoes when you enter. It’s a throwback to the coal-mining history of the early 1900s when your boots could track in coal dust and other dirt. I love the history behind the custom, but my boots are clunky, and I was in a small space with five other people trying to do the same thing — so by the time I got inside, I was definitely ready for a nice cup of relaxing tea. Sadly for me, the huskies were being monopolized by a group of children, so instead, I browsed the local handicrafts for sale while I waited for my to-go herbal blend to steep.

When my tea was ready, I grabbed the cup and headed toward the nearby bakery, Fruene. I say nearby, but to be fair, everything in Longyearbyen is “nearby.” It’s a small town with only about 2,600 people, and the entire place is walkable in about 15 minutes end to end. I’m a bakery historian, so I try to get to one everywhere I go, and Fruene did not disappoint. I walked through piles of warm blankets for sale, past a display of yarn, and up to the counter, where I ordered some polar bear-shaped chocolates and a cardamom bun.

Longyearbyen is the largest town on Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago between the mainland and the North Pole. Thanks to the Scandinavian population’s love of cardamom — Norway consumes the most of all the Scandi countries! — I enjoyed a top-quality bun brimming with the floral, spicy flavor that comforts me every time I eat it.

After breakfast, I took a stroll across town to the old cemetery. You may have heard that it’s illegal to die on Svalbard. Well, that’s not entirely true. It’s illegal to be buried in Svalbard. But before this law was implemented, a cemetery popped up at the base of a mountain. The cemetery is now gated off and populated with white crosses and the occasional reindeer alongside absolutely stunning mountain landscapes that show a panoramic view of the town. Next, I hit the main pedestrian street for some arctic shopping, leaving with a new shirt and an extra-warm wool hat (and maybe a few pieces of cheese from the surprisingly well-stocked cheese section at the grocery store).

I turned back toward my hotel, the Funken Lodge, for lunch. Funken Bar is the only specialty cocktail bar in Longyearbyen, and the bar food is more like a casual restaurant’s offering, but all inspired by the landscape and local ingredients. I ordered the Funken’s Burger, a fried chicken burger with pickle mayo on a charcoal black sesame seed bun, served with french fries. The seating in the bar is what I like to call Norwegian Cozy, filled with deep cushions, low Scandinavian-inspired furniture, and enough blankets to fill a small mansion. Just like everywhere else you go in Longyearbyen, you’ll never feel chilled or anything less than comforted.

I worked off my Funken’s Burger with a hike down to the waterfront and along the coast to see what I could find. I was rewarded in the form of the world’s northernmost Circle K gas station, a picturesque view of the town church up on a hill, and a walk over a bridge with a calming babbling brook beneath. The town is small, but exploring the various elevations can make someone work up an appetite.

Earlier in the day, I’d seen a sign promoting the “northernmost sushi in the world.” I’m a huge sushi fan, and I’ve had it on a ship in Antarctica, so of course, I had to end my night there to meet the other end of the spectrum. Nuga Sushi is in The Vault Hotel, and while most of the town’s businesses have stunning views, this one looks out to an apartment building. But that’s alright because the best view is what’s on the plate in front of you. I had eel nigiri, a fresh blend of tea, and the Midnight Sun roll (scallop, avocado, salmon roe, and chili mayo), which seemed extra appropriate since I left close to 9 p.m. and it was still bright and sunny outside.

One day, I’ll be back in the winter so that I can stroll back to the hotel under a blanket of northern lights with another full belly and a happy stride.