Moss, the restaurant at Iceland’s popular attraction the Blue Lagoon, was awarded a Michelin star in Turku, Finland yesterday. The restaurant’s Executive Chef Agnar Sverrisson says he and his team are still digesting the news. RÚV reported first.

Moss is the third restaurant in Iceland to be awarded a Michelin star: the first was Dill, which received the distinction in 2017, and the second was Óx, which received one last year. Both Óx and Dill retained their star, and in addition to its star, Dill also boasts a green star, awarded for gastronomy and sustainability. One Michelin star means that a restaurant is “very good in its category.” Two stars mean a restaurant is “worth a detour” while three warrant “a special journey,” according to the Michelin rating system. Other Reykjavík restaurants mentioned in the guide this year are Middle Eastern spot Sümac, the recently opened Tides, seafood restaurant Brút, and traditional-food-with-a-twist favourite Matur og Drykkur.

Agnar said that Moss had been working towards earning the distinction since 2018. “It’s not easy to get this star and you have to sacrifice many things,” he stated. “The Retreat at Blue Lagoon has been ready to do that and finally we got it. We’re on cloud nine.”

Agnar previously worked as head chef at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, the oldest restaurant with two Michelin stars in England, and opened his own venture, Texture Restaurant & Champagne Bar, in London in 2007. Texture was awarded a Michelin star in 2010 and retained it until 2020, the year that Agnar returned to Iceland and took the position of Executive Chef at Moss.

Moss’s menu features modern Icelandic cuisine with a sustainable focus.