When Hotel hafnia opened its doors in 1951, a little tea kitchen was available for the guests, where they could cook light meals themselves.
The guests back then were mainly from the villages, where they studied in Tórshavn, or people who had business to attend to in Tórshavn e.g. to see a doctor.
As the years went by, the restaurant business developed and changed. When Jóhan Restorff in 1961 came back after studying in Denmark, he was inspired and the restaurant business at Hafnia changed.
For years the evening meal consisted of three courses. First course was a slice of bread with butter and either marinated or spiced herring.
The next course was a warm meal e.g. biksemad, third course typically consisted of 3 slices of bread with roast beef, liver paté, homemade sausage or ham.
After this time period, the menu changed to á la carte, with steaks and wienerschnitzel.
Then later the buffet era started, where guests received several warm meals, cheese and a few desserts.
MC Restorff remembers, as a boy, that Sunday dinner was always soup, roast and a dessert, like pinapple fromage or trifle.
Weekdays in the 80´s, the menu usually was hamburgers, beef stroganoff, goulash or meatloaf.
Coffee at Hafnia was a “thing” for years before TV and the internet. People often went out for a walk in the evening and many had a tradition of going to Hafnia for coffee and apple trifle, that was famous in Havn.
Maria Dahl Restorff (Mc’s mother) and Jóhan were part of the firm and baked cakes at home at Hoyvíks Vegnum to the delight of many guests at Hafnia.
The stories from the restaurant and the hotel are numerous. We often hear guests tell us that either a grandfather, a great grandfather or a god parent used to work at Hotel Hafnia in the “good old days”
The stories of guests, who used have their secon home at Hafnia are numerous and still, today, we hear guests tell us that they used to stay here in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s and had special connections with the Restorff family.
The famous painter, William Smith decorated the walls in the restaurant. William was a friend of Christian Dahl Restorff and a frequent visitor at the hotel.
At Bistro 1. Hædd , as the restaurant is named today, the classical French menu is paired with Nordic fresh produce.
At Bistro 1. Hædd, we aim to greet our diners with friendly staff, good service and good food in an environment steeped in rich history.
We are looking forward to welcoming you to our new restaurant, where we are re-visiting the 60’s era, but with a modern twist.