The very best restaurants are defined by time and place. They reflect where they are and the season they exist in, like a thread running through the entire experience.
Paz is located on the Faroe Islands between Denmark and Iceland. With its remote location and harsh conditions, preservation is naturally a big part of its identity. This results in unique products such as dried fish, lamb and even seabirds because historically food was found wherever possible. Paul Ziska has spent the past 15 years showcasing Faroese traditions, first at the two Michelin-starred Koks and since 2025 at the more humble Paz in the heart of Tórshavn. The location and design are a contrast to Koks, which was located more than 15 km outside Tórshavn in the middle of nature. I was therefore curious whether the simpler Paz could still deliver a unique experience.
The experience starts in the lounge with the traditional series of snacks. This was the most international section of the menu. Scallop, caviar and buttermilk is a well-known combination, but a touch of kelp oil gave it a very personal identity. Sea urchin from the Faroe Islands, among the best in the world, played the leading role in the next dish, served with both egg yolk, egg white and a dashi. The flavours were incredible. That same layering continued with king crab from Greenland, caramelised onion, elderflower and seaweed. Already here it became clear that Paz might be a simpler restaurant than Koks, but Poul still builds remarkable depth and layers of flavour into his dishes. We finished the snacks with a cod skin cracker. It wasn’t simply dried but steamed, dehydrated and served with a terrine of cod head. Fresh herbs balanced the rich gelatinous cod beautifully. Already from the beginning you could feel the brutality of the surrounding nature on the plate, both in the ingredients and the presentation.
It was now time to play with tweezers for the last time during the meal. Thinly sliced mahogany clams were arranged in a perfect circle with a delicate floral juice. It was a beautiful dish and its precise presentation stood in stark contrast to the raw expression of the opening snacks
Traditional Faroese food is powerful, and Poul’s preferences clearly reflect that. I would experience it throughout the menu, first with flounder, fermented sweet potato and carrots, where trout roe accentuated the flavours. It was another example of how Poul creates powerful flavours from relatively few ingredients. The point became even clearer in the next dishes. Lightly steamed cod came with an intense mussel, seaweed and parsley sauce, rounded off with just a touch of butter. Then came one of the highlights of the meal: grilled langoustine. I’ve had langoustine in countless restaurants, but never like this. It was first fried in its shell before the shell itself was blended into a paste and spread back onto the langoustine. The result was an extraordinary concentration of flavour, amplified even further by the buttery sauce. It was like a virtual hug of the langoustine, whereas most chefs choose to highlight its sweetness.
The final three savoury dishes were tributes to Faroese traditions and even more intense flavours. The first sounded extreme when it was presented. Fresh potatoes were combined with mashed potatoes and two local specialities: fish dried in the salty sea air for six weeks and garnatálg, rendered lamb fat. It was certainly a dish of punchy flavours, though less overwhelming than I had expected. To my surprise I really enjoyed it. The flavours reminded me of blue cheese, though I can easily understand why it might not be for everyone. Seabird, another Faroese speciality, followed with beetroot, confit mushrooms and a rich sauce. Once again, the presentation was beautiful and the flavours deeply layered.
The Faroe Islands have more lamb than people, and while fresh lamb is popular, dried lamb is even more deeply rooted in local tradition. Dried for weeks or months in open sheds exposed to the salty sea air, it develops a character somewhere between cured meat and aged cheese. At home it is usually served on rye bread with butter, which they mimicked here with mushroom paste, mushroom and lamb garum and a touch of lingonberry for sweetness. It was an enjoyable dish, though not quite at the level of the previous courses.
The final main course was the only slight disappointment. Braised lamb with burnt leeks and pickled celery was pleasant, but I had hoped for a more elegant interpretation of lamb rather than such a rustic one where the braising hides the quality of the lamb compared to being grilled shortly.
Before dessert they served a refreshing palate cleanser of rhubarb and chervil. The main dessert was another creative dish: bladderwrack seaweed transformed into a crisp glass-like flan with an unexpected sweetness, served with blackcurrant and liquorice. Powerful, original and another reminder of the technical skill in the kitchen.
Paz is one of those restaurants. It’s defined by its location on the Faroe Islands, and you truly feel it on the plate. Paul is successful in distilling both a time and a place. Combined with some of the best seafood in the world, it makes Paz a genuinely unique restaurant. He combines flavours in ways I have rarely experienced before. Fermentation often intensifies flavour, and it is a technique Poul fully embraces. Where many chefs search for balance by softening flavours, he chooses to amplify them instead. The result is a menu built around powerful flavours and a deep respect for local traditions.
The only place where I feel that intensity and sense of place are missing is in the dining room. A single artwork hangs on the wall and a small flower vase on each table is almost the only decoration. It is an obviously minimalist approach, but after spending two days driving around the islands and experiencing their majestic and sometimes brutal landscapes, I would have loved to feel some of that atmosphere inside the restaurant as well. Had Paz overlooked a fjord through floor-to-ceiling windows, the restrained design would have made perfect sense. On a quiet street in Tórshavn, it feels like a missed opportunity.
Restaurants that truly capture a sense of place are increasingly rare. Paz doesn’t simply cook Faroese ingredients—it cooks Faroese identity. It may be more understated than Koks, but its voice is every bit as distinctive. I came looking for something unique, and left convinced I had found exactly that.
Practical information
Location: Torshavn, Faroe Island
Headchef: Poul Ziska
Menu: 8 course tasting menu 10 course tasting menu 3400kr (apr $500)
Website: www.paz.fo
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