Where to Eat in Iceland
Iceland’s burgeoning food scene is worth exploring.
Though historically, Iceland has not been known for its food.
In fact, I was specifically warned by the internet about the expensive prices and relatively bland food.
So imagine my excitement when I found so many delicious places during my trip.
Food isn’t what brought me (or you) to Iceland in the first place, but hey, the local cuisine was quite a pleasant surprise.
While some options are more expensive, there are budget friendly options as well. Below I’ve shared some of my favorites (meals & pastry shops), along with a few you can pass on. Enjoy!
MUST EAT PLACES IN REYKJAVIK
6 Meal (AKA Lunch or Dinner) Options:
- Saegreifinn, The Sea Baron ($$) | Quirky and unpretentious seafood hut by the harbor famous for their lobster soup. They also have delicious grilled fish skewers, and you can even try whale if you’re into that too! This place is interesting in that you pick the skewers from the “fridge” area before you pay. Once it’s ready, they’ll bring it out to your table. There’s limited seating, but if you (or preferably someone who speaks Icelandic) call ahead, they’ll save you a table. You’ll still need to wait in line to order/pick out your skewers from the “fridge” area/pay first.
- Baejarins Beztu Pylsur ($) | Famous hot dog stand that Princess Diana, Bill Clinton, and other famous people have visited. Probably the cheapest meal you’ll find in Reykjavik, but it may mot be filling for those with larger appetites. Approximately 10 minute wait regardless of when you come (lol yes we went multiple times), be it 1 PM or 1 AM. Even so, a must try!
- Apotek ($$$$) | Lovely ambiance, service, and most importantly food. More upscale than the other places on this list. But in order to experience Reykjavik through food, you need to visit at least one fine dining restaurant and order the tasting menu as the chefs really push the envelope. We had the 6-course tasting menu here, and it was inspired by the ingredients Icelanders have around them — from free-roaming sheep to fresh caught seafood. It was ~$80 for the tasting menu, and well worth the experience. We felt incredibly lucky to try Icelandic specialties such as puffin and minke whale here (although my heart kind of hurt eating these beautiful dishes, so I’ll steer away from eating either again soon)
- Kaffigavnin ($$) | Best fish and chips in town, and a great view of the harbor (although it’s a ~30 minute walk from the city center). Beautiful flakey white fish that could rival London fish and chips, with delicious dipping sauces to boot.
- Gló ($$) | Award winning vegan and whole food restaurant (if you’ve been to LA, it’s Lemonade-esque lol) — fantastic vegan lasagna. For the sides I would recommend the sweet potato/squash and the cole slaw. Basically, if you’re a vegetarian or vegan (or just on the next newest health fad), this place is for you. Tread carefully though, your husband/boyfriend/otherwise carnivorous friends may disagree.
4 Pastry/Coffee/Dessert Shops Worth Spoiling Your Meals For:
- Braud and Co ($) | Pastries! It’s hard to miss this shop as it has the most beautiful rainbow-graffiti storefront. It’s convenient too as it’s centrally located next to the church, Hallgrímskirkja. Caramel cinnamon rolls come out of the oven at 11:30 AM sharp. Their danish is also fantastic (lol we got there too early and tried one while waiting for the cinnamon rolls, and that my friends is how these pastry shops get you)
- Reykjavik Roasters ($) | A fantastic coffee shop right across the street from Braud and Co. We enjoyed their latte, but I’m sure you couldn’t go wrong with any of their other offerings. I was also eyeing the cappuccino and espresso shot combo.
- Sandholt ($$) | Award-winning pastry shop! Chic stylish cafe. I’m sure anything in this shop would be good, but I got the caramel covered cinnamon roll and the egg salad sandwich, both to-go and both were amazing. The night before we had bought a fresh loaf of bread and that made some delicious sandwiches too. Their danish also looked really yummy — I wish I had more stomach space. Btw, should you land in Iceland in the early morning, they are one of the few establishments open at 7:00 AM.
- Valdi’s ($) | Gelato! I really enjoyed the Hazelnut flavor and Coffee flavor. Oreo looked good too, and they also have interesting flavors like the Icelandic local favorite: Licorice. I did not try this one, as I am not a fan. Actually, I don’t know anyone besides Icelanders who like licorice… Now that I think about it, I didn’t even meet anyone in Iceland who volunteered their love for licorice.
SITUATIONAL STOPS DURING YOUR TRIP
If you are on a budget:
Bónus Reykjavík ($) | Super convenient grocery store, located in the center of town! If you are on a budget, this is the place you should pick up your snacks (and meals too) for your road-trip. Bónus stores are easy to find because they are bright yellow with a huge pink pig logo. BEWARE: They close early between 6–7PM everyday!
If you find yourself in a town called Bogarnes (in West Iceland):
Matsofan ($$) | Filipino restaurant owned by a wonderfully sweet Filipino lady who has been living in Iceland for the last 30 years. She makes a bomb Plokkfiskur “smashed fish”, a traditional Icelandic dish. At first glance (and even second glance), it doesn’t look very appetizing, but it’s extremely delicious! Kind of like mashed potatoes.
The owner was so cute and walked me through the whole processing, telling me it’s made from boiled cod, which is flaked with a fork and then mixed with boiled quartered potatoes and a sauce of onion, butter, flour, and milk. It’s then baked with cheese, hollandaise sauce, butter, and more seasonings on top. Hearty meal; left with a full belly and full heart.
HONORABLE MENTIONS IN REYKJAVIK
C is for Cookie ($) | Breakfast cafe. We had the fried eggs and ham breakfast, paired with the Swiss mocha and a cappuccino. Good, but not the best by any means.
Elder and Is ($) | Ice cream shop that directly translates to “Fire and Ice”. It was good, but not anything to write home about. We had the Vanilla Nutella crepe which came with Vanilla ice cream and was literal “fire and ice” because the Nutella was warm and the ice cream was ice (haha I got a kick out of that one)
OmNom Chocolate Reykjavik ($$) | Chocolate shop and the only chocolate factory in Iceland. All of their chocolate is made here in their factory on the harbor, but note that their cocoa beans themselves are from Tanzania etc., making them slightly overpriced (although beautifully designed). You can pick up their chocolate around town as souvenirs, but they offer deals in the shop itself. I split the deal with a friend and snagged aSpiced White Caramel bar and a Coffee Milk bar as souvenirs. OmNom runs factory tours at 2:00 PM everyday for $30ish. We didn’t join this particular tour, but it seems interesting.
Do you have other gastronomic recommendations for Iceland? Visiting Iceland soon? Please share below!
