Eating in Iceland:
You might have noticed that a gourmet tour is a must of all my trips. Although Iceland can´t compete with Mediterranean cuisine for me (mainly due to its climate and lack of fresh local fruits and vegetables), foodies will definitely appreciate Icelandic fish soup and its amazing bread&bakery! Although eating in Iceland can be tricky…
*This post is not sponsored, all opinions are my own
During my week in Iceland, I´ve tried to explore the most popular food spots and now I´m ready to share my experiences with you.
Some of these places have definitely made my stay in Iceland “tastier”, while others ended up not living to my expectations (despite their high rankings online!!!) Let´s start with restaurants!
Restaurants
Vogafjos
A great restaurant, located inside the cowshed and offering homemade local foods such as smoked trout, mozzarella and Geysir rye bread. Everything was fresh and the service was great also. Really, nothing to add here.
Old Iceland
Old Iceland (in Reykjavík) offers probably the best fish soup I´ve ever had. Very nice service and really delicious homemade meals. They tend to be completely full for dinner. We visited for lunch though: there were only 2 tables besides ours. Loved this place!
Bryggjan
Nice restaurant in Akureyri with great pizzas, baked in a fire oven. I got “The Pond” pizza (garlic bread langoustine+cheese), mozzarella sticks were also really nice. Ok, it was not the best pizza in my life, but it was good. Besides the place is such a “design goals”.
Sjávarpakkhúsið
Another place for eating in Iceland with a very complicated name, where we stopped during our visit to the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Located in a lovely Fisherman´s village Stykkishólmur, Sjávarpakkhúsið has a small menu with a few very fresh and delicious food options. The mussels and fish soup were particularly good. Great service and good (for Iceland) price-quality relation.
Friðheimar
When you research top places for Eating in Iceland, this place often comes up.
Fridheimar tomato farm is, probably, the only disappointment from all of my planed lunch&dining stops. I´ve read so many great feedbacks on this place. Everything in the menu includes tomatoes, cultivated on a farm and the food is served among the tomato plants.
Food was ok (but nothing extraordinary, in my opinion), the personnel seemed nice, but they were probably overwhelmed by so many visitors: it took us forever to have lunch. We ordered a dessert, which never came and after waiting for it for 40 min and kindly reminding about it to our waiter – no result, we just paid and left.
By and large, we arrived at Fridheimar around 2.30 p.m and we left around 4.40 p.m, actual lunchtime was probably 20 min – all the rest waisted on waiting for the table, food, and bill. I should give them a credit – the concept is really nice “eco tomatoes and dining among tomato plants”, but the experience was not good.
Fjöruhúsið
This place is quite touristic, all because of the nice views and quiet location. The food is ok, the menu is small, but all homemade. Service was average. It´s only worth visiting when the weather is good and you could seat outside. Everything inside was so tiny – I felt being a Viking, seriously.
Coffee and Snacks
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur
Eating in Iceland is pricey, especially when it comes to restaurants. What about some budget options?!
A famous hot dog stand in Reykjavik, where Bill Clinton made a stop during his visit to Iceland. Since then it became trendy and recently everyone from celebrities, like Kardashians, to bloggers, backpackers and family travelers, stops to grab a bite here.
There are a few places to seat and a huge line, which goes relatively fast though. It took me 20-30 min to get my hot dog.
Conclusion: probably the cheapest and still tasty food option in Reykjavik. Good choice if you´re traveling on a budget. And yet nothing out of ordinary.
Blómasetrið
A family-owned cafe in Borgarnes with cozy design, homemade quiches, and many other delicious cakes: perfect for a snack or a good coffee pause. I really enjoyed this place!
Brunja
Ok. I´m normally not an ice-cream eater when it’s rainy and cold outside. But you can´t miss this one.
Brunja is a popular spot for the ice-cream lovers in Akureyri. They have 3 ice cream flavors: chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. You can also add lots of stuff like chocolate, caramel etc. to make your ideal unique ice-cream. For me, the pure vanilla ice-cream was the most delicious one.
Kaffi Ilmur
Nice place to stop for a coffee in Akureyri. Great choice of homemade cakes. Europeans will love their strong espresso.
Supermarkets
You might have heard – grocery shopping is expensive in Iceland. From the supermarkets, I liked Vidir (for fruits and vegetables) and Kronan, more budget option, but with a whole section for healthy food lovers. Another discovery for me was Skyr, sort of Icelandic yogurt, which you could find in every grocery store or gas station.
Pin it:
This post is linked up with Weekend Wanderlust and Feet Do Travel
I have heard so much about Iceland recently. It was never on my radar but after all I’ve read, it is now. The food looks wonderful, too. #weekendwanderlust
Same here! I saw someone´s pics last year and got obsessed with Iceland, it was never in my bucket list! Thanks for stopping by!
Oh this food all looks divine! I’m guessing there would be a lot of fish meals? I remember visiting Norway for the first time as a child and being presented with raw fish for breakfast! Can’t wait to visit Iceland, it’s crawled up the number one country on y bucket list.
Exactly, mostly fish meals! Which I absolutly love… and by the way, one of my brightest memories of Norway is also eating salmon ( no salmon like this anywhere)! Hope you´ll get to visit Iceland soon 😉
I loved Icelandic food! We tried horse for the first time on a smorgosbord type dish that also had reindeer and meatballs, it was divine! We also loved their stew – nice and cheap and hearty for a winter day and as we were there for Christmas, this was enjoyed very much! Our hotel was opposite the hot dog stand so needless to say we sampled quite a few – delicious! I am salivating reading this post …. #weekendwanderlust
Thanks for your comment, Angie! Love finding out about new foods, will try the stew next time 😉
Wow! Thank you for the helpful list! We’re going to Iceland in a couple weeks (over Thanksgiving in the US) and were wondering where we should eat and which places are just hype. We’ll definitely have to use this as we wander around! 🙂 Thanks!
Thank you, Anna! Iceland is such an amazing country! Wish you a great trip 😉