First of all: Iceland has delicious water. And they KNOW it’s delicious. Every place we ate had a place set up with free water and empty glasses so you can help yourself. Frequently there were options for fruit infused water as well.
Café Loki
Lokastíg 28
101 Reykjavík
(Across the plaza from Hallgrimskirkja)
An extensive menu offering a variety of Icelandic dishes and combos that let you sample quite a few Icelandic dishes, including a bite of fermented shark. I chose not to taste that one; if Anthony Boudain won’t eat it, neither will I.
What Nicki Ate
I ordered the gratinated mashed fish plate (think potatoes au gratin, but replace the potatoes with fish), which came with slices of homemade rye and a side salad. And I added a bowl of the meat soup (meat = lamb). And everything was delicious and I would order it all again in a heartbeat.
What Paul Ate
Where can I start – meat soup, fermented fish, lamb paté…are all things I have no desire to eat.
Pancakes. Pancakes are safe and delicious. I’ll have “pancake with sugar,” which must be huge to only get one. Then again, it only cost 400 ISK.
It turned out to be more like two small crêpes (see the photo below). Gone in a few bites. Wound up stopping at Aktu Taktu for kjúklinganaggar (chicken nuggets) and franskar (french fries).
The Laundromat Café
Austurstræti 9
101 Reykjavík
If you’re flying into Reykjavik from the USA, then it’s very likely that your flight landed very early in the morning. And since you most likely flew Icelandair or WOW air and probably didn’t get an in-flight meal, you’re probably hungry and looking for breakfast. This place opens at 8:00AM during the week and 9:00AM weekends. It’s a diner, so you’ll find the usual breakfast foods.
What Nicki Ate
Fruit water and a latte, and the Clean Brunch: Scramble eggs, roasted tomato, fried potatoes (Paul stole these), brie, salad with hummus, pancakes (also stolen), yogurt topped with muesli, fresh fruit and a bread basket for the table. It was expensive, but a LOT of food that we were able to share. It was a very satisfying meal after the overnight flight. Kept us going until we could check into our lodging.
What Paul Ate
With a basket of bread and my ill-gotten gains of fried potatoes and pancakes stolen from Nicki’s plate, I just ordered the bowl of bacon (don’t get too excited like I did and find out that “bowl of bacon” is more like “coffee mug of bacon.” Oh, and a selection of delicious fruit water.
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur
Various locations around Reykjavik
The famous hot dog stand! Paul won’t eat hot dogs, but there was no way I was passing up eating from a food cart. Do yourself a favor and order one with everything. Icelandic hot dogs are made with a combination of lamb, beef and pork. Everything includes raw and fried onions, remoulade, ketchup and hot dog mustard. Yes, hot dog mustard. Iceland has a specific sauce for EVERYTHING. So hot dogs get hot dog mustard, which is a bit sweet, and a weird grey color. So I had to pick up a bottle to bring home.
Icelandic Fish and Chips
Tryggvagata 11
101 Reykjavík
Had lunch here one day. As residents of Wisconsin, we’re naturally predisposed to seek out fish fries. It’s a curse. The menu changes day to day, with the fish options for the day listed on a chalkboard when you walk in.
What Nicki Ate
The spelt battered fish fry with an orange salad. They offer a variety of Skyr-based sauces for dipping, and I chose the chili and roasted pepper.
What Paul Ate
Ah, right in my wheel house here. A delicious fish fry of Icelandic cod with a side of crispy fried potatoes. No sauce desired, no sauce needed.
Grocery Stores
Both times we visited Reykjavik, we stayed in furnished apartments with kitchens so we could save money by preparing some of our meals. Nicki is a big fan of breakfast, but Paul usually skips it or just has a piece of fruit, so it works well for us. The two major grocery store chains are Bónus and Hagkaup. Even if you don’t want to cook something elaborate, you could easily pick up a rotisserie chicken and some salad or frozen veggies (Nicki) or a single potato to bake (Paul).
The seafood selection was great, and after chatting with the guy at the fish counter, we each picked out some fish to bake one night. Nicki’s sesame salmon came already mixed with sauce and vegetables, and he put it into an aluminum pan so it went right into the oven. See the Icelandic descriptions? Don’t let that dissuade you from grocery shopping. We didn’t encounter a single person that didn’t speak English. And the seafood counter had a poster with fish pictures and their names in multiple languages. (FYI, fiskréttur translates to splendid fish)
You would be remiss to not try some Skyr while you’re in Iceland. I picked up several flavors to eat as dessert every night, and picked up even more if we happened to be driving past a grocery store and I was hungry. It’s a healthy, gluten free, high protein dairy product (similar to Greek yogurt). There are dozens of flavors to pick from, and they put a mini spoon right on the lid!
Here are a few other grocery store finds:
- Peanut Butter Kit Kat
- Weird Potato Chips (or crisps, if you must)
Top 3 Tips
- The tap water is safe to drink and delicious. Many restaurants with have an area set up so you can help yourself to plain (and often flavored) water.
- Eat Skyr. So much Skyr.
- Tipping isn’t necessary, because Iceland automatically includes the gratuity in your bill. It is not considered an insult to tip, so if you receive exceptionally great service, feel free.
