For a small city, there are tons of eating options in Reykjavik. Even the “budget” meals are not cheap, though, so it’s worth it to choose wisely or stop worrying about costs. Here are my tips on eating and drinking in Reykjavik.
Like to try the food when you travel? Check out my food guides for Bonaire and Puerto Rico!
Fish & Chips
Seafood is big in Iceland – you can get fish stew in many places, and fish and chips is a hot item. Near the harbour in Reykjavik, there are 2 top options right across the street from one another. We headed that way on Saturday because our guide book recommended one which looked too stuffy and was empty, so we went into the hipper looking Reykjavik Fish. Not cheap, but delicious.
We both went for the combo #1 – Fish and Chips with one sauce and a draft beer for $32 KR. You can also order a la carte but we went for the shebang. The fish was really lightly battered and delicate, and delicious. Viking beer is the basic Icelandic lager which tastes perfectly fine. Fries were OK.
Reykjavik Fish is big, clean and Nordic looking on the inside. You order at the front and they bring it to your table when it’s ready. It’s a much nicer looking place than your typical casual dining spot back home, but you’re also paying way more! But when in Iceland… I imagine the prices were similar across the street.
Hot Dogs
Another ubiquitous Icelandic dish, the hot dog is much sweeter here than back home. I am having a hard time with this one; Brian likes it more than I do. These are available at N1 gas stations around the country, and are a relatively cheap meal option (still about $6 Canadian!).
In Reykjavik, the hot dog stand by the water and the opera house, is very famous and popular. Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur means “The Best Hot Dog in Town” and people seem to agree. We didn’t get hot dogs there – the line was quite long, but took photos:
We did get hot dogs in the centre of town as a late afternoon snack, with all the toppings.
Coffee
As we are used to back home in Toronto, there are coffee shops all over the city. Our hotel comes with free breakfast, so we haven’t needed to hit up these cafés, yet we still managed to stop at Reykjavik Roasters for a latté and some photos yesterday. Like everything else, coffee is pricey here too, but they know what they are brewing!
Drinking in Reykjavik
Again, expensive! A craft beer could run you $20 if you’re not careful! The locals go to happy hour and so did we. We used the “Appy Hour” mobile app to find a couple of good places, and of course, we had to go to Lebowski Bar. The decor was super fun, with multiple references to the film around the entire place, like bowling pin draft taps and Playboy covers on the walls. The t-shirts were hilarious, with quotes from the movie and photos of John Goodman. The beers were 2 for 1 too from 4-7p so can’t complain!
There’s also a Chuck Norris bar just up the street from this one. We didn’t make it inside.
The story of beer in Iceland is quite interesting, actually. For whatever reason, when they ended prohibition here, they didn’t take the ban off beer. So beer has not been available in Iceland until the late 80s! Considering they’ve had a lot of catching up to do, they make some pretty good beers here. We hit up a craft beer bar yesterday in downtown Reykjavik named Skúli and had a good happy hour deal on a local rauchbeir from Borg Brewery. It was a very cozy bar to visit on a chilly day and they had a good selection, but without happy hour, beers are expensive!
When you visit Iceland, follow my guide to eating and drinking in Reykjavik.
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