The 8 Best Restaurants in Reykjavik in 2024
Booking a trip to Iceland and have no idea where to eat? Reykjavik has endless food and dining options, from late night snacks to Michelin-starred restaurants.
In case you didn’t know, I was a chef before picking up the camera. I apprenticed at a restaurant in downtown Reykjavik called Lækjarbrekka (closed in 2020, RIP) in the late 00s and worked at fine dining and Michelin-starred restaurants in Iceland, Europe and New York City until I got into the photography program at Parsons School of Design in 2014. Cooking is still my passion, I just keep it a little bit simpler at home. My favorites will always be dishes you can create in one pan.
Icelandic cuisine, then and now
Icelandic cuisine has come so far in the last 15-20 years. When I started my culinary journey, there were about 4-5 fine dining restaurants in Reykjavik, now there are more than 20. 15 years ago, it was also said that no Icelandic restaurant would get a Michelin star. Now there are three with a star — two in Reykjavik, and one in nearby Grindavik. Icelandic chefs also regularly rank in the top 5 in the Bocuse d’Or, which is essentially the World Cup of cooking!
What are Icelandic ingredients?
Fish and lamb are the main proteins of Icelandic cuisine. All of these restaurants source their fish from local fishermen at the market at 4 am every morning. What is special about Icelandic lamb is that they spend their summers grazing in the highlands with one of its main sources of food being arctic thyme, which heavily influences the flavor, it is really unique! Root vegetables, potatoes, carrots, turnips, celeriac and more, are usually featured on the veggie side.
With that being said, here are my 8 favorite restaurants in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Fiskfélagið - The Fish Company
The Fish Company ranks number one on TripAdvisor and they also ranked #1 there back in 2008. This restaurant is consistently amazing and offers many fun set menus that highlight Icelandic ingredients. I had dinner there for the first time in 2009 and have always been impressed every time I am there.
Price range: $$$$
Fiskmarkaðurinn - The Fish Market
Here’s another restaurant that’s been around for almost 20 years and they’re just as good now as they’ve ever been. I actually went to culinary school with the head chef, Kirill! The Fish Market’s focus has always been on the freshest ingredients from the sea with Japanese influences.
Price range: $$$$
DILL
A few years ago, DILL was the first Icelandic restaurant to be awarded with a Michelin star. Chef Gunnar Karl has been perfecting the menu at DILL to be as sustainable as possible and to feature ingredients not necessarily known for use in the kitchen, hay comes to mind. That being said, prepare to pay for this outstanding meal and do make a reservation!
Price range: $$$$+
Forréttabarinn - The Starter Bar
Usually, when I take my wife out for dinner, we end up ordering a few starters and then dessert. That’s why Forréttabarinn is one of my favorites in Reykjavik. It’s like a beautiful 7-course dinner, but a la carte!
Price range: $$$
Bæjarins Bestu
The OG late-night snack of Reykjavik. Just get the hot dog with everything and thank me later.
Price range: $
Kaffivagninn
My grandma (and my family) actually ran this restaurant in the 1970s and 80s and I have multiple stories from that time. My favorite is of a drunk fisherman who paid his bill with a painting, and the painting is still in my mom’s living room! Kaffivagninn is Iceland’s oldest restaurant and started out in 1935 as what was essentially a food truck (Kaffivagninn = The Coffee Wagon) and is now a bit more polished version of its former self. The view and atmosphere in Reykjavik harbor are worth the trip alone.
Price range: $$
Icelandic Street Food
Two words, lamb stew. This dish is quintessentially Icelandic and features humble root vegetables and cheap lamb cuts that are turned into the perfect meal on a cold day.
Price range: $$
Sjávargrillið
One more amazing fine-dining seafood restaurant that’s been around for years and proven itself time and time again. If you’re in Iceland, you have to go.
Price range: $$$1/2
