When I came to Iceland I wasn’t too sure what to expect in terms of food – lots of seafood maybe? Sure enough, I had fish at least once a day – which I loved! I was surprised to find that there was also a lot of lamb, but given how little I’d had of it since I left New Zealand, it was a happy discovery. We had a few recommendations, but also stumbled upon some gems, like the creperie of my dreams!
Eldur & Ís: I can’t tease you so first up, the amazing crepes we discovered by following our noses to the source of a heavenly smell of sugar and cinnamon. I don’t normally get too excited about dessert as too often it’s off-limits to my anti-lactose stomach. But not only could you choose whatever toppings you wanted on your fresh-made crepes, but they had gluten-free vegan crepes as well as normal ones – amazing!
Bakari Sandholt is rightly very popular both with locals and visitors. Along with a cabinet crammed with savoury and sweet treats, it also has a hot food menu featuring quiches, soups, and more. I loved the modern decor in the restaurant area, but it was equally good to grab a sandwich to go. I couldn’t go past a Coke either, after hearing how they are firmly embedded into Icelandic culture after US troops were stationed there from World War II until 2006.
Apotek Restaurant was probably our fanciest meal, and it was a lovely experience. I had salmon with bok choi, mushrooms, and an unusual organic Icelandic black tea infused barbecue sauce that had me scraping the plate – so good! The ambience of Apotek was polished and we loved the beautiful cosy booths, coupled with excellent service.
Noodle Station is completely at the other end of the spectrum from Apotek, but it was also delicious! We got back late from the Blue Lagoon and in our super-relaxed state, just wanted a quick meal and our pyjamas. Oh yeah, party animals. We’d seen Noodle Station recommended in our Air BnB apartment guestbook and seeing as it was just around the corner, had to give it a go. With a simple choice of beef, chicken or vegetarian noodle soup, it fitted the bill perfectly, and we happily slurped it all up back in our cosy lounge.
Jómfrúin: during my Copenhagen trip I fell in love with smørrebrød, open sandwiches on rye bread with a huge variety of toppings. When I saw that there were a few restaurants in Reykjavik devoted to this specialty I knew we had to give the Icelandic version a try! Jómfrúin was packed with locals, always a good sign, and had a ginormous menu of different choices – it was almost painful to only choose a couple. Given that was so exhausting, we asked the charming waiter to pick us an Icelandic beer, and he responded by bringing five different varieties so that we could sample them all – diplomatic and a genius!
Reykjavik Roasters was a super-hip coffee spot where we could have hung out all day, if our timing had allowed. Fun design, yummy pastries and most importantly, delicious coffee – always a winning combination!
Scandinavian was another smørrebrød hotspot, but I was in the mood for a warming soup. The traditional specialty of Kjotsupa features lamb and root vegetables – it’s pretty simple but absolutely delicious, especially when served with crusty warm bread. Yum!
Snaps Restaurant presented me with another of my favourite meals of the trip – arctic trout with sweet potato mash, swede and beetroot. I would have scraped the plate clean but the size of the serving defeated me – it was very generous! The only quibble we had was the very slow service, but it was a busy Easter Friday. And honestly, I’d wait even longer for this delicious meal!
What did you like the look of the most? Do you have any Reykjavik recommendations of your own?
