Restaurant Guide

Top 5 Restaurants in Iceland you NEED to check out.

You can have a ritzy, Michelin star rated meal in any major metropolitan area.  We don't know about you but when we're traveling we like to  experience both the authentic culture and taste of the locals in all their true beauty. The out of the way, not usually in guides, realness of the place. Here's our “guide” to some of Iceland’s most deliciously Icelandic places to eat.

Pristine arctic countrysides, untouched natural landscapes and breathtaking glacial geography all point to one thing. Awesome cuisine! Organic, local and traditional dishes are hard to avoid in this wonderland. So we should probably start with hotdogs.

Baejarins Bestu Pylsur

Here you'll find the “Best Hotdog in Town!” since 1937. Located in Tryggvagata, across from the Harpa Concert Hall and a favorite spot of Bill Clinton and James Hetfield, this humble hotdog stand is a staple of Reykjavik cuisine.  Some even refer to the hotdog as the national dish of Iceland. It is said there are two sheep for every person in Iceland, so these hotdogs aren't your run of the mill, dollar a pack, grocery store specials. These are made with primarily Icelandic lamb with some beef and pork, which of course is local, grass-fed and organic. Now that's a hotdog!

Kaloportid Flea Market

Not far from the Baejarins Bestu and next to the art museum, you'll find a funky little flea market that opens on the weekends. Here you'll find your regular, unpretentious flea market fun stuff, but the highlight of place is it's food selection. The food courts many authentic Icelandic offerings will give you a chance to sample your heart out. Whale meat, horse sausage, gloriously fresh licorice, pastries, cheeses and of course...fermented shark!

3 Frakkar

Speaking of fermented shark, the place to experience Icelandic cuisine, prepared in traditional Icelandic fashion is 3 Frakkar. Generally tightly crammed, which is the hallmark of a quality dining establishment, and tucked away off the beaten path, this fantastic little hideaway offers ancestral dishes from a time before star ratings and wait lists. Whale and lamb steaks, smoked puffin, foal, and seal are just a few of the diverse offerings on the menu.

Snaps Bistro

When a place is named Reykjavik’s “Best Goddamn Restaurant” four years in a row by a local publication (The Reykjavik Grapevine), you have to try it, right? Super cute, affordable, and casual, Snaps offers a very classic bistro menu with traditional, locally sourced ingredients.

Fiskfelagid Fish Company

Okay, we covered the fermented shark and puffin. Granted, they are very traditional Icelandic dishes, but you won't necessarily find them in the kitchen of the everyday folk. What you will find is seafood. Iceland is an island, and a pretty spectacular one at that! In the historic Zimsen building you can dine like a king on both local seafood and internationally inspired dishes. Hands down, the all time favorite seafood place in town.

Well there you go!  We hope you get the chance to explore this list yourself when you get to Iceland. From Berjaya Hotels, your trusted source for comfortable and affordable accommodations in Iceland.