Top Iceland Food & Cuisine

No trip to Iceland is complete without trying at least one traditional dish. To help guide your tastebuds, here’s our short guide on the top Iceland food and where to find it: 

• Skyr. The Icelandic yoghurt Skyr tops the list of things to eat when you’re in Iceland. Similar to Greek yogurt, the famous food is a cultured dairy product often paired with milk or berries.
• Hákarl. You can’t get more traditional than Hákarl. It’s a traditional dish of fermented shark that’s been cured and dried. It’s normally served in the shape of cubes on cocktail sticks.
• Kjötsúpa. This Icelandic delicacy is a traditional lamb stew known to warm stomachs on a cold winter’s night. Though recipes vary from home to home, the lamb is often complemented by potatoes, carrots, onions, and a variety of herbs.  
• Icelandic fish. Like any island nation, Iceland boasts a wide variety of fresh fish. In fact, the country has over 300 species of fish swimming in its waters. We recommend trying cod, haddock, lobster, or, if you’re feeling adventurous, shark. 
• Icelandic hot dog. Not many people think of Iceland when they think of hotdogs, but the popular fast food is a top street food option in the country. Icelandic hot dogs are a must-try if you’re looking for delicious Icelandic cheap eats. 
• Rúgbrauð. If you want to try something only found in Iceland, then we recommend giving Rúgbrauð a taste. It’s a special dark rye bread that’s baked underneath the ground via geothermal heat. The bread is crustless, dense, and sweet. 
• Harðfiskur. A local alternative to popcorn, Harðfiskur is dried Icelandic fish eaten with salted butter. It’s often made from cod fish and has been a part of the Iceladic diet for centuries.
• Lamb. For a country that has more sheep than humans, it should come as no surprise that lamb is a traditional Icelandic food. Lamb is a gourmet ingredient that Icelanders eat for celebration meals such as Christmas dinner.

When you travel in Iceland, you’ll find plenty of great restaurants, cafés, and pubs that serve traditional Icelandic food and delicacies. This is especially true in Reykjavik, a city filled with great Icelandic restaurants that satisfy even the most avid foodies.

From the best pub food in Reykjavik to cute sit-down cafés, we recommend trying at least one of the incredible restaurants found in Reykjavik or one of the many towns outside of the city.

With everything from fine-dining restaurants to small street vendors, you can find it all in Iceland. Here’s a quick list of the top Iceland restaurants: 

• Dill Restaurant
• Restaurant Reykjavik 
• Fish Market 
• Kopar Restaurant 
• The Seafood Grill 
• Perlan Restaurant
• The Coocoo’s Nest
• Café Duus 
• Von Mathús
• Langbest Asbru 

Want to eat Icelandic food with a local foodie? Join one of our Iceland food tours to try the best food in the country!