We travel for food and culture, usually in that order. This trip was no different. The five hour time difference messed with our eating schedule. After a nap upon arrival, we walked to a nearby food hall for lunch(?) or dinner (?) or whatever our schedule is on.
While not everyone enjoys food halls, I like them since each of us can pick a different type of food. Shockingly, I felt like sushi and ended up with a poke bowl.
Eric wanted fish. HIs entre was Ling, similar to cod. Then he added the fries for us to share. 🙂
Most cities we visit we start with a food tour early on. This trip was no different. In 2025 it was rated #1 Food Tour in the World – pretty high recommendation! We scheduled this for our first full day in the city.
First stop on the tour was at Fjallkonan, translates to ‘The Women of The Mountain’. They combine Icelandic tradition with international influence. Essentially three buildings along the street are owned by them and are different food/drink stops: gastropub, lunch/dinner restaurant and a cocktail bar. We were in the middle spot for the tour.
We were served two tastes from their menu: slow-cooked lamb & flatbread with a carrot puree, red onions & horseradish and arctic char blini on a chickpea flatbread, roe, horseradish and popping lentils. I liked the lamb tasting the best. Iceland was the reason I started eating lamb. Only problem……………I only like Icelandic lamb, and we can’t find it in the states, yes we have tried.
Something a bit different on this tour was that drinks were not included – I’m fine with that. We had to add a bit of time at the end of each stop to pay for any drinks ordered.
The second stop was Messinn – a place we had visited several times in the past. Our guide, Dave, is talking about one of the dishes we will be getting which is their specialty: fish pan, with arctic char, butter roasted potatoes and cherry tomatoes. Did you now they grow tomatoes in Iceland? With all of the geothermal heat, it has been channeled into heating greenhouses. During our travels in the past we also saw greenhouses growing banana plants! I couldn’t find any history about Messinn but every tour guide has always commented, this was a place their families stopped in years ago and it remains a consistent spot for family gatherings.
We had another pan that was smashed fish with mashed potatoes – but alas, no photo. I got the photo of the arctic char fish pan with crispy potatoes and cherry tomatoes. Oh yeah, and a coffee to warm me up.
Our third stop was another repeat for us – Baejarins Bezto Pylsur hot dog stand and yes, it’s outside. We had no problem with this being a repeat. If a food tour didn’t stop here…………..I would question their integrity – just saying. Pretty much any time of day there is a line, day or night, cold temps or snow. It doesn’t matter; this was the original spot for Icelandic hotdogs. Their business began in 1937 with lamb being the primary meat but also includes a small portion of beef and/or pork in the mix. Please note, this is one of the few places that serves coke products! The largest beer distributor has the largest soft drink distribution – which is Pepsi. Bummer. The few places that sold coke product, I ordered a second round.
I didn’t get a photo of our hot dogs, but found this one on the internet. Icelanders like their sauces and their hotdog has a number of them. If you get one ‘all the way’ it will have fried onion pieces (yum – who knew), fresh cut onions, sweet mustard, Icelandic ketchup (sweetened with apple cider – yuck) and remoulade.
Three stops down, two more to go. Next up was Islenski Barinn. Since 2009 this family-run gastropub is where Icelandic home-cooking meets a modern twist.
The main event was the lamb soup and local beer, GULL. BTW – they are the ones that have the largest drink distributorship in Iceland.
There was another ‘event’ during our time at this stop. Fermented shark was a subsistence food that has now become a tourist attraction. It stinks, it has a weird texture and the taste lingers on long after it’s gone. Nope, I’m not doing it. They cut it in small square chunks and keep it in an air-tight container. Tradition dictates after eating said shark, it should be followed with a shot of Brennivin.
Brennivin is considered to be the country’s signature distilled beverage. It is distilled from fermented grain mash and then combined with Iceland’s very soft high-pH water and flavored only with caraway. The steeping of herbs in alcohol is a long-held folk tradition in Nordic countries. It is typically drunk chilled.
Okay – back to the food.
This was also the stop where I got a group photo. The guide was in the middle of the table, left side, wearing a baseball cap. Our group was composed of individuals from California, Massachusetts and two couples from United Kingdom – all Iceland rookies.
Our final stop, which will be dessert and coffee – Kaffi Loki.
In the past we’ve eaten here for breakfast and it was touted as a traditional Icelandic breakfast.
But this was our sweet treat for the food tour: rye-bread ice cream with chocolate chips, rhubarb syrup and whipped cream. It must be growing on me. I’ve had it a few times and made a token effort to try it. This time, most of mine was gone. Coffee or hot tea was included.
One evening, we wanted something different and Eric suggested pizza. Really? Really! He had been looking at some You-Tube videos for bloggers in Iceland and after checking their website, this stop was one of their favorites. FYI – this was the same place we had a breakfast snack the day we arrived. They obviously can create a variety of items – great!
Started with a little wine as we settled in.
Seems like we were a tad bit hungry that evening. We ordered their garlic bread – O.M.G! it was excellent. Just the right amount of garlic & salt and not swimming in butter. This would be a definite repeat if we’re back in town.
Perfect timing for the pizza to arrive. When the utensils were brought to the table, we also got pizza cutters – interesting. Now we see why. The pizza doesn’t come to the table cut.
A few evenings we stopped in for a night-cap. The Einstok Bar was one we visited. Eric was looking for a cocktail and this one struck his fancy. I had a sip. I will agree it was pretty good.
Me, I wanted a beer.
Finally time to end this post and curate my photos and geothermal experience for the next post!
Darden Travels 