Let’s talk (and eat) Icelandic food!
Before our ‘Funky History Walking Tour’ we stopped in at a nearby cafe for breakfast. We needed to fuel up before walking the town.
Cafe Loki – homemade traditional Icelandic food in the heart of Reykjavik.
Posthus Matholl Food Hall
Nestled in the heart of the city, it was more than your average food hall. It stands as a testament to the city’s culinary diversity and vibrancy. Locals and visitors like ourselves continued to converge upon this eating establishment when you need a little something to nibble on.
Another advantage to a food hall…..it allows us each to order different types of foods. Can’t believe that Eric ordered a hamburger! The fries were some of the best. We kept sneaking some throughout the evening.
PIzza! That was my choice. It looked good, smelled good and was mighty tasty.
Adrienne ordered salmon. She won according to Eric. She said the fish was cooked perfectly.
Wine and beer (for me) accompanied our meal that evening.
Even though it was cold (and windy), lots of walking, shopping and touring continued. A nearby brewery was a good stop to warm up and grab some salty snacks.
We had stopped in during previous visits and our beer selections were local brews. Every food stop always included a bottle of Icelandic water no matter where we landed, and the brewery was no exception. Ice was rarely available as typical of European locales. That little bowl of salty goodness – delicious! We were fighting over the last few crumbs after getting a second bowl.
Here they are solving world problems………………or the next place to eat. 🙂 That afternoon, we had the place to ourselves.
A misty sprinkle turned into a solid rain and we ducked into this establishment along one of the main roads – Messinn Seafood Restaurant. Five years ago this was part of a walking food tour and we hadn’t returned, until now. They specialize in ‘fish pans’ which are served with freshly cooked fish straight from the kitchen, together with butter-fried potatoes and vegetables.
Eric choose the ‘Cod Tung’ fish pan which are really fish ‘cheeks’. He’s seen similar along the Gulf coast but the cold water makes the meat fatty – which he loves.
While Adrienne selected Artic Char fish pan.
The damp weather had me eyeing their langoustine fish soup topped with a dollop of cream – perfect for the day. Can’t forget the bread basket.
The last restaurant for this post was literally around the corner from our apartment – Icelandic Street Food.
It was billed as flavorful food for a reasonable price in downtown Reykjavik offering traditional Icelandic meat soup. Their website indicates it was the first fast food concept in Iceland with traditional Icelandic food. It is a family-owned business with recipes made from their grandmother.
Order was placed at the counter with your name called once they were ready to serve you. The vats of soup were right along the bar – which was our chosen seating, right in the middle of the action.
Eric photo-bombed my shot as we were waiting. I selected the Einstok White Ale that evening.
An option was to have your soup served in a bread bowl…..which I did for my order of lamb soup which also included potatoes, carrots and root vegetables.
Eric selected the Shellfish soup with the broth made from langoustine and included Icelandic scallops and shrimps.
Did I mention that refills were free?
Along one wall a small self-serving station had this notice:
Yikes! It was a zoo. They couldn’t make the waffles fast enough. Customers were coming to the counter as they came off the iron – but were told to wait until it came to the station. A sprinkle of sugar or fruit jam was available to top them and add a touch of sweetness.
This was the night originally booked for our Northern LIghts tour – not happening.
They sent us a cancellation email 2+ hours before departure and the opportunity to rebook. Looking at the upcoming week’s forecast, we choose Friday evening, our last night in Iceland. We’ll see – or not.
Darden Travels 