Romantic Restaurants in Reykjavik

Looking for candlelight and romance in Reykjavik? The city has plenty of budget eats in the form of take-out and counter-service joints, but where its cooking really shines is at the more upscale, more atmospheric and, yes, more expensive restaurants. If you want to splurge on dinner in Reykjavik for an anniversary, a proposal or just a night away from the kids, these are the places I'd point you to.

A few of my old favorites are gone. Lækjarbrekka, the candlelit restaurant in one of the oldest buildings on Bankastræti, closed in April 2020, and Argentina Steakhouse on Barónsstígur shut in 2018. The list below is what's still open as of September 2026.

Before you book

• Reserve early. In summer and on weekends, book before you arrive in Iceland, or at least two weeks ahead. In the darker months you can often get a table a few days out, and sometimes walk in on a weeknight, but if your heart is set on one place, don't leave it to chance. Most of these restaurants take bookings online through their own sites or Dineout.
• Dress up a notch. Iceland is casual, and you've probably packed mostly outdoor gear, but people in Reykjavik have a great sense of style and dress smartly for dinner out. Good jeans are fine with a nice top and shoes. Leave the hiking boots at the guesthouse. There's more on this in what to wear in Reykjavik.
• Budget realistically. Tasting menus at the places below run from about 14,000 ISK to almost 40,000 ISK per person before drinks (prices as of 2026). Wine is taxed heavily, so the drinks can match the food bill. It's perfectly acceptable to share plates or order a couple of starters as your dinner.
• Eat late if you like. Icelanders tend to eat later on weekends, especially if they're heading out on the rúntur afterwards, so a 20:00 or 21:00 booking won't feel empty.
• Skip the tip stress. Tipping isn't expected in Iceland, though nobody will be insulted if you leave something for great service. See tipping in Iceland.

Where to go

Fish Market (Fiskmarkaðurinn)

This was my favorite restaurant in the city on my early trips to Reykjavik, and it still regularly tops local lists. Fish Market sits at Aðalstræti 12, and the room is dim and swanky, the kind of place where you lean across the table to talk. Chef Hrefna Sætran's food is Icelandic fish and meat with Asian flavors: sashimi, maki, tempura and dishes cooked over a Japanese robata grill.

The easiest way to do it is one of the tasting menus, designed for sharing: 16,900 ISK per person for the classic six courses or 19,900 ISK for the seven-course premium menu, ordered by the whole table. Upstairs, Uppi is their wine bar, a good spot for a drink before or after. Dinner is served nightly from 17:00.

Matarkjallarinn (The Food Cellar)

If your idea of romance involves a piano, go here. Matarkjallarinn is a grill and cocktail bar in the cellar of a 160-year-old building at Aðalstræti 2, the room where Sjávarkjallarinn (Seafood Cellar) used to be, and dinner comes with live music from a Bösendorfer grand piano built in Vienna in 1880. The cooking is Icelandic brasserie food, and the "secret menu" is the one to order if you like surprises. Dinner runs from 17:00 nightly, with lunch on weekdays.

Tapas Barinn

For romance on a smaller budget, Tapas Barinn at Vesturgata 3b has been going for over 25 years and is still intimate and lively. The menu mixes Spanish tapas with small plates of Icelandic ingredients, and most plates cost between about 2,000 and 5,000 ISK. If you want the whole Icelandic experience in one go, the seven-course Icelandic Gourmet Feast starts with a shot of Brennivín and moves through smoked puffin, Arctic char, foal, lobster tails and lamb for 14,900 ISK per person. The kitchen stays open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, which makes it a good late option.

Þrír Frakkar

Þrír Frakkar is less contemporary than the others and has more old-world charm. The name means "three overcoats," but it's not as dowdy as that sounds. Chef Úlfar Eysteinsson and his family have run it since it opened on 1 March 1989, and the room only seats 44, so it feels like eating in someone's dining room. The specialty is fish, including what some say is the city's best plokkfiskur (3,890 ISK on the current menu). The menu also still has whale and seabird dishes, if you want to try them. It's open for lunch and dinner on weekdays and for dinner on weekends.

Grillmarkaðurinn (Grill Market)

Grillmarkaðurinn at Lækjargata 2A is darker and moodier, with driftwood, basalt and fish leather in the design. Most of the produce comes straight from Icelandic farms and goes over charcoal, from Arctic char to lamb and reindeer. The chef's tasting menu is 16,990 ISK per person (minimum two), or there's a three-course menu for 15,490 ISK. If you're a pair of big eaters, the 1,000 g GM steak is cut for two to share. Dinner starts at 17:30 every night.

Dill and ÓX: the big occasions

For a proposal or a milestone anniversary, Reykjavik's two Michelin-starred restaurants are the ultimate splurge. Dill at Laugavegur 59 serves a single New Nordic menu at 39,900 ISK, with wine pairing at 21,300 ISK. ÓX seats just 17 people around a counter hidden behind an unmarked door on Laugavegur, and takes reservations 90 days ahead. A seat there costs 72,000 ISK, paid when you book, with the drink pairing included. Both are covered in more detail on the splurge restaurants page.

What to order

Icelandic lamb, fresh cod and halibut, langoustine (Icelanders call it lobster) and Arctic char are the dishes this country does best. If you want to stretch yourself, smoked puffin and foal show up on several of these menus, and hákarl (fermented shark) and plokkfiskur are on the traditional ones. Read up on them in what to eat in Iceland and Icelandic delicacies first, and see what to drink in Iceland before you order the wine.

Make a night of it

Dinner is only half of it. Walk up to Hallgrímskirkja afterwards for the view down Skólavörðustígur, or book a soak at one of the hot spring pools earlier in the day. In winter, a clear night might bring the northern lights. There are more ideas in romantic things to do in Iceland, and places to stay in romantic honeymoon hotels in Iceland.

Photo by cortomaltese, WhatsAllThisThen, WhatsAllThisThen