Where to Eat in Reykjavik

For a small city, Reykjavik has a lot of places to eat, and new ones keep opening while the best of the old favorites are kept going by tourists and loyal locals. Prices can be hard to stomach, but every visitor should eat out at least once. Even on a tight budget you can try the good stuff: fresh fish, Icelandic lamb, the famous hot dog, or something more adventurous.

Here's how I'd think about it, from cheap to blowout. For what to order once you're there, see what to eat in Iceland.

Dining on a budget

It's easier than you'd think to eat affordably in Reykjavik, and it doesn't have to mean living on hot dogs, though they're so good that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. A few ways to keep costs down:

• Eat your big meal at lunch. Many restaurants serve cheaper lunch menus on weekdays.
• Try a food hall. Pósthús Mathöll at Pósthússtræti 3-5 downtown has nine vendors doing pizza, sushi, burritos and more, and it's open every day from 11:30. Out by the harbor, Grandi Mathöll is open from 11:00 to 21:00. Everyone in your group can eat what they want, and nobody has to pay for a full sit-down meal.
• Go traditional and casual. Kaffi Loki, across from Hallgrímskirkja, serves Icelandic lamb soup for 4,850 ISK and tasting plates of rye bread, plokkfiskur and smoked trout for about 5,000 to 5,500 ISK (as of 2026). It's open daily from 8:00 to 22:00 and doesn't take reservations.
• Cook some meals yourself. See self-catering in Iceland for supermarkets and what to buy.

>> more on dining on a budget in Reykjavik

A good dinner that won't wreck the budget

In the middle range, Tapas Barinn on Vesturgata has small plates mostly between 2,000 and 5,000 ISK and serves until midnight on weekends. The family-run fish restaurant Þrír Frakkar, open since 1989, does plokkfiskur for 3,900 ISK and most fish mains for under 6,000 ISK. For coffee and cake between meals, see cafes in Reykjavik.

Going all out

If you've got the krónur to burn, Reykjavik can give you an unforgettable meal. Tasting menus at downtown favorites like Fish Market (from 16,900 ISK) and Grillmarkaðurinn (16,990 ISK) are per person, before drinks. At the top end, Michelin-starred Dill charges 39,900 ISK for its menu (prices as of 2026). Book ahead, especially in summer.

>> more on places to splurge on dinner in Reykjavik

>> romantic restaurants in Reykjavik

Local specialties

On any budget, you can try Iceland's traditional foods: plokkfiskur, skyr, lamb soup, puffin, fermented shark with a shot of Brennivín, and of course the hot dog. Whale is still on a few menus, but it's controversial. The whale and puffin section of what to eat in Iceland explains why.

>> more on Icelandic delicacies

Before you go

• Tipping isn't expected. See tipping in Iceland.
• Drinks add up fast. Happy hours help, and what to drink in Iceland covers the local options.
• After dinner, the bars on Laugavegur get busy late on weekends. See the Reykjavik rúntur.

For everything else, see dining and drinking in Reykjavik and the map of Reykjavik.

Photo by ChrisGoldNY