Reykavik RestaurantPhoto: Courtesy of Claire Volkman
“If you want to experience Reykjavik through food, you need to visit at least one great fine dining restaurant and order the tasting menu. This way you'll get a different angle and a good insight to the local cuisine from the chefs who have harnessed and pushed it,” Halldorsson says.
Even though local foodies like Halldorsson are doing everything they can to encourage visitors to try dishes that go beyond the “difficult” staples, like fermented shark, lamb brains, or minke whale, a list of famous Icelandic dishes wouldn’t be complete without them.
“Honestly, two of my personal favorite Icelandic dishes are the horse and the whale. Both are incredibly traditional to our cuisine and rarely found elsewhere. Plus, they’re delicious when served as steaks but can also be cured or smoked,” Halldorsoon says. On his most popular tour, the Reykjavik Food Walk, visitors get a chance to sample the cured horse alongside fresh cow’s cheeses and handmade lava salt.
To create the ultimate gastronomic pilgrimage through Iceland’s mystical landscape, we’ve rounded up 10 dishes you can’t leave the island without trying—everything from the infamous fermented shark to the melt-in-your mouth local chocolates and freshly made breads. Food might not be what brought you to Iceland in the first place, but it’ll definitely be what brings you back.
1. Reykjavik's Hot Dog (or pylsur)
Reykjavik's Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur has been in business for over 60 years, serving some of the best Icelandic hot dogs—made from a blend of beef, lamb, and pork. Order it eina með öllu, or with everything, which includes crunchy deep-fried onions, raw onions, sweet brown mustard, and a creamy remoulade. Not just a place for tourists, locals frequent the stand just as much, especially at night after a few co*cktails. Pro tips: Order two, since you're bound to gobble up the first one too quickly, and make sure to bring small bills so you don’t hold up the (already very long) queue.
2. Skyr
If you want to eat like a local, you need to eat Skyr, a thick and creamy dairy product that’s best described as a marriage between yogurt and cottage cheese. Made from pasteurized skim milk and a bacteria culture similar to yogurt, this thick and creamy delicacy is often served with cream and tart berry jam and tastes a bit like Greek yogurt and creme fraiche. Halldorsson grew up eating it with sugar, but most locals love it au natural.
3. Lamb
“I’d have to say that our Icelandic cuisine completely builds up around our Icelandic lamb,” says Halldorsson. "Our sheep roam around the hills without fences and drink water from glacier rivers and eat plants and berries. Honestly, they marinate themselves naturally with their free-range diets.”
