Jóhann Viking
What should one eat in Iceland?
Food in Iceland is usually expensive and a tourist in a strange land in the North Atlantic doesn‘t have any idea what he‘s getting into and what he should do. Many believe that Icelanders are savages who eat raw seals and whales. Even though we are savages we‘re not much for eating raw meat.
When I travel around the world I want to get to know the food culture. That‘s simply because I‘m such a foody and love trying new things. New and strange countries have so much to offer. But there actually aren‘t many restaurants in Iceland that offer real Icelandic food. There‘s so many burger places, pizzerias and steakhouses (with mainly beef steaks). Of course this is all made from Icelandic produce but it‘s still something you can get anywhere in the world. What you want is the real deal Icelandic stuff.
That‘s why I‘m writing this blog. There are few things I like more than introducing foreigners to our terrific cuisine.
I‘m going to mention a few restaurants and tours that offer a fun food theme.
One of our favourite places is 3 Frakkar (direct translation would be either three Frenchmen or three coats).
There you can get shark steak, whale steak, fried skate, smoked puffin, herring, mussels, arctic char, halibut, foal steak, blackbird breast and my favourite: cod fish tongues! This is probably the best thing there is and you have to try it. There‘s so much more available there. Definitely check out their menu: https://www.3frakkar.is/menu
One can‘t forget Bæjarins Beztu. There you get the best hot dogs in the world. This is a definite must do. The hot dogs are made from Icelandic lamb. You have to try the Icelandic mustard which is made from brown sugar and is rather sweet and not like any other mustard. The Icelandic remoulade sauce too.
Reykjavik Outventure has very enjoyable tours on Reykjanes Peninsula where food and drinks are included. There we eat hot dogs for example and the Icelandic malt drink which improves and strengthens people‘s looks. Or that‘s what it says on their bottles. I don‘t really know how much you can count on it though.
Next up is Ostabúðin. There you can try cured foal filet, cured lamb filet and smoked duck breast, as well as a pile of Icelandic cheeses. Icelandic cheese culture is still young though but we‘re quickly learning and everything we do, we do well. Our cheeses are no exception.
Reykjavik Outventure has a city walk where we stop in this shop among other things and sample everything mentioned here.
The best bakery in the country, and beyond, is Brauð & Co! What a thrill to enter the bakery and be met by the aroma of freshly baked pastry. They make the best “hjónabandssæla“ (a traditional Icelandic pastry) in Iceland. They don‘t make the rhubarb jam as sweet as others do but make it a bit sour and superb! Best buns in the world (according to me) are to be found there as well. They offer four different kinds: cinnamon bun, caramel and granola bun, blueberry and liquorice bun, and vanilla bun. My favourite is the cinnamon bun.
Reykjavik Outventure stops by there during the city walk so everyone can enjoy these fabulous buns.
They‘re also a part of the Northern Lights tour and Reykjanes tour.
Reykjavik Outventure offers some enjoyable tours where food and drinks are included. There‘s the city walk for example where we explore the city and experience some good museums, great views, and brilliant food like the buns from Brauð & Co, cheese and meat sampling from Ostabúðin and fish, skyr (traditional Icelandic yogurt) and some Icelandic beers.
Reykjavik Outventure also does a tour of Reykjanes Peninsula where participants get an Icelandic hot dog and malt, along with “brennivín” (traditional Icelandic schnapps) and fermented shark, and a bun from Brauð & Co.
The most popular tour amongst travellers is the Golden Circle. In this popular tour with Reykjavik Outventure we stop by a dairy farm where participants get to taste homemade Icelandic skyr, homemade cheese and whey. They also get meat soup which is made from the farm‘s cattle and a homemade ice-cream for dessert.
The South Coast and Jökulsárlón is one of the best tours in Iceland, at least when it comes to nature pearls. There we stop at a farm where visitors get to try “volcano soup“. In it you‘ll find beef from the farm‘s cattle. There‘s also a spread of cheeses, flatbread with smoked lamb and more.
Reykjavik Outventure offers a mountain hike on the most popular hiking mountain in Iceland. After the hike we sit down at a fantastic restaurant by the harbour and sample the catch of the day, a dessert made from Icelandic skyr and a few Icelandic beers.
In all these tours you‘ll get a lot for your time and money. Most travellers are here for a quick visit and want to spend their time in the best possible way and this is where Reykjavik Outventure is excelling by including all this Icelandic food. Now you don‘t have to book a day or a tour in order to be able to taste everything.