Reykjavík, Iceland Hotels and City Guide

Reykjavík - Restaurants

Reykjavík Eating and drinking

Reykjavík offers a range of different food from all over the world but best by far is the fish and the lamb. Around Lækjargata you'll find the tourist restaurants where there are ‘all you can eat' fish buffets, puffin bonanzas and places to try the weird and wonderful. Eating out is expensive but the standard is very high and places around Austurstræti are stylish and popular. Cheaper options can be found and there's a marked difference in price between restaurants with hip modern décor and starched white tablecloths and those that are more casual in look. Lunch starts at around 1300 and it can be difficult to find anywhere for breakfast before 1100. Dinner is served from around 1800 until 2200 and the majority of eateries are in 101 Reykjavík. There are few places open later for dinner except at weekends when the pylsur (hotdog) stalls come out in force around Lækjartorg Square. Alcoholic drinks in the city are expensive in bars and restaurants but can otherwise be bought from the state controlled off-licences, Vinbuðin.

Icelandic cuisine is a matter of taste. On the one hand there is some of the best fresh fish you can buy on the planet as well as exquisite lamb; on the other you've got the dubious delights of hákarl (putrefied cubed shark meat) as well as lundi (puffin) and whale meat. Puffin tastes very rich and gamey, and the breasts are served either smoked or lightly grilled. Shark meat can be ordered as a starter in specialist Icelandic restaurants, but it's not a great idea as the flavour is noxious to say the least and will certainly spoil your meal. Some delicious specialities to look out for, though, are salmon, lamb, skýr (a thick, yoghurty dessert) and salt licorice.

Eating out in Reykjavík and Iceland is, in general, very expensive. If you're on a budget, the only way to keep the costs low is to cook for yourself or eat at the undistinguished snack bars. A word of warning though: even a McDonalds meal costs around ISK 1300 here. For somewhere really special, try the highly recommended Siggi Hall. There isn't a dress code as such but you will see a number of men in jackets and even ties at the smarter places.

Coffee makes Reykjavík go round. It's ground, high-quality and high-octane with enough caffeine to keep you up all day and night. Café society is alive and kicking in the city and most of the coffee shops mentioned here serve snacks and double up as bars in the evening. Thankfully there isn't a single Coffee Republic or Starbucks to date and you can spend an easy afternoon checking out the bizarre fashions and listening to the most recent Icelandic music with a large pot of coffee at your side for around ISK 200. Icelanders are reticent, though, and don't really engage in conversation with strangers when sober. They are riotous when drunk and ready to tell their unedited life story, but understandably quieter the next day. Most cafés open around 1100 and close at 0100 during the week and later on Friday and Saturday. The city doesn't wake up much before 1000 and cafés in general don't open their doors until a little later.

Reykjavík Bars and Clubs

For many people, Reykjavík's nightlife is the main reason for coming to this cold and windswept spot in the first place. It feels a bit odd compared to clubbing in other European destinations, particularly given the size of the city, but just as the country is geologically young and dynamic, the nightlife is too. It has had a lot of publicity in the last few years, causing some to find it a little over-hyped: it's certainly not like the nightlife you'd find in London or New York, but for a town this size it holds its own with over 120 bars and clubs. Friday and Saturday nights are the wildest nights here, and that means serious clubbing from around 2400 to 0800 in the morning. The bars and clubs don't really fill up until after midnight. Those drinking in the bars and cafés before midnight are predominantly tourists as the expense of drinking all night forces many of the locals to drink heavily at home before heading into town. Then to round it all off when the bars and clubs have closed, head for Austurvöllur Square where people tend to hang around. Coffee and lots of it are the order of the day on a Sunday.

The long summer days and yawning winter nights give a whole new twist to the concept of partying till dawn. Follow the crowd for a lively night; it's typical for bars to stay open as long as people are still drinking at the weekends, or alternatively close if no one's around. Music-wise you'll find a little bit of nearly everything in the city, from golden oldies to innumerable DJ sets and a few retro bars, although there isn't an abundance of rap or ethnic music. Icelandic bands play at Gaukurin during the week and cafés push the ethereal sound of Sigur Rós during the day. Start your pub crawl at the corner of Bankastræti and Ingólfsstræti and head down the streets towards Austurvöllur Square. The bars and clubs noted below are primarily active in the evenings, but don't neglect the cafés which are nearly all open as bars in the evening. DJ sets are popular at weekends at Sirkus, Kaffeebarinn, Hverfisbarinn, Kaupfelagið, Thorvaldsen and any number of other places across the town. They're ever so slightly subdued during the week and very upbeat at the weekend and entry is generally free.

Reykjavíkurs have only had legal access to beer since 1989 and there are many unusual things about drinking in the city even today. In common with other Scandinavian countries, alcohol is state-controlled, expensive and, outside of bars and restaurants, can only be bought from the Vinbuðin shops. The closest one to the centre is on Austurstræti. This may go some to explaining why Icelanders don't go in for social drinking – getting sozzled is the order of the day.

Hotels in Reykjavík, Iceland