Eating Our Way Through Iceland

One of my favorite ways to learn about a country is through it’s food. Because of that, we decided to spend a day eating our way through Iceland!

Since we didn’t have a lot of time, we chose this midday foodie tour that stretched on for hours … AND IT WAS AMAZING!!!

 

 

We met our guide for the day at Harpa — Reykjavik’s Concert Hall. If you haven’t explored it yet, arrive early for the tour and spend some time walking through the building. It’s worth it!

We found our guide waiting for us. She shared a quick history about her country as our small group of ten walked to the first restaurant.

 

 

We started at a local favorite called Islenski Barinn, which translates to The Icelandic Bar. Here we ate huge bowls of steaming hot lamb soup with baskets of freshly baked bread. It was a cold and windy day, so the soup really hit the spot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently this is the type of meal you grow up eating if you live in Iceland. We were told that every grandma knows how to make her own version of this dish.

From the bar we moved on to a local deli called Ostabudin. It’s known for its cheese … and some other unique fare.  

We sampled three types of cheese, plus goose and horse! Luckily I didn’t know what I was eating until it was already in my mouth! 😁

 

The deli apparently used to be very small, but is hugely popular. It recently expanded to handle the crowds. There is now a full restaurant downstairs serving soup, salads and a catch of the day.

After our samples, we continued our climb up the hill toward Hallgrimskirkja.

Right across the street from the massive church stands Cafe Loki. The two story restaurant offers a cafe on the lower level and a restaurant on the upper level. The restaurant has a wall of windows that allows you gaze out over the street and at the church as you dine.

 

While Cafe Loki offers a full menu of traditional Icelandic food, including the famous duo of fermented shark and black death, but we were there for a different type of treat.

Our small group filed upstairs and claimed a table. Servers brought out dishes of rye ice cream. It’s made right there at Cafe Loki.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I heard about rye ice cream. But it was really good. So good in fact that we returned a second time to enjoy it on our own. If you decide to drop in and order the rye ice cream, don’t expect it to be creamy and smooth. The rye is mixed into the ice cream, but it gives it a unique texture.

 

 

After the ice cream, we took a longer stroll down the massive hill toward the harbor. Along the way, we stopped to watch birds gather on the water.

 

 

That’s where our guide pulled yogurt out of her backpack. We tried Skyr’s blueberry flavor. I find it thicker, a little dryer and not as sweet as American yogurt. I also like Skyr better than Siggy’s, FWIW.

Four courses in and the city still had much more to offer.

We stayed in the harbor area and headed toward Messinn Seafood. Our guide explained that the chef here learned how to cook while in prison. The unique thing about the food served at Messinn Seafood is that the chef uses as much of his ingredients as possible. There is little waste.

 

We claimed a long table near the front window. Out came huge skillets of something called fish mash and platters of Arctic char.

 

 

The stuff was A. MAZ. ING. We again filled our plates with piles of each, devouring it — and the fresh bread served along with the meal.

By this point in the tour, everyone was stuffed. But we still had two stops to go, including the most famous one on the tour!

We walked down an alley and around a corner and there stood Baejarins Beztu Pylsur — Reykjavik’s famous little hotdog stand! While researching and planning our trip, people couldn’t seem to say enough about the country’s hot dogs.

They are made mostly out of lamb and served on a bun with five condiments. Raw onion, French fried onions, sweet mustard, ketchup, and a relish mayo.

Now, I feel like I would’ve liked this dog a lot better if I hadn’t already eaten what felt like five meals in an hour. I’m just not sold on this hot dog as THE foodie thing to brag about in Iceland.

I liked all of the fish I had more than the hot dog … and the bread and rolls we had all over the city are some of the best I’ve eaten anywhere!! That’s where I’d start bragging.

Keep in mind that this is the only hot dog I tried during our short stay in Iceland.  I’ve since heard that there are may other brands to try.  Some argue that Baejarins’ dog IS NOT the top dog in Reykjavik.

Anyway, after the hot dogs we walked several more blocks to a place called Apotex. It’s known for its fun deserts. It’s also recognized as having one of the best happy hours in the city … and it’s bartender was a finalist in the 2017 best bartender in the world competition.

Oh, and the place serves up creations like this!!!

Need I say more?

At this point the tour ended. We thanked our host and had to sit awhile because we were too full to move!

Overall the tour was a great experience. It was interesting to see how Icelanders are able to live off the land, or at least on food that’s actually raised and grown in the country. Iceland has to import a lot of things, including food.

As you’ll discover, It gets really expensive quickly.