Where To Eat In Reykjavik

There are two things you should know about eating in Reykjavik. (1) It is absolutely jam-packed with uh-mazing places to eat and (2) eating out can be very expensive. The streets are so full of amazing little restaurants and cafes (not to mention the stalls that are on the streets too!) that you'll never be short of places to grab a bite to eat - we actually had too many on our list for our stay and didn't get to try everywhere we wanted to go! I thought I'd put together a few of the places we did manage to go as they were all so beautiful - I'm hungry writing about it already!

UNO 

Where to find it: Ingolfstorg Square

What it serves: Seafood, Italian, Cocktails, 

Price: $$

Uno was the first place that we ate in Iceland. It's located in a beautiful building in Ingolfstorg Square with a cosy atmosphere, modern rustic decor and a huge menu, it did not disappoint. It's a mixture of traditional Icelandic food with Italian twists - think seafood pasta, steaks and risottos and a large selection of starters and cocktails too. Jess and I both went for the mussels and fries for the main course with a side order of deep fried mozzarella and it was absolutely beautiful. Iceland is big on fish and just about everything served there is completely fresh, meaning that although it is expensive, you get the taste, the service and the food you're paying for. I think this worked out at around 3500 krona each which I didn't mind paying at all considering I enjoyed it so much! 

THE LAUNDROMAT CAFE 

Where to find it: Austurstræti 9 

What it serves: Breakfast, brunch, burgers, light bites

Price: $

Jess and I had this at the top of our list for breakfast after reading the wonderful Helen's blog post about Iceland and it was again another place that did not disappoint. The cafe has a distinctly vintage feel with old photos, hanging lights, bookshelves packed with books of every colour, world maps and comfy stools and as a pancake lover I just had to go for the blueberry and banana pancakes which come in at 1990 krona. They were light and fluffy, with caramelised banana sitting on the top and a side of blueberry compote with yogurt. Yum yum yum. It was the perfect start for the day and if we'd had more time I'm 100% certain we'd have been back to try more of the menu!

PRIMO 

Where to find it: Þingholtsstræti 1

What it serves: Italian, Icelandic

Price: $$

Primo Italian Restaurant was on the street of our hotel so before we went on one of our night excursions we had to pop in. The menu has pizzas, pastas, steaks, meaty dishes and vegetarian dishes too, again with traditional Icelandic seafood. I went for the ricotta cannelloni and it was absolutely beautiful and as you can see from the photo, presented like a dream with walnuts and a pesto dressing on the plate. The mains here come in on average at around 3000-4000 krona but again as all of the ingredients are fresh, it wasn't an issue at all. The staff were super friendly too, giving customers advice about the northern lights and where to go so this is somewhere I'd definitely recommend if you love a bit of carb heaven!

NOODLE STATION

Where to find it: Laugavegur 86

What it serves: Noodles

Price: $

Obviously by the name, Noodle Station serves noodles but let me assure you that they are bloody amazing. This simple but tasty place is always jam-packed, so much so that the first time we went we had to turn away because it was so full. They have three things on the menu: beef noodle soup, chicken noodle soup and vegetable noodle soup and I went for the veg whilst Jess had the beef. Tasty, full of flavour and so cheap compared to the rest of Reykjavik too, it's the perfect stop for a budget but hearty meal, especially after being out in the chilly winter air too.

ELDUR & IS

Where to find it: Skólavörðustígur 2

What it serves: Crepes, ice cream, coffee 

Price: $

One evening when we were craving desserts, we decided to give this cosy lil place a try. The interior is a small, snug and decorated with a mish-mash of vintage looking pieces, including teacup lights, comfy stools and wooden tables. The menu is handwritten on a blackboard behind the counter with sweet and savoury crepes, extra toppings, hot drinks and many different flavours of ice cream. Obvs I went for a crepe with white chocolate and strawberry and a good ol' cup of tea and it definitely hit the sweet cravings and again is somewhere to go if you're trying to stick more to a budget. 

VEGAMOT

Where to find it: Vegamótastíg 4

What it serves: Bistro

Price: $$-$$$

Vegamot is a super modern, trendy and rather luxurious restaurant that we visited on our last night in Reykjavik. It's up a side street on the main shopping area so we probably wouldn't have even seen it if it weren't for Jess doing some research beforehand but I'm so glad we discovered it. Out of all our meals this was probably the most expensive but it was worth it. Jess and I both went for the seafood pasta which was absolutely divine with scallops, king prawns and cauliflower in a creamy tomato sauce, costing around 4000 krona each for the full meal. We went here early evening but I've heard on a night it turns into a bar and also serves brunches on the morning so it's somewhere for everyone to go!

REYKJAVIK CHIPS

Where to find it: Vitastigur 10

What it serves: Chips

Price: $

As the name suggests Reykjavik Chips serves....chips. This is one of the most highly rated places to eat in Reykjavik on TripAdvisor and we had to see what all of the fuss was about so we escaped the snowstorm and cosied up with a portion of crispy chips in a cone with a spicy mayo dip and it was yummy! It's such a laid-back, casual place to stop off for a snack if you don't want to spend a lot of cash! 

So there we have my top places to eat in Reykjavik, especially if you're trying to keep to a budget! Where is your favourite city for food?

Amy x