Hákarl, fermented Greenland shark, is a video filmed by thousands of tourists every year, and something Icelanders eat once a year at the Þorrablót feast, purely for tradition’s sake. It has nothing to do with everyday food.
What people really eat
Lamb. The island’s sheep graze in the mountains all summer; a diet of wild herbs and moss gives the meat a distinctive flavour. Kjötsúpa (lamb soup) is the dish cooked most often at home.
Skyr. Technically a cheese, eaten like yoghurt. Fat-free, high in protein and a thousand years old. Supermarket shelves have dozens of kinds.
Plokkfiskur. Boiled cod, potatoes, onion and milk. A fisherman’s dish, eaten with rúgbrauð (dark rye bread), which is baked for 24 hours in geothermal ground.
Pylsur. The hot dogs at Bæjarins Beztu are touristy but genuinely good. Say “Eina með öllu” (AY-na meth UT-lu): one with everything.
Seafood. Cod, halibut, langoustine. The town of Höfn is famous for its langoustine.
Where to eat
- Íslenski Barinn: traditional menu, fair prices.
- Messinn: fish in the pan; the lunch menu is half the price of dinner.
- Bónus supermarket: skyr, dark bread, butter.
A note on budget
Restaurant prices are high, but lunch menus (11:30–14:00) are 40–50% cheaper than dinner in most places. Moving the main meal to lunch for a week cuts the total food budget by a third.
This story will be updated in more detail.
Written by
The person behind icelandify.com. Here I share the experience I’ve gained exploring every corner of Iceland since my first year here, and my passion for photography.
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