The genuine winners
Lamb soup (kjotsupa) — ISK 2211-ISK 2948, served everywhere, tastes better in a rural roadhouse than a Reykjavik restaurant. Arctic char, better than the salmon and half the price (ISK 3930 vs ISK 5158). Langoustine soup in Hofn at Pakkhus (ISK 3439) is the country's best single dish. Skyr with cream and berries (ISK 983) at breakfast is worth choosing over the eggs. Rye bread baked in geothermal ground at Laugarvatn Fontana (ISK 737 for a warm loaf with butter) is unreasonably good.
Skip these
Hakarl (fermented shark) is a ISK 1474 tourist tax on your dignity. It tastes of ammonia, and even Icelanders don’t eat it outside Thorrablot in January. Puffin, ethically and gastronomically bleak — the population is declining and it tastes like liver-flavored gum. Whale is legal but the meat is dark and metallic; also, you’ll have watched them in the morning at Husavik. Hot dogs from Baejarins Beztu (ISK 737) are the honest cheap meal.
Good to know
Questions, answered
How expensive is dinner really?
Mains at a mid-range restaurant are ISK 4299-ISK 6755. Fine dining is ISK 11054-ISK 18423 without wine. Gas station soup is ISK 2211 and often good.
Is tap water safe?
The best in the world. Never buy bottled — you’re paying ISK 491 for the same thing.
Doing good is the business: every booking through Stay Iceland funds one verified tonne of carbon removal — same room, same price, no markup.
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