Believe it or not, Iceland has an incredible food and drink scene! When my family and I were visiting this unique country, we didn’t have one bad meal, even at a truck stop in Vik. And, surprisingly enough, it can be a great place to be vegetarian, or vegan for that matter.
Every night, we tried a new place. Here are just a few of the places we tried:
1. Glo: If you are vegetarian, vegan, raw or even gluten-free, this is the place for you! Their hummus, which you can just help yourself to, is like no other hummus I had before…I am not sure what they do to make it different but it’s excellent. Their salads and roasted veggies are great. There’s quite a variety such as wraps and raw pizza. They even have vegan desserts. Definitely worth it to have lunch or dinner here, especially since it’s so reasonably priced and healthy.
2. Lebowski Bar: Yes, this is named after “The Big Lebowski” AND it’s decorated to look like it’s right out of the movie. Conveniently located right next door to out hotel (called Room With a View), we just had to go! My sister, her boyfriend and I started out with drinks at the bar. They have an extensive white Russian menu and they are delicious! My parents and son joined us a little later and grabbed a quick meal of burgers and fries to eat. They said the food was really good, so next time I’m in town I will have to try!
3. Icelandic Fish & Chips: My parents, son and I went here one night for dinner for fish and chips. The food was excellent! And this place is reasonably priced compared to other restaurants in the area.
4. Olstofan: This bar was conveniently around the corner from our hotel. Lots of beer on tap and a great place to hang out with locals! We actually started talking to this one local man in his 30s and my sister must have asked him his name 50 times and still couldn’t say it. Icelandic names and language are so completely different from what we are used to, but I loved hearing people speak the language and I love people's names here.
5. Loftid: I didn’t get to go here, but my sister and her boyfriend had started their date night out. The cocktails were amazing, albeit a bit pricey. It’s up some stairs in downtown Reykjavik.
6. Skolabru: This place was just adorable! It’s a house converted into a restaurant. You walk up a set of stairs and walk in to the restaurant which is made of a few rooms and all the tables are covered in white linen. It’s a cozy place and I really enjoyed the atmosphere.
7. Grillmarkadurinn: This was probably my favorite restaurant in town. Not only is it incredibly decorated on the inside with large modern gold lighting in the entryway, a winding staircase to the downstairs bar and eating area with rock walls all around, but the doors to the inside were large and impressive as well. The presentation of the food was outstanding, with bread and other appetizers served on either a stone slab or wooden board. Every dish was artistically plated, something I really enjoy when dining out. My mom’s green salad was served in a flower pot! She had also ordered the entree with three types of fish - red fish, salmon, and wolf fish. My sister’s boyfriend had the best espresso martini of his life (it’s something he orders everywhere he goes, so he has some basis for comparison). I had fish and a salad and one of their artisanal cocktails, which is a must if you come here. Also, if you are an adventurous eater, they have minke whale, puffin and reindeer on the menu.
So those are just a few of the places we tried. If you decide to dine at one of the more expensive restaurants, I suggest you make a reservation. The cheaper places to eat are fine to just walk in.
Icelandic cuisine:
Among Icelandic dishes are minke whale, puffin, horse, sheep’s head, and fermented shark, which is paired with a shot of liquor called Brennivin, also known as Black Death (it probably kills any and all bacteria ingested with the shark). These are the things I would never try, being mostly pescatarian, but they are there for the adventurous foodies! And of course, there is skyr, which is similar to yogurt and is absolutely delicious!
One awesome thing about the produce in Iceland is that most of it is grown in geothermal greenhouses around the country. There is a short growing season for actual agriculture to grow potatoes, the root vegetables and kale. And produce such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and even bananas, are grown in the geothermal greenhouses, some of which we saw while on our way to Vik. Also grown in country is barley, so that is a pretty common thing you will see on the menus in town. I had my fair share of barley and vegetarian food while visiting this great country!
Surprisingly, Iceland is a great place for an adventurous foodie or even a vegetarian. Just keep an open mind and you will do fine!
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