4 Days in Iceland

fermented shark, anyone? 🦈

I had two goals for this trip; to see the Northern Lights and to ride an Icelandic horse. (Check and check!) Despite the trip falling on Thanksgiving week, this was not a food-focused adventure. Iceland’s food culture is simple and reflects the harsh climate and isolation. Limited sunlight and a lack of farmable land don’t necessarily create a great set-up for culinary creations. That being said, I had several decent meals while in Reykjavík! Here are a few of my highlights:

Braud&Co - I knew the winter days would be shorter, but I wasn’t expecting the sun to rise at 10 am. It was so strange waking up to pitch black every morning, but at least Braud&Co was within walking distance. I had read that this place had the “best cinnamon rolls” and honestly…it’s true.

Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur - Anyone who knows me knows I love a hot dog. So naturally, I had to stop by Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, a hot dog stand that has been around since 1937. I got it with “everything on it” and I have no idea what that consists of but it was great.

Skál - Since my trip was so short, I couldn’t go to every restaurant on my list but I had to squeeze Skál in. So I went from a hot dog to Michelin. (Typical me!) I ordered the hand-dived scallops with red currant granita, horseradish cream and hazelnut oil with a grilled orange lemonade. Insanely fresh and delicious, of course.

I found Icelandic currency to be so confusing, so most of the time I just put my card down and suffered the consequences of looking at my bank account later. After paying the bill, I tried to convert it myself and my heart sank when I thought I spent $250 on six little scallops in a seashell. (Good news, it was only $25. I’m just really bad at math.)

Grazie Trattoria - After a long day of exploring in the cold, I really just wanted something warm and pasta always hits the spot. Alcohol is very expensive in Iceland so I hadn’t been getting my usual cocktail with every meal. But I couldn’t help myself when I saw a negroni…spagliato…with prosecco in it…on the menu.

ROK - On my last night, I went to ROK for some modern Icelandic classics. I ordered the arctic char with roasted potatoes and cured reindeer. Not my favorite, but to be honest, I really just wanted to say I tried reindeer. I also had a gingerbread crème brûlée to get in the holiday spirit.

Cafe Loki - While ROK was modern Icelandic food, Cafe Loki was traditional. Rye bread, dried fish with butter, fermented shark with a shot of Brennivin…let’s just say it wasn’t my most looked-forward-to meal of the trip. (As if anyone was making me eat it.) The morning before my flight, I knew it was now or never. The rye bread was good, the dried fish was okay but a little hard to chew, and the fermented shark was not as bad as I was expecting. It’s really the aftertaste that got me. Luckily, the rye bread ice cream was a good palette cleanser.

Thanks for reading, sweeties! 🍎