Some people care a lot about what I ate in Iceland, other's not so much. So I split apart blog posts from my Iceland trip so those that were interested in food could easily just access that information. To see photos from my trip, check out my week in Iceland!

The first thing you have to know about food in Iceland is that it is EXPENSIVE. While it was cheap to get there, it was not cheap to eat out. Here are some of the places we ate, and some tips along the way.

Blue Lagoon Iceland | offthebeatenpress.com

We first at the Lava Restaurant at the Blue Lagoon. This was actually one of my favorite meals of the trip. We got to sit in our bathrobes as we dined on champagne and incredibly cooked local food.

That first night, for dinner, we ate at Stofan Cafe. This place was easy to find and had free Wifi. I wasn't super hungry after our gigantic lunch, so I just got a piece of chocolate cake. Worth it.

• TIP Pack your breakfasts OR go to a grocery store. You can save a ton just by having something before you go out exploring that day. We stayed in an Airbnb across from a shop that we bought some snacks for the morning. I also packed protein shakes that I had while getting ready for the day. This saved at least $10-15 dollars a day (Around $100 for the whole week I was there).

Just because I brought my breakfasts didn't mean we didn't run out for my friend (or for coffee). Above is my favorite hot chocolate. Not my favorite just in Reykjavik, my favorite I've had in the WORLD. I got it at C is for Cookie.

I also tried the hot chocolate at Reykjavik Roasters. This one was made with a local chocolate factory's bars and wasn't as sweet. It was still good, but nothing could touch the other one in my mind.

• TIP Don't drink alcohol. The cost of a drink in Iceland is crazy. An average (and by average I mean not a wonderful tasting) beer or wine is $10-$15 a glass. If you just drink their delicious water. You can save a ton. If you want a cocktail, you'll pay $20-$25 for it. I am a fan of cocktails but am only willing to pay that much if they are exquisitely made.

My friend and I split one that was made with Brennivin, the country's signature distilled beverage. It was delicious and a good way to try a drink.That's the cocktail we split. We had it at Tapas Barinn. The food was done in small tapas style plates. It was pretty expensive but the portions were huge and they had an option for an Icelandic sampling menu my friend tried. She had whale, puffin and shark in her dinner (and a shot of Brennivin on the side). They were crazy busy when we were there and forgot some of our food, so they took some money off the tab.

Kol was amazing. Here I tried to order smaller dishes to save on cost but ended up splurging on a drink. I had the Cod & it was delicious.

Another place in the city was Eldsmiðjan. We ordered pizza and brought some home to heat up the next day. A smart way to cut a meal price in half.

When we headed down south towards Vik, we stopped for an early lunch in Eldstó Art Cafe. They have soups and sandwiches and beautiful pottery to look at in the shop. It was hard not to buy it, but I was afraid it would break in my bag on the way home.

• TIP All you can eat soup. Some places offer all you can eat soups & bread. This is a great meal for under $10 bucks. Highly recommend for lunch.

Once we reached Vik, we ate in Halldorskaffi. We ended up here twice actually. The first night for dinner, I had a delicious sandwich. The second day, for lunch I did the all you can eat soup deal. Their homemade bread was delicious and their mushroom soup, hearty.

When we went around the golden circle, we stopped at Restaurant Mika. I opted for a bruchetta with local mushrooms and cheese. I was not dissappointed. It was about 12 bucks for this one slice of bread, but it was satisfying.

Along the circle, we stopped at the Secret Lagoon. This place didn't have any REAL food, so it's important to pack something. We did have a local cider in the water.

Omnom Chocolate Iceland | offthebeatenpress.com

For an afternoon Reykjavik, we explored the old harbor and stopped in Omnom chocolate. Earlier in the week, I had a hot chocolate made by melting a bar in milk. The orange bar with the wolf on it was my favorite. It had won an award that week in France.

• TIP Find happy hours. Quite a few places have happy hour deals and get this, Iceland has an app for it. Appy Hour will help you find places near you with currently running deals.One of the best happy hour deals we found was at Nora Magasin. We split a melty brie served on a flaming lava stone. Yum! Drinks here were a little more reasonable, too. Around 7 bucks for happy hour white wine.

The final place we went before boarding the plane back home is a classic for the country. This little hot dog stand has served tons of famous people. The hot dogs were exactly what you would expect, but a perfect end to the trip.I am excited to return to Iceland sometime and try out some new places!

Food in Iceland

© 2023 Off the Beaten Press