Reykjavik · guide
Best Restaurants in Reykjavik
From Dill's tasting menu to a lamb hot dog, these are the Reykjavík restaurants worth your time and money.
Reykjavik in brief
What is the best restaurant in Reykjavik?
For a destination dinner, Dill is our top pick for its 15-course progression of fermented, smoked, and pickled Icelandic ingredients. ÓX is the better choice if you want a 17-seat room.
What is a must eat in Iceland?
Order a lamb-based hot dog “with everything” at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, then try lamb soup, cod, or seafood soup for a fuller taste of Icelandic cooking.
Where can I eat cheaply in Reykjavik?
Start with Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur or Icelandic Street Food, where the format is quick and casual. Hlemmur Mathöll is useful when a group needs several cuisines under one roof.
Where Reykjavík actually eats
Reykjavík is an expensive dining city, but its best meals are not all formal tasting menus. This ranking rewards kitchens that make Icelandic ingredients feel specific, from Dill's fermented and smoked progression to a hot dog built mostly from lamb. It also calls out the places that are useful rather than essential, because a food hall can be a smart group stop without being the reason you came to town.
We grouped the list into destination dinners, modern Icelandic tables, and casual institutions and food halls. Pair the meals with things to do in Downtown Reykjavik, where to stay in Reykjavik, a Reykjavik 3 Day Itinerary, or our guide to whether Reykjavik is expensive.
The full ranking, compared
Every pick at a glance, ranked by how well it earns its place, not by tourist traffic. Tap a name to jump to the full review.
| Place | Order this | Area | Best for | Our verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Dill | Worth the hype | |||
| 2. Ox | Worth it | |||
| 3. Matur og Drykkur | Mixed | |||
| 4. Fiskfélagið | Worth it | |||
| 5. Grillmarkaðurinn | Worth the hype | |||
| 6. Sjávargrillið | Mixed | |||
| 7. Sumac Grill + Drinks | Mixed | |||
| 8. Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur | Worth the hype | |||
| 9. Icelandic Street Food | Mixed | |||
| 10. Hlemmur Mathöll | Worth the hype | |||
| 11. Grandi Food Hall | Mixed |
Make these into a Reykjavik trip
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Ranked, with honest verdicts
The best restaurants in Reykjavik, ranked
Eleven places that show how to eat in Reykjavík, from a 17-seat tasting menu and Michelin-recognized cooking to a lamb hot dog and two food halls.
Destination dinners, book these first
These are the meals worth planning around, with small rooms, tasting menus, and kitchens that make Icelandic ingredients the point.
- 1
Capital Region · Reykjavík Worth the hypeDill
Dill is Reykjavík's most convincing argument for spending heavily on a meal.
Dill earns the top spot because its 15-course progression has a clear point of view: Icelandic landscape, foraging, sustainability, and ingredients that are fermented, smoked, or pickled rather than simply presented as local. Chef-owner Gunnar Karl Gíslason leads the kitchen, and the experience leans into its setting with herbs drying in the open air and hanging cod heads in the dining room. The most telling bite is freshly made cheese smoked in dung hay, a traditional fuel made from dried sheep waste. Dinner runs Tuesday through Saturday, and the listed tasting menu is $329, so this is a planned splurge, not a casual booking.
Format: 15-course tasting progressionPrice: Tasting menu listed at $329Dinner: Tuesday–SaturdayWhere: Laugavegur 59 - 2
Capital Region · Reykjavík Worth itOx
For intimacy and concentration, ÓX is the city's hardest table and one of its best.
ÓX comes second because the room itself changes the meal. Chef Thrainn Freyr Vigfusson created a restaurant focused on modern interpretations of traditional Icelandic cuisine, then tucked it behind an unsuspected door on Laugavegur. There are only 17 seats, which makes the kitchen's Icelandic ingredient focus feel close-up rather than theatrical. Dinner is offered Tuesday through Saturday, with a Saturday lunch as another route in. Reservations open 90 days ahead, and the restaurant lists dinner at 18:30. No price is supplied here, so check the current booking page before committing. Choose ÓX when the small-room experience matters as much as the food.
Room: 17 seatsDinner: Tuesday–Saturday at 18:30Lunch: Saturday at 13:00Booking: Reservations up to 90 days aheadSourcesox.restaurant
- 3
Capital Region · Reykjavík MixedMatur og Drykkur
Matur og Drykkur is the pick for a seasonal Icelandic dinner with real culinary texture.
Matur og Drykkur makes the case for Icelandic tradition through technique rather than nostalgia. Its seasonal dinner experience uses locally sourced ingredients, wild herbs, and seaweed, combining culinary heritage with modern methods. That focus puts it below the two tiny destination rooms, but it is the better fit if you want a composed tasting menu without the same emphasis on ceremony. The menu costs 24,500 ISK, while the premium wine pairing is 22,600 ISK, making the total a serious commitment. Book online, by email, or by phone, and contact the restaurant ahead of time about allergies. It cannot offer vegan, gluten-free, or lactose-free menus.
Format: Seasonal dinner experienceMenu: 24,500 ISKPairing: Premium wine pairing 22,600 ISKDietary: No vegan, gluten-free or lactose-free menusSourcesen.maturogdrykkur.is
Modern Iceland on a plate
For a serious dinner without choosing the most rarefied room in town, start with these ingredient-led restaurants.
- 4
Capital Region · Reykjavík Worth itFiskfélagið
Fiskfélagið is the most playful choice for tasting Iceland through a broader seafood lens.
Fiskfélagið earns its place with a strong sense of place and a menu that does not reduce Icelandic cooking to one fish dish. The restaurant occupies the old Zimsen house, a former 19th-century shop, and owner-head chef Lárus Gunnar Jónasson leads a kitchen centered on Icelandic ingredients. The “Around Iceland” set menu is the telling detail: seasonal ingredients become a culinary journey around the country rather than a generic tasting sequence. Lunch, dinner, outdoor seating, and takeaway make it more flexible than the destination tasting rooms. Prices and regular hours are not supplied, so check before going. This is a good pick when atmosphere and range matter equally.
Where: Vesturgata 2aSignature: “Around Iceland” set menuService: Lunch, dinner and outdoor seatingExtra: Takeaway availableSourcesfiskfelagid.is
- 5
Capital Region · Reykjavík Worth the hypeGrillmarkaðurinn
Grillmarkaðurinn is the crowd-pleasing table for fire, smoke, and Icelandic produce.
Grillmarkaðurinn is ranked here for making a big dinner feel distinctly Icelandic without asking every guest to surrender to a tiny tasting-menu format. Most ingredients are purchased directly from Icelandic farmers, and the kitchen builds around fire, smoke, wood, and coal. Its tasting menu arrives as successive shared courses for the whole table, an important distinction if your group prefers to eat together rather than compare individual plates. The open kitchen and a dining room built with Icelandic rocks, wood, and leather reinforce the theme. Dinner begins at 17:30, with later last reservations on Friday and Saturday. Verify the address when booking, since supplied listings differ.
Style: Fire, smoke, wood and coalFormat: Shared tasting coursesDinner: From 17:30Where: Central Reykjavík; verify address - 6
Capital Region · Reykjavík MixedSjávargrillið
Sjávargrillið is the flexible seafood dinner when your table wants more than one Icelandic lane.
Sjávargrillið sits below the more focused tasting rooms because its menu spreads wider, but that is exactly why it works for mixed groups. The family-owned restaurant pairs grilled Icelandic dishes with international flavors, covering seafood soup, pan-fried cod, lobster tacos, sushi, lamb, and beef tenderloin. Chef Gústav Axel developed the concept after being named Chef of the Year in 2010, and the restaurant opened in 2011. The two-floor room also carries a physical piece of Iceland: corrugated iron from an old ice house in Flatey and driftwood from Héðinsfjörður. Lunch runs weekdays, while dinner is served daily. Reserve if you want a central table.
Order: Cod, seafood soup or lobster tacosLunch: Monday–Friday, 11:30–14:30Dinner: Daily from 17:00Where: Skólavörðustígur 14 - 7
Capital Region · Reykjavík MixedSumac Grill + Drinks
Sumac is the smart detour when you need a break from Icelandic menus.
Sumac Grill + Drinks earns a mid-list place by widening Reykjavík's food conversation beyond local staples. The restaurant draws on the nostalgic atmosphere of Beirut, serves Middle Eastern food, and pairs it with handcrafted Mediterranean cocktails. Its location on Laugavegur, the main shopping street, makes it an easy dinner between central Reykjavík plans rather than a special cross-town mission. The official recipe book, including signed copies, is a small but telling extension of the kitchen's identity. The supplied material gives no current menu prices or opening hours, so check the reservation page before arriving. Choose Sumac for fresh, boldly seasoned food when your group wants a change of rhythm.
Style: Middle Eastern cuisineDrinks: Handcrafted Mediterranean cocktailsWhere: LaugavegurExtra: Official cookbook availableSourcessumac.iscenterhotels.com
The casual institutions and food halls
These are the practical, good-humored stops for soup, hot dogs, fish and chips, and a group that cannot agree on dinner.
- 8
Capital Region · Reykjavík Worth the hypeBæjarins Beztu Pylsur
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur is the essential cheap-ish bite, provided you want a hot dog rather than a sit-down meal.
This tiny downtown stand ranks eighth because it delivers one of Reykjavík's most useful food rituals with almost no fuss. Operating since 1937, the original Tryggvagata stand is no bigger than 5 square meters and is described as having stayed in the same spot. Order “one with everything”: a lamb-based hot dog with pork and beef, mustard, remoulade, apple-based ketchup, crispy fried onions, and raw onions. The mustard-only version is known as a “Clinton” after Bill Clinton's 2004 visit. Queues form, seating is limited to an adjacent picnic table, and Friday and Saturday hours extend to 06:00. Come hungry, not expectant of comfort.
Order: “One with everything”Price: Lower-cost casual stopLate hours: Until 06:00 Friday–SaturdayWhere: Tryggvagata 1Sourcesbbp.iswakeupreykjavik.com
- 9
Capital Region · Reykjavik MixedIcelandic Street Food
Icelandic Street Food is the warm, low-pressure answer when soup is all you need.
Icelandic Street Food is a family-owned counter built around recipes attributed to the owners' grandmother, and it makes traditional eating approachable rather than formal. The menu includes meat soup, lamb soup, and shellfish soup, with the option to serve soup in a bread bowl. Free refills and a self-service waffle station add a generosity that matters in an expensive city. You order at the counter and collect the meal when your name is called, so this is a practical stop between sights, not a reservation night. Exact prices and opening hours are not supplied. Go for the lamb soup when you want something filling, familiar, and distinctly Icelandic.
Order: Lamb soup in a bread bowlGood to know: Free soup refillsFormat: Counter serviceWhere: Downtown Reykjavik - 10
Capital Region · Reykjavík Worth the hypeHlemmur Mathöll
Hlemmur Mathöll is convenient and varied, but it is a food hall stop rather than Reykjavík's must-eat destination.
Hlemmur Mathöll is the useful group option on this list: Reykjavík's first food hall, housed in the former main bus terminal and open every day from 11:00 to 23:00. Vendors range from Icelandic lamb and Vietnamese food to French-Danish cooking, Italian dishes, Nepalese and Indian food, and Neapolitan-style pizza. The standout detail is Flatey Pizza, which cooks slow-rising sourdough at 500°C for exactly 60 seconds; its “Umberto” adds dates and mascarpone to tomato, mozzarella, and pepperoni. Individual vendors keep shorter hours, so do not treat the hall schedule as a guarantee. Go when flexibility beats ceremony, not for a single definitive meal.
Hall hours: Daily, 11:00–23:00Highlight: Flatey Pizza's “Umberto”Where: Former Hlemmur bus terminalChoice: Icelandic, Vietnamese, Indian and more - 11
Capital Region · Reykjavík MixedGrandi Food Hall
Grandi Food Hall is the best food-hall setting here, especially when the old harbour is already on your route.
Grandi Food Hall is the more atmospheric food-hall choice, set in a refurbished fish factory in Reykjavík's old harbour district and part of the Iceland Ocean Cluster. Its vendors cover Icelandic, Korean, Italian, American, Scandinavian, Middle Eastern, Indonesian, Indian, and Nepalese food, with communal indoor seating, high ceilings, expansive windows, and dockside outdoor tables. At Frystihúsið, the telling order is fish and chips made with cod as the fish of the day, thin-cut lightly salted fries, and delicate batter. The hall is open 11:00–21:00, with holiday closures and vendor-specific hours. Choose it for harbour geography and group flexibility, not a polished restaurant meal.
Order: Cod fish and chips at FrystihúsiðHours: 11:00–21:00Where: Grandagarður 16Setting: Communal seating and dockside tables
The bottom line: book Dill, ÓX, or Matur og Drykkur when dinner is the event, then make room for a lamb hot dog or soup. Use Grandi or Hlemmur when your group needs choice, and check every menu, address, and service time before going. Rankings and verdicts are our own; where shown, star ratings open each spot's Google listing, and details shift by season, so confirm before you go.
The big decision
Tasting menu or casual Icelandic bite?
Reykjavík does both well, but they ask for different amounts of time, money, and planning.
The tasting menu
Reserve ahead, settle into a small room, and let the kitchen make the case for fermented, smoked, pickled, and seasonal Icelandic ingredients. Dill is the clearest choice when dinner itself is the occasion.
See more
The casual bite
Keep the day moving with lamb soup, free refills, or a hot dog loaded with onions and sauces. Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur is the classic quick stop, while Icelandic Street Food gives you a warmer bowl.
See moreBefore you go
Know before you go
A few practical things that decide whether the day goes smoothly.
Budget for the meal
Reykjavík spans lower-cost counter stops and tasting menus listed at $329 or 24,500 ISK. Use the current menu rather than assuming a restaurant's name tells you the final bill.
Reserve the tiny rooms
ÓX has only 17 seats and accepts reservations up to 90 days ahead. Dill serves dinner Tuesday–Saturday, while Matur og Drykkur takes bookings online, by email, or by phone.
Check service windows
Restaurant hours vary sharply: Sjávargrillið serves weekday lunch and daily dinner, while Grillmarkaðurinn starts dinner at 17:30. Food-hall hours do not guarantee every vendor's hours.
Plan by neighbourhood
Laugavegur and the central streets cover Dill, ÓX, Sumac, and several other picks. Grandi Food Hall is at Grandagarður 16 in the old harbour, so pair it with harbour plans rather than crossing town only for a quick meal.
Ask about dietary needs
Matur og Drykkur says it cannot offer vegan, gluten-free, or lactose-free menus and asks guests with allergies to contact it ahead of time. Confirm directly at every tasting-menu restaurant before booking.
Know the ordering style
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur and Icelandic Street Food are counter-service stops, while Hlemmur Mathöll and Grandi Food Hall have multiple independent vendors. That makes the casual picks good for groups, but less suited to one coordinated reservation.
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