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There are plenty of excellent restaurants in Reykjavik. We have selected some of the best, which we have listed alphabetically within five categories: Gourmet, Business, Trendy, Budget and Personal Recommendations.

These restaurants are divided into four different pricing brackets (the prices quoted below are for an average three-course meal; they do not include tax or tip or drinks):
$$$$ (over Ikr6,000)
$$$ (Ikr3,000 to Ikr6,000)
$$ (IKr1,500 to Ikr3,000)
$ (under IKr1,500)
Reservations are recommended wherever possible; in the case of upscale and popular restaurants, they are essential. Bear in mind that alcohol is prohibitively expensive in Iceland, so an easy way to cut down on the cost of eating out is to avoid it altogether, and stick to water and soft drinks.

Gourmet

Laekjarbrekka
The black wooden house overlooking the junction of Bankastraeti and Laekargata was built by a rich Danish merchant as a bakery shop in the 1830s, and for many years it remained the only such shop in Reykjavik. Now fully restored, the restaurant still has that old time feel to it, and eating at Laekjarbrekka is like stepping back in time, sampling the best traditional food Iceland has to offer in authentic 19th-century surroundings. There is a cosy bar upstairs under the eaves which is perfect for pre- (or post-) dinner drinks, and the main dining room downstairs is just as comfortable and homely, with its collection of eclectic ornaments, embroidered tablecloths, lace curtains, Tiffany lamps and tapestries on the walls. The food, which is excellent, is traditional Icelandic fare ranging from lamb to lobster (the house specialty).

Laekjarbrekka Bankastraeti 2
Tel: 551 4430.
Website: www.laekjarbrekka.is 
Price: $$$$
Ó Restaurant
The stylish restaurant in the Óðinsvé Hotel has been taken over by Eythor Rúnarsson, a member of the Icelandic national team of chefs. Eythor has a passion for local, seasonal ingredients, which he combines with flair in modern dishes inspired by traditional European recipes. Try his leg of lamb with Icelandic cheese and mustard sauce for example, or his salted cod bacalao, served with sweet rutabaga and lime scented butter, for a taste of his exciting, unusual creations. Dinner only.

Hotel Óðinsvé, Thorsgata 1
Tel: 511 6677.
Website: www.orestaurant.is
Price: $$$$
Sjavarkjallarinn (Seafood Cellar)
The award-winning Seafood Cellar (thus named because it is located in the oldest cellar in Reykjavik) has gained recognition for its inventive and daring cooking on several occasions over the years, most recently in 2006, when chef Stein Oskar Sigurdsson won the prestigious Chef of the Year award. The main emphasis here is on fusion cooking, with fish and seafood, as one would expect, very much at the forefront of the menu (although lamb and vegetarian options are also available). The setting, with its stone walls, dimmed lights and white tablecloths, is original and inviting, and the service professional and unobtrusive. There is a solid wine list too if you want to splash out.

Aðalstræti 2
Tel: 511 1212.
Website: www.sjavarkjallarinn.is 
Price: $$$$

Business

The Gallery Restaurant
Based in Hotel Holt, the Gallery Restaurant, named after the paintings that adorn the walls (the largest permanent private art collection in the country) is a perfect setting for a business meeting with a touch of class. Since it first opened in the 1960s, the restaurant has remained among the finest dining places in the capital, and indeed Iceland. The wine list, with over 4,000 bottles, features an impressive selection of vintage wines, Cognacs, malt whiskies and Armagnacs, and the food, traditional French with Icelandic touches, is superb.

Hotel Holt, Bergstathastaeti 37
Tel: 552 5700.
Website: www.holt.is 
Price: $$$$
The Pearl Restaurant
The Pearl is a favorite for business meetings. The restaurant, on the top floor of the Perlan building, is located on a revolving platform which allows guests to enjoy spectacular panoramic views with fine international cuisine. The Pearl truly comes into its own in the evening (it is in fact closed at lunchtime), when the sunset can be admired through the thousand glass panels of the dome, and later on when the lights all over it turn the interior into a star-studded night, regardless of the weather outside. The restaurant completes a full rotation every two hours.

Perlan, Oskjuhlith
Tel: 562 0200.
Website: www.perlan.is  
Price: $$$$
Vox
Located in the Hilton Reykjavik Nordica, the open-plan Vox Restaurant is a gourmet destination in its own right, and the perfect setting for a classy night out. The restaurant is popular with hotel guests and locals alike, but also increasingly with business people looking for a venue with a touch of sophistication for their meetings. The food is international, and combines Icelandic ingredients such as game, seafood and lamb with strong Mediterranean flavors, in dishes that embrace various continental trends.

Hilton Reykjavik Nordica, Suthurlandsbraut 2
Tel: 444 5050.
Website: www.voxrestaurant.com 
Price: $$$$

Trendy

Café Paris 
With a prime location by Austurvollur Square, this popular venue is a prime spot for people-watching in summer. Open daily until 0100 (and 0400 at the weekend), Café Paris offers a range of sandwiches, cakes, soups, salads and pasta dishes, as well as a grill menu and a breakfast selection. The warm, relaxed atmosphere and the extensive bistro-style menu ensure the place is busy from early in the morning to late at night.  

Austurstræti 14
Tel: 551 1020.
Website: www.cafeparis.is
Price: $$
Café Solon
Maybe it's the music playing in the background, making the bright dining room such a chilled out place to hang out. Or the huge windows and the funky artwork on the walls. Maybe it's the friendly staff, who never seem too busy to attend to their customers. Whatever the answer, the recipe is a successful one, and Café Solon's customers (a mix of tourists and locals) keep coming back, some for the food alone (tasty, filling, and reasonably priced), others to also enjoy the upstairs bar and disco after hours.

Bankastraeti 7A
Tel: 562 3232.
Website: www.solon.is 
Price: $$
Fish Market
Reykjavik's coolest new eaterie is also one of the most exciting restaurants to have opened in the capital in recent years. Chef Hrefna Rosa Saetran might not be 30 yet, but she is no new comer (she worked at the much acclaimed Seafood Cellar for several years), and her stunning creations will both surprise and delight. Expect a mix of local ingredients and Asian influences, as with the Icelandic sushi for example, or the spotted catfish with wasabi. East meets west in the décor too (where basalt and bamboo make an exotic combination), and in true Japanese style there is a walk-in sushi bar and a robata grill too. Open for lunch and dinner.

Adalstraeti 12
Tel: 578 8877.
Website: www.fishmarket.is
Price: $$$$

Budget

A Naestu Grosum
Vegetarians can sometimes feel a bit left out in Reykjavik, as few eateries offer many meat-free options, but this restaurant, on the first floor of a wooden house right on the main shopping street, will certainly have them leave with a full stomach...and a smile on their face. Reykjavik's premier vegetarian restaurant offers a great selection of healthy dishes such as homemade salads, quiches and soups, pasta and rice dishes, all very reasonably priced. There are also yummy desserts to choose from, and take away is available. On Fridays and Saturdays, the emphasis is on Indian cuisine served with freshly baked Naan bread.

Laugavegur 20B
Tel: 552 8410.
Website: www.anaestugrosum.is 
Price: $$
Baejarins Beztu
Hot dogs (pylsur) are big in Iceland, as in many other Nordic countries, and Baejarins Beztu has become a real institution (even Bill Clinton visited when he was in town). Facing the harbor and overlooking a rather uninspiring parking lot, this tiny kiosk is famous throughout the city (and indeed further afield according to locals) for serving the original quintessential Icelandic hot dog; over a thousand a day are sold from the unassuming window. Do as the locals who flock here at any time of day or night for a quick bite to eat, and go for the Full Monty - a hot dog with mustard, ketchup and chopped raw and fried onions. It might not be glamorous, but it tastes delicious. 

Corner of Tryggvagata and Pósthússtræti
Price: $
Kina Husid
Centrally located on Laekjargata, this long-standing restaurant, housed in a little red building, offers some tasty, no-nonsense Chinese food in a comfortable setting. There are excellent value special discount lunch menus as well as an a la carte selection featuring house specialties, including Cantonese, Szechuan and Peking dishes.

Laekjargata 8
Tel: 551 1014.
Price: $$

Personal Recommendations

Austur India Felagið
If you ever feel in need of a curry fix while in Reykjavik, you could do a lot worse than heading for Austur India Felagið on Hverfisgata. This award-winning upmarket Indian restaurant is not only the northernmost in the world, it is also one of the best in Europe. Mughalai, Tandoori, North and South Indian dishes all feature on the menu, and the food looks, tastes and smells very authentic indeed.

Hverfisgata 56
Tel: 552 1630.
Website: www.austurindia.is
Price: $$$
Rauðara Steakhouse
Rauðara Steakhouse (the name means 'red river') occupies the premises of Reykjavik's first brewery, and the only one to remain open (allegedly to keep the army and the politicians of the day supplied in beer) after Iceland, well ahead of the USA, set the international prohibition bandwagon rolling by outlawing alcohol (prohibition was to last for over seven decades, and beer only legalized again in 1989). The restaurant has retained many of the original features, which bear witness to the history of the building. The setting is cosy and intimate, with dimmed lights and big candles, and the service friendly and relaxed. The main menu features typical Icelandic offerings varying with the season (and includes whale, puffin, reindeer and even horse meat), with strong emphasis on grilled meat and fish. There is also a more affordable international tourist menu for those with more conservative tastes...and/or those watching their budget.

Rauðararstigur 37
Tel: 562 6766.
Website: www.raudara.is  
Price: $$$$
Tveir Fiskar
Located right on the harbor, Tveir Fiskar is without doubt one of the best seafood restaurants in town. The fish here is as fresh as it comes (as the boats and trawlers literally empty their catch straight through the kitchen door) and the service is relaxed and friendly. But what sets Tveir Fiskar apart is the originality of its menu, which combines typical Icelandic fare (with offerings such as smoked puffin, dolphin carpaccio, whale steak or skyr, the traditional yogurt-like dessert, for example) with Mediterranean-inspired fish dishes such as bouillabaisse. Garlic, olive oil and basil all feature prominently on the menu. There is also a changing daily special, depending on the catch of the day.

Geirsgata 9
Tel: 511 3474.
Price: $$$-$$$$



Nightlife:

Over the last decade Reykjavik's nightlife has been hyped up by the enthusiastic tourist board and a stream of travel writers. Reykjavik, however, is a small city and those arriving expecting to find a large-scale 'Ibiza of the North' may be a little disappointed as most of the action takes place in a very small central area.

Having said that, the scene on the weekends, especially in summer, is surprisingly raucous for such a small city, as revelers flit between bars on the traditional runtur (pub crawl). One strange phenomenon is the nightly drive-by as Reykjavik's hard-up youth shun the expensive bars and opt to cruise around in their cars for hours on end.

Most locals tend to counter the expensive bar prices by consuming a lot of alcohol at home before going out. Hence, it is not until around midnight or later that the streets begin to fill with drinkers and clubbers and the real action begins.

All of Reykjavik's nightlife centers on the main street, Laugavegur, and the roads leading off it. The cafes and bars in Reykjavik tend to have a Jekyll and Hyde character - serving beer and coffee throughout the day, before transforming into buzzing drinking and dancing venues in the evening.

Opening times for the majority of cafe-bars are Sunday to Thursday 1000-0100 and Friday and Saturday 1000-0300. Nightclubs close around 0400 or 0500 and the dress code is strictly spruce. Alcohol is available from licensed bars, restaurants and Áfengisbúd shops (open Monday to Thursday 1400-1800 and Friday 1000-1800). The minimum drinking age is 20 years.

Cafes/Bars: Whether British pop star Damon Albarn is still a part-owner or not, Kaffibarinn, Bergstadastraeti 1, is still a meeting place of the city's media set and has a certain cache, as evidenced by the frequent queues to get in. Meanwhile Reykjavik's celebs (including Björk and Eidur Gudjohnsen when they are in town) head to the bar at the upmarket Sir Terence Conran's Rex at Austurstraeti 9 (website: www.rex.is). Vegamot, Vegamotastig 4 (website: www.vegamot.is) is a very cool bar/club that's popular, and so is the Mediterranean style Café Oliver, Laugavegur 20 (website: www.cafeoliver.is) - its large dancefloor is always packed on weekends, and they sometimes have live music too.

Clubs: The impressive NASA (website: www.nasa.is), located off Austurvollur, draws the crowds with music from disco to house playing on its three floors, and live bands early in the evening. Rex (see Cafes/Bars above), meanwhile, is an elegant venue with high ceilings and chandeliers, popular with the over-30s. A smaller alternative is Café Solon on Bankastraeti 7A (website: www.solon.is), which is a bar/bistro during the day but turns into a nightclub at the weekend. The main gay bar/club in Reykjavik is Q Bar, Ingólfsstræti 3 (website: www.qbar.is).

Live Music: NASA (see Clubs above) has a small stage but hosts some of the best musical performances in the country, and is home to the Jazz Festival and Airwaves. Cosy Kaffi Rosenberg, Klapparstigur 25, is another good bet for live music, with all kinds of smaller bands playing mainly jazz and blues. Hressó (Hressingarskálinn), Austurstraeti 20, is a popular cafe during the day, but often has live music in the evening.

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