My walk in downtown Reykjavik

On a lovely sunny day this week me and my coworkers went on the Reykjavik food walk in downtown Reykjavik. We met up with our guide in the heart of the city center. The first restaurant we visited is the Seabaron or Sægreifinn in Icelandic. It's a seafood restaurant and the inside looks like a boat home and I got the feeling like being at my grand-dad place. We got a delicious lobster soup, bread and a taste of whale meat (whale meat is not at all common in Iceland and I would never make my own at home) .
 
After we were done eating we walked to a hot dog stand called Bæjarins besta or the towns best hot dogs. It is a very common stop with both locals and guests. The most popular hot dog is the “one with everything” (meaning ketchup, mustard, fried and fresh onion + remulaði which is kind if Icelandic relish) and with a side of coca-cola. A hot dog is very popular food to have all year around, probably the most popular lunch among the local. We even have hot dogs for lunch on our riding tours! The hot dogs were my favourite part of the tour.

The third stop was next to the city hall. This is a very nice place to stop beacuse there is always birds on the pond and a nice view. We went in a cafe called Iðnó. It used to be an old theater but now it's a nice little café. We got a traditional Icelandic meat soup and some flat bread with smoked lamb. It is a very popular place amongst actors and collage students. I was kind of starstruck because someone was filming an advertisement  so we saw a couple of famous Icelandic celebrities when we had our lunch.

The last stop was at cafe Loki. It is located just by Hallgrímskirkja. The cafe is named after Loki the mystivouis god or brother of Thor the thunder god. It is a very cozy place and you get a nice view of the church. We got a platter full of Icelandic food. We had fish stew, rye bread, rye bread icecream and of course the famous shark and Black Death, the Icelandic snaps.  

If your ever in a pickle on where to eat I recommend these places for lunch. Then there are a lot of other places to choose from for a nice evening dinner. Some of my favourites are Fjallkonan, Sæta svínið and Trés Locos.

There are also alot of non food related things to do in downtown Reykjavík. If you are near the harbour area you should definitely check out Flyover Iceland. It's a fun experience for all ages and you get to see the hidden gems of Iceland. Also near the harbour is the whale museum. If you are a big fan of the Icelandic sea creatures this place is for you. If you happen to stay in Reykjavik over the weekend i reccomend checking out Kolaportið. It's a thrift store with all kinds of products, many of them handmade. If you need to buy an Icelandic wool sweater this is one of the places where they sell them.

​Also an interesting visit is going to the 871 +/- Settlement Exhibition. You get to see Viking ruins and see how our ancestors used to live. Another great museum is the National museum of Iceland. You go through a journy of time, you get to se insight into the history of the Icelandic nation from the settlement to the present day.  I can also recommend a visit to Perlan, the Wonders of Iceland. You get to learn all about Icelandic nature and beauty. It has a nothern lights and volcano show, the biggest cliff in Iceland and facts about Icelandic glaciers. There is also a small ice cave that you can go into. Perlan has a great resturant and cafe at the top so that is a nice place to get some coffee and enjoy the view of the Reykjavik area.

Reykjavik has a lot to offer but i think spending the day downtown, eating good food and going to fun activities is a must do if your ever in Iceland.

You can even book all your tours here: Exploring Iceland on your own

Text by: Lóa
​Photos by: Lóa and Steinunn