The Best Ice Cream in Iceland (2026)

Icelanders eat ice cream in blizzards. They eat it in the dark, in the rain, in horizontal wind that would send most people running for shelter. They eat it after dinner, after swimming, after funerals, and on the way home from the supermarket. Per capita, Iceland is one of the most ice-cream-obsessed nations on earth, and if that strikes you as paradoxical for a country where the average temperature hovers around 4 degrees, you have not yet understood Icelanders.

The obsession runs deep. Nearly every town of any size has an "isbud" (ice cream shop), and many of them have been family-run for decades. The quality of Icelandic ice cream is genuinely remarkable -- the dairy is exceptional (Icelandic cows have been genetically isolated for over a thousand years, producing unusually rich, high-fat milk), and the best shops make everything on-site from scratch. This is not artisanal posturing. This is a nation that takes its ice cream as seriously as Italy takes its gelato.

Here is where to find the best of it.

The Legends

Brynja (Akureyri)

There is no discussion of Icelandic ice cream that does not begin with Brynja. Operating from the same modest shop on Adalstraeti in Akureyri since 1939, Brynja produces soft serve of such extraordinary quality that Icelanders drive five hours from Reykjavik specifically to eat it. Ask anyone in the country where the best ice cream is, and the answer is immediate, unanimous, and delivered with a conviction normally reserved for religious belief.

The recipe is a closely guarded family secret, but the result speaks for itself: impossibly smooth, intensely creamy, with a flavour richer and more complex than any soft serve you have encountered elsewhere. A large cone costs around ISK 700 (EUR 4.50), which might be the best-value food purchase in Iceland. The dipped options (chocolate, caramel) are popular, but the plain soft serve is the purest expression of Brynja's mastery. Start there.

Best for: The single most famous food experience in Iceland Must try: Plain soft serve in a cup Location: Adalstraeti 3, Akureyri Open: Daily, year-round (hours vary seasonally)

Isbudin Herdis (Reykjavik)

If Brynja is the national shrine, Isbudin Herdis is Reykjavik's answer -- and a worthy one. The ice cream is made on-site, and the quality is evident in every scoop: rich, clean-flavoured, and properly creamy. The flavour selection rotates and consistently impresses -- salted caramel, liquorice, berry varieties using local bilberries and crowberries, and a vanilla that makes you wonder why anyone orders anything else. Queues form on summer evenings. The wait is worth it.

Best for: The best scooped ice cream in Reykjavik Price: ISK 600-900 (EUR 4-6) per scoop depending on size

Around the Country

Isgerdin (Akureyri)

Akureyri is so serious about ice cream that it supports more than one excellent shop. Isgerdin offers a different experience from Brynja -- scooped ice cream and frozen treats rather than soft serve, with a rotating selection of creative flavours. The quality is high, the portions are generous, and it provides a welcome alternative if you have already visited Brynja (or if the queue there is too long, which in summer is a real possibility). The chocolate flavours are particularly strong.

Best for: Scooped ice cream as an alternative to Brynja's soft serve Location: Akureyri town centre

Isbud Huppu (Selfoss)

If you are driving the Golden Circle or the South Coast, Isbud Huppu in Selfoss is a mandatory detour. This unassuming shop on the main road through town makes its ice cream fresh daily, and the quality rivals anything in Reykjavik or Akureyri. The bragdara here is exceptional -- choose your mix-ins (Oreos, fruit, nuts, chocolate) and watch them blended into the soft serve on a cold slab. It is the kind of place that tourists drive past without noticing but locals drive specifically to visit. A large bragdara costs around ISK 800 (EUR 5).

Best for: The best ice cream stop on the Golden Circle / South Coast route Tip: The bragdara is the thing to order here

Isbudin Haaleitisbraut (Reykjavik)

Isbudin Haaleitisbraut sits slightly outside the tourist centre, which is exactly why locals love it. No tourist queues -- just Reykjavik residents pulling up in cars, grabbing a cone, and eating it in the car park while chatting with neighbours. Classic Icelandic style: soft serve, bragdara, and dipped cones, all excellent.

Best for: An authentic local ice cream experience away from the tourist trail Location: Haaleitisbraut, eastern Reykjavik

Isbudin Akureyri

Isbudin Akureyri rounds out Akureyri's impressive ice cream offering. It is a straightforward, no-frills shop that serves reliable soft serve and bragdara to a loyal local clientele. It lacks the legendary status of Brynja, but the quality is solid and the prices are fair. If Brynja is closed or the queue is unmanageable, this is a good fallback -- and a perfectly enjoyable ice cream experience in its own right.

Best for: Solid ice cream without the Brynja queue

Yoyo Ice Cream (Reykjavik)

Yoyo offers frozen yogurt rather than traditional ice cream -- tangy, refreshing, and lighter. The topping bar is extensive (fruit, chocolate, nuts, sauces), and the build-your-own format appeals to families. Not traditional Icelandic ice cream, and it does not pretend to be.

Best for: Frozen yogurt with custom toppings Location: Central Reykjavik

Honourable Mention: Stefan B Chocolatier

Stefan B is primarily a chocolatier -- and one of the finest in Iceland -- but the ice cream deserves mention. When available, the chocolate ice cream made with Stefan B's own single-origin chocolate is extraordinary: intensely flavoured, silky, and complex. It is not always on offer, so check before making a special trip, but if it is available, do not hesitate. The chocolate shop itself is worth visiting regardless, and a box of truffles makes an excellent souvenir.

Best for: Chocolate ice cream of remarkable quality (when available)

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Why Icelanders Love Ice Cream

The Icelandic ice cream obsession is partly practical and partly cultural. The practical part: Icelandic dairy is genuinely exceptional. The cows (descended from stock brought by the Vikings over 1,100 years ago and never crossbred since) produce milk with a high fat and protein content that translates directly into ice cream of unusual richness and creaminess.

The cultural part runs deeper. Going for ice cream -- "ad fara i bragdara" -- is a social ritual. Families drive to the isbud after dinner. Friends meet at the shop window. Couples go for ice cream the way couples elsewhere go for coffee. The fact that it might be 3 degrees and raining is entirely beside the point. You eat your ice cream outside, you chat with whoever is there, and you go home happy. It is one of Iceland's most endearing traditions, and joining in -- even if you need to put on a hat and gloves to do so -- is one of the most genuinely Icelandic experiences available to a visitor.

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Practical Tips

Timing matters. Most ice cream shops keep longer hours in summer (June-August) and shorter hours in winter. Brynja is open year-round, but some smaller shops may close or reduce hours between October and April. Check before making a long detour.

Bragdara explained. A bragdara is soft serve blended with your choice of mix-ins on a cold slab or in a mixer. It is the Icelandic equivalent of a Blizzard or McFlurry, except made with vastly superior ice cream. Common mix-ins include Daim bars, Oreos, fruit, liquorice, nuts, and chocolate. Ask the staff for recommendations if the options overwhelm you.

Eat it outside. Even if it is cold. This is how it is done. Standing in a car park eating a cone while wearing a down jacket is not a compromise -- it is the authentic experience.

Bring cash as a backup. Most shops accept cards, but some smaller or older isbudir in rural areas may prefer cash. Carrying ISK 2,000 or so is wise.

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How We Chose

We applied a simple test to every shop: would we drive out of our way to come back? The ice cream scene in Iceland is remarkably consistent -- it is hard to find truly bad ice cream here -- but the best shops distinguish themselves through texture, flavour complexity, and that intangible quality of being a place that clearly cares about what it makes. We also valued the experience: a shop that draws locals and makes you feel like you are participating in something culturally genuine scores higher than one that merely serves good ice cream in a sterile environment.

Last updated: February 2026.