The 10 Best Restaurants in Reykjavik (2026)

Reykjavik punches well above its weight as a food city. For a capital with fewer than 150,000 residents, it supports a restaurant scene of remarkable depth and ambition — from the only Michelin-starred kitchen in the country to a harbour-side hot dog stand that has been drawing queues since 1937. The challenge is not finding somewhere good to eat. The challenge is choosing.

This guide cuts through the noise. Whether you have a single evening to spare or a full week to explore, these ten restaurants represent the best of what Reykjavik's food scene has to offer in 2026.

1. Dill

No list of Reykjavik restaurants can begin anywhere else. Dill earned Iceland's first Michelin star in 2017 and has held it ever since, offering a seven-to-ten course tasting menu built entirely from Icelandic ingredients. Chef Gunnar Karl Gíslason works with highland lamb, wild-caught langoustine, skyr, foraged herbs, and fermented grains to create food that is unmistakably rooted in this landscape. The dining room is small and intimate. Reservations open months in advance and disappear quickly.

Best for: The definitive Iceland fine dining experience Book: Online at dillrestaurant.is — well in advance

2. Grillið

Perched on the eighth floor of the Saga Hotel, Grillið offers something rare: panoramic views over Reykjavik and Faxaflói bay to match an equally impressive plate of food. This is one of the city's oldest fine dining institutions, and it shows — in the professional service, the serious wine cellar, and the assured cooking centred on Icelandic seafood and prime meat. The langoustine bisque is a classic for a reason.

Best for: Special occasions with a view Book: Via phone or the hotel website

3. Grillmarkadurinn

The Grill Market is one of Reykjavik's most consistently excellent upscale restaurants. Set in a dramatic dining room with exposed stone and warm lighting in the heart of the city, it specialises in Icelandic prime cuts — beef, lamb, and seafood — cooked over an open grill. The prime langoustine tails are outstanding, and the dry-aged beef has a following of regulars who return specifically for it. A strong choice for carnivores.

Best for: Premium grilled meat and seafood Location: Lækjargata 2a, 101 Reykjavik

4. Messinn

If there is one restaurant in Reykjavik that captures the essence of Icelandic seafood without the fine dining price tag, it is Messinn. The concept is simple: fresh fish, pan-fried or grilled, served in cast-iron skillets with seasonal sides. The fish of the day is always worth ordering. It is the kind of place where locals bring out-of-town guests when they want to show off what Icelandic ingredients can do at an accessible price point.

Best for: Honest, excellent Icelandic fish Location: Lækjargata 6b, 101 Reykjavik

5. Matur og Drykkur

The name means "food and drink" in Icelandic, and the restaurant earns it — this is traditional Icelandic food, lovingly researched and thoughtfully updated for a contemporary audience. Expect dishes drawn from old Icelandic cookbooks: salt cod with brown butter, lamb head (svið) prepared with unexpected elegance, and rye bread ice cream. It is the most interesting window into Icelandic culinary heritage in the city.

Best for: Traditional Icelandic food, reimagined Location: Grandagarður 2, 101 Reykjavik (Old Harbour)

Want a Guided Introduction?

If you would rather have someone else do the choosing, a guided food tour of Reykjavik is a smart way to sample several of these restaurants — and a few hidden spots — in a single evening. Tours typically run 2-3 hours and cover 5-7 tastings. Expect to pay around ISK 12,000-18,000 (EUR 80-120) per person.

6. Rok

Rok is the kind of neighbourhood restaurant that every city needs and few cities have: affordable, imaginative, consistently good. The menu changes frequently and leans plant-forward without being exclusively so — expect creative salads, excellent burgers, and daily specials that make good use of seasonal ingredients. The wine list is well-chosen and fairly priced. Queues form early; arrive before 18:30 or be prepared to wait.

Best for: Casual dinner with great value Location: Frakkastígur 26a, 101 Reykjavik

7. Snaps Bistro

Snaps is Reykjavik's French bistro — and a very good one. The moules frites are excellent, the steak frites are better, and the wine list covers the French regions with the seriousness they deserve. The room is lively and convivial, the service is efficient without being rushed, and the whole experience has the easy confidence of a restaurant that has found its groove and stayed in it. A reliable choice any night of the week.

Best for: French bistro classics, done well Location: Þórsgata 1, 101 Reykjavik

8. Fjallkonan

Fjallkonan ("The Mountain Woman") occupies a beautifully restored old building in the heart of Reykjavik and serves traditional Icelandic cuisine with a theatrical flourish. The menu features reindeer, puffin (ethically sourced), skyr-based desserts, and slow-cooked lamb stew. It caters partly to tourists, but does so with genuine quality and pride — this is not a tourist trap. The ambience, with its candlelit rooms and period details, is genuinely charming.

Best for: Traditional Icelandic cuisine in a historic setting Location: Hverfisgata 16, 101 Reykjavik

9. Sushi Social

The addition of Sushi Social to this list might raise eyebrows — Iceland is not the obvious home of great Japanese food. But the quality of the raw material here is undeniable: the salmon, Arctic char, and langoustine that go into these rolls come from Icelandic waters, and they are exceptional. The kitchen blends Japanese technique with South American influences, producing a menu that is inventive, playful, and very good. The bar programme is equally strong.

Best for: Creative sushi with outstanding Icelandic fish Location: Laugavegur 28, 101 Reykjavik

10. Baejarins Beztu Pylsur

No best-of list for Reykjavik is complete without Bæjarins Beztu. Iceland's most famous hot dog stand has been operating from its kiosk on Tryggvagata since 1937, and the pylsa — a lamb, pork, and beef sausage with sweet mustard, remoulade, ketchup, and crispy onion — remains one of the great street food experiences in Northern Europe. Bill Clinton ate here in 2004. You should too. Order "ein með öllu" (one with everything).

Best for: An iconic, affordable Reykjavik experience Location: Tryggvagata 1, 101 Reykjavik

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Beyond the Top 10

Reykjavik's food scene runs deeper than any list of ten can capture. For seafood lovers, Sjavargrillid and Fiskfelagid deserve serious attention. Sumac brings excellent Middle Eastern flavours, while Flatey Pizza serves the best sourdough pizza in the city. Braud & Co is essential for pastries, and Cafe Loki next to Hallgrimskirkja is the best place to try traditional rye bread and dried fish in a casual setting.

For the full picture, browse our complete restaurant listings for Reykjavik — we currently cover over 80 restaurants across the city.

If you are visiting for the first time and want to make the most of limited time, a Reykjavik food walking tour hits several of these spots in one evening and includes tastings you would not easily arrange on your own.

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How We Chose

This list was compiled based on consistent quality across multiple visits, the distinctiveness of what each restaurant offers, and value relative to price. We did not accept payment or complimentary meals from any restaurant in exchange for inclusion. Our aim is to give you an honest picture of Reykjavik's dining scene — the places we would send our own friends when they ask where to eat. The restaurants on this list span a wide range of budgets and styles, because the best restaurant for any given evening depends as much on what you are in the mood for as on any objective quality metric.

We update this guide annually. Last updated: February 2026.