Isbud Huppu

Icelanders take their ice cream seriously. Not in the artisanal, single-origin, small-batch way that other nations take their ice cream seriously, but in the "it is minus five and blowing sideways and we are queuing for soft serve" way. Isbud Huppu understands this national quirk better than most, and has built a chain of ice cream shops that cater to it with enthusiasm.

The Ice Cream

The centrepiece is the Huppurefir — Huppu's take on the Icelandic bragdarefur tradition, where soft-serve ice cream is mixed on a cold stone with your choice of sweets, candy, chocolate, fruit, and sauces. The combinations are essentially infinite, and customisation is the entire point. You pick your mix-ins, the staff fold them into the ice cream, and you receive a cup of something that is half dessert, half art project.

The ice cream itself is rich, creamy, and properly thick — the base quality matters because it is what holds the whole construction together. Cheaper ice cream would collapse under the weight of a full Huppurefir; Huppu's holds firm.

For those who prefer simplicity, plain soft-serve with a dip is available, and the dip selection (chocolate, liquorice, caramel, and more) is extensive. But if this is your first visit, the Huppurefir is the experience to have.

The Selfoss Original

The chain started in Selfoss in 2013 and has since expanded across Iceland. The Selfoss shop on Eyravegi remains the original and is a convenient stop for anyone driving through the South Iceland region — Selfoss is the main service town on the Ring Road's southern stretch and a natural place to refuel both car and spirits.

Practical Tips

Location strategy. If you are driving the Golden Circle or the South Coast, the Selfoss branch is perfectly positioned for a stop. If you are in Reykjavik, the Alfheimar branch is accessible. Heading north? The Akureyri and Borgarnes branches have you covered.

Year-round. Open every day, all year. Do not let the weather deter you. Eating Huppu ice cream in January is a more authentic Icelandic experience than eating it in July.

Go big. The Huppurefir is not the moment for restraint. Pick three or four mix-ins and let the staff build something memorable. The liquorice and chocolate combination is particularly Icelandic; the Oreo and caramel combination is universally reliable.

Late-night option. Open until 23:00, Isbud Huppu functions as a late-evening destination in towns where other food options have long since closed. An ice cream at 22:30 under the midnight sun is one of Iceland's simple pleasures.

Isbud Huppu is not reinventing ice cream. It is doing what Iceland has always done with ice cream — serving it generously, customising it enthusiastically, and selling it regardless of the weather — and doing it consistently well across a growing number of locations.