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So What’s There to Eat in Iceland?

January 24, 2014 by Jean Holy Smithereens 8 Comments

I wasn’t convinced that it is food that makes the world go round until we got back from Iceland. I was brimming with tales of adventure! Insanely cold weather! Climbing glaciers! Dog Sledding!

But the number 1 question I get asked about the trip is,

“What’s there to eat in Iceland?”

Well for starters, lots of seafood. And I’m very thrilled about it because I’m a master-lover of seafood! On a regular basis I have seafood almost 90% of the time so this was very comforting to me.

And Icelanders, they love their hotdogs. There were many hotdog stands all over Reykjavik (and I hear on the road too), and Zombie reckons they were one of the most amazing hotdogs he’s had.

Having said that about Icelandic hotdogs though, one of the most startling things I discovered was:

No McDonalds in Iceland
No McDonalds in Iceland

There’s no McDonalds in Iceland.

Yup, you read that right. No Mickey D’s, no Maccas. It’s amazing! The closest ‘junk food’ meal we had was Subway for lunch in between activities.

But here are some of the meals we’ve had while in Iceland. Bear in mind that this wasn’t a food-trip, nor did we go out of our way to explore what Icelandic food is (uhm, except for one dish), so these are what more or less a couple with an ordinary diet would consume on a trip to Iceland.

1.) LOBSTERS

lobsters in Iceland
lobsters in Iceland

So I started the list off with my ultimate most favourite meal in Iceland. This plate of magnificent lobsters were had when we went on a caving trip with Arctic Adventures. They are smaller than your usual lobsters but each bite is 60% more succulent than your regular, larger lobsters.

2.)  Lobster Soup

lobster soup in Iceland
lobster soup in Iceland

I had this bowl of warm, comforting lobster soup at MAR restaurant for lunch. This lobster soup is unlike other lobster soups or similar seafood chowders I’ve had. It was very sweet. Like chocolate-y sweet. It’s something that takes getting used to but it sure does  a good job in keeping you warm in the freezing weather.

3.) Bacalao

Bacalao in Iceland
Bacalao in Iceland

Bacalao (or Bacalhau) is Portuguese for cod. And in a culinary text it is dried and salted cod. What we had in MAR Restaurant was salted indeed but it definitely wasn’t dry.

4.) Chicken Salad

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the good old chicken salad in Iceland

Ah, not so exotique now. This was for lunch on a not-too-cold day, and I was missing my dose of vege so I had this.

5.) Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos in Bunk Bar
Fish Tacos in Bunk Bar

This is my second best favourite meal in Iceland. We had this for lunch at Bunk Bar, a very hip bar and cafe/restaurant in Laugavegur Street, which is the most central street in Reykjavik (where all shops and restaurants are concentrated).

Though it’s called ‘Fish Tacos’ I think ‘Fish Burrito’ would be more apt. Nevertheless, it was amazing and I wish we had time to grab a second fill of it before we left.

6.) Soup in a Bread Bowl

Soup in a Bread Bowl. Reykjavik.
Soup in a Bread Bowl. Reykjavik.

It was one of those unbearably cold evenings so we hopped inside a small restaurant which seemed to be very popular because of this soup in a bread bowl. It was served quickly, with only 2 soup choices ( chilli con carne or Indian vegetarian). I had the Indian vegetarian and Zombie had the meat-y soup.

I have to say the soup itself (and bread) was nothing extraordinary but on a cold,  cold night? It’s a hit.

7.) Grilled Salmon Skewer

20131011_184604
Grilled Salmon in Iceland

This was one of our last meals in Iceland. We ate at a really queer (like vintage-y kind of strange) restaurant that was in the harbour side. It’s a seafood restaurant where you choose your fish/meat ala market style and they will grill it for you right then and there.

The salmon was good (though on the drier side) and I wish the veggies weren’t grilled as well (they were mush!).

8.) Minke Whale

20131011_184617
minke whale meat in Iceland
20131011_181551
minke whale meat in Iceland

So yes, we had whale meat in Iceland. Once. I didn’t like it but I’m happy to have tried it.

Whaling in Iceland is done sustainably. And prior to arriving, I was undecided about how I felt about whaling in Iceland ( or eating horse and puffin for that matter). We spoke to locals and the best explanation I’ve heard someone say was, “Look, we are a country that does not have a multitude of livestock. We eat what we are blessed abundantly with.” And isn’t this logic the same in almost any other country?

To those who are curious, the best way I can describe whale meat is like, having the consistency of a steak (beef), with the strong taste of tuna.

And to those who would like to visit Iceland but don’t want to have a taste of whale, do look out for ‘whale-friendly’ signs in restaurant doors:

Whale friendly restaurants are all over Reykjavik
Whale friendly restaurants are all over Reykjavik

9.) Corny and Oreo

junk food in Iceland
junk food in Iceland

Corny is all over Iceland. It seems to be a brand of granola/snack bar that is so handy to take along because it’s available just about anywhere. I had a couple ready in my daybag whenever we went out on activities and trips during the day.

Now I didn’t try this Oreo but I just saw it in a convenience store. I thought it was befitting that their Oreo was extra ‘snowy’ as well. Not up my alley though. At the best of times, I remove the cream filling in Oreo so the white choc might make me gag.

—

So this wraps up some of the food we had in Iceland. Bottomline, Iceland is not a place where I would specifically go to for a food trip, however–

Quotation-Deborah-Cater-food-culture-travel-Meetville-Quotes-140814

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Have you tried any of the above? Which one would you like to try?

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Filed Under: Adventure, Europe, Iceland, Travels

About Jean Holy Smithereens

Jean is a lover of luxury travel and adventure, always looking for that "Holy Smithereens"-inducing moment on her travels. Follow the blog and other social media pages of Holy Smithereens to get the ultimate travel ideas for the luxurious adventurer!

Comments

  1. Annette | Bucket List Journey says

    January 25, 2014 at 3:20 pm

    Wow! The food looks delicious, especially all that lobster!

    Reply
    • Jean Holy Smithereens says

      January 26, 2014 at 12:47 am

      Hi Annette, indeed the lobsters were my favourite. they are smaller than the usual lobster but oh so succulent! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Connie Reed says

    January 26, 2014 at 12:29 pm

    Food has become a big part of every trip, whether local or someplace exotic. It’s always fun to try the new restaurants and new foods. The food in Iceland all looks delicious, including the whale, but with your description of it tasting like strong tuna, I wouldn’t like it either. I’ll remember that if I ever get to Iceland.

    Reply
    • Jean Holy Smithereens says

      January 26, 2014 at 2:39 pm

      Hi Connie, definitely! I always think to myself “Try everything once” (well it also depends what it is, I do have a list of things that I simply won’t ever try). As for the whale, I won’t be craving for it definitely, but at least I got to try it.

      Reply
  3. ballnchainz says

    February 4, 2014 at 2:55 pm

    Thank you very much for making me hungry now. This was a very good and informative write up. Very well done.

    Reply
    • Jean Holy Smithereens says

      February 4, 2014 at 9:32 pm

      Hi ballnchaniz! Haha sorry if I made you hungry..well that’s a good excuse to head to Iceland now isn’t it! 🙂 If you are a seafood lover definitely go for it!

      Reply
  4. Escape Hunter says

    October 12, 2014 at 1:35 pm

    It seems Iceland isn’t at all boring from food’s point-of-view.
    McDonald’s pulled out of Iceland following the financial crisis. They said it was too expensive to operate there anymore. I reckon Iceland is quite expensive, anyway.

    Reply
    • Jean Holy Smithereens says

      October 15, 2014 at 8:40 am

      Hi, yes Iceland is quite expensive I agree. But they are quite isolated from the rest of Europe so trade will be higher. Kind of like Australia 🙂
      It’s a good move to get McDonalds out of the country. They do have a lot of hotdog stands though!

      Reply

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