I am actually headed to Iceland shortly! Can definitely provide some recommendations for Reykjavik. Picky eaters will have some challenges in Iceland unless they enjoy seafood. Beef, chicken, pork are not as common as you would think. Mostly lamb and seafood.
Either way, it’s an amazing country. We are doing Northern Iceland including the Westfjords and Aekyuri this time but did Hala and a bit of the South the first time we went.
Looking forward to your trip report. Safe travels.
My FIL is a vegetarian, but he eats fish (but only white flakey stuff). My 17 year old eats like a child…chicken fingers, pasta, etc. We’ve done these family trips before so we are used to these issues. But it always helps to have restaurants in advance so my wife and I can scan the menu in advance.
Mike, as one who comes from a somewhat disjointed family (both mine and my wife’s), I enjoy reading about your trips (both taken and planned). I hope we are able to do the same when our kids are older (if they have families of their own).
I appreciate it. We are definitely very lucky. My wife and I grew up in the same town although we didn’t date until after college. So our parents knew each other since we were little kids. Our parents still live near us so my kids have had the opportunity to grow up with them nearby and get to spend a ton of time with them. It helps that all four of them are easy going and fun to be with. It’s my fondest wish that we are able to do the same with my kids as well.
My wife and I laugh…if we can grow up to be half as good a person as our parents, we will have done something right.
Food Cellar was a standout for us in Reykjavik when we visited Iceland in late 2019. Was recommended it by a friend and was so good we ended up having dinner there twice. Plus plenty of tasty vegetarian options.
A few years back I had a great dinner at Tapas Barrin in Reykjavik, which was delicious and had a great 7 course tasting menu (with both a meat and a vegetarian version). You probably would need to call ahead for a bigger group, but might be worth checking out!
I don’t know if this on your route, but the best restaurant we ate at was Tryggvaskali in Selfoss. It was so good we ate there twice.
A couple of other recommendations:
We went directly from the airport to the Blue Lagoon and then to the hotel. It was a great way to decompress from the flight
Use Waze. Just punch in the name of your destination and drive. Important, however, is to get a WiFi unit for the rental car.We got uninterrupted service.
Alcohol is VERY expensive everywhere-retail and at restaurants. I would buy at duty free when you land.
In all honesty, food and booze is so expensive and mediocre in Iceland that IMO it’s not worth “splurging” for a nice meal unless a view is involved.
In downtown Reykjavik:
But seriously, the hot dogs are great
Mandis has delicious gyros and is open late
The ramen place is surprisingly good!
There’s also another asian noodle soup place that’s delicious
View from Perlan is wonderful
Lobster soup and fresh seafood at Seagrieffin
Kex hostel has a wonderful bar with a great tap list and good food (with veggie options iirc)
Omnom chocolate on the harbor is cool
Skuli craft bar is also good for beer
Islenski barinn is a good place to try fermented shark/puffin/whale
Drink Brennivin, not wine
Have fun! I love Iceland and go every year.
Oh, don’t forget to pack a jacket! Their summers are about as summery as San Francisco in July.