Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Opening hours for restaurants are usually 11.30am to 2.30pm and 6pm to 10pm daily.
Note that even in summer, restaurants may stop serving meals around 9pm.
Chef Anthony Bourdain described
hákarl
as 'probably the single worst thing I have ever
put in my mouth'.
Cafes & Pubs
Downtown Reykjavík has a great range of bohemian cafe-bars where you can happily
while away the hours sipping coffee, people-watching, scribbling postcards or tinkering on
your laptop. Menus range from simple soups and sandwiches to fish dishes and designer
burgers. Recent years have seen cafe menus morph into more restaurant-like menus (with
an attendant hike in prices). The cafe scene is spreading, too, with some cool new spots
scattered around the country.
Many of Reykjavík's cafes morph into wild drinking dens in the evenings (mostly Fri-
days and Saturdays). Suddenly DJs appear, coffee orders turn to beer, and people get pro-
gressively louder and less inhibited as the evening goes on, usually until sometime
between 4am and 5am. Outside the capital, things are considerably more subdued, al-
though Friday and Saturday nights do see action in Akureyri.
Hot Dog Stands & Petrol Stations
Icelanders do enjoy fast food! If you see a queue in Reykjavík, it probably ends at a
pýlsur
(hot dog) stand. Large petrol stations often have good, cheap, well-patronised grills and
cafeterias attached. They generally serve sandwiches and fast food from around 11am to
9pm or 10pm. Some also offer hearty set meals at lunchtime, such as meat soup, fish of the
day or plates of lamb. Cafeterias at N1 service stations anywhere along the Ring Road are
invariably busy.
Sweet, peppery caraway is used to flavour Icelandic cheese, coffee, bread and
brennivín.
In late August, after the plant has flowered, some Reykjavíkers make a trip to Viðey island
to gather caraway seeds.
