You’ll never guess where I had the best food in Reykjavik, Iceland. Maybe some of the best food ever. And, for being one of the most expensive countries in the world, it was actually very cheap.
Food carts.
Reykjavik has some fantastic food carts! One hot dog cart in particular was rated Top 5 Best Street Food Stands in Europe by The Guardian. I highly recommend you check out this article from Iceland Magazine. In fact, print it out and bring it with you. It’s basically a directory of all Reykjavik food carts with descriptions, addresses and business hours.
Reykjavik Food Prices
To give you an idea of the cost of dining out in Iceland, an entree at a diner (I’m talking one that was connected to a gas station) was about $30. So, that’s on the low end. If you go anywhere nicer, it just goes up from there. The food cart items were less than $10, some times less than $5, and they were delicious! Below are my favorite food carts and I included a bakery- one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to (also cheap for Icelandic standards).
Lækjartorg Square
If you read my last post, you’ll know that I was in Reykjavik for a bachelorette party. Given our festive itinerary, our eating was usually late night. Laekjartorg Square is a well known square in the middle of town with a gang of food carts open late. They had several savory carts with items like doner, kebab wraps, lobster rolls (was not a fan), burgers, etc, but my two favorites were sweet trucks. So, I recommend you start at the hot dog stand below (5 mins away) and then head here for dessert.
Don’s Donuts- The Doughnut Wagon
These are definitely not your average donuts. First, they are fried fresh-per-order. The dough reminds me of funnel cake batter, light and airy, not dense and cakey. I also love their mini size- perfect for sharing. There’s an assortment of topping to customize your donuts like chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, coconut, cinnamon & sugar, etc. These little fresh fried gems will blow your mind.
Voffluvagninn- The Waffle Wagon
I absolutely love a good Liege waffle- caramelized crust with a chewy, moist interior. This wagon serves them fresh, and they’re just as amazing as the ones I’ve had in Europe. They feature a ginormous menu of topping combinations. I still dream about this waffle.
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur
As a Chicagoan, I’m partial to hot dogs. Not your slimy, school cafeteria ones, but I’ll eat a well put together gourmet dog any day. The Icelandic hot dog is a speciality, and Baejarins Beztu Pylsur is the king of them. This food cart was the one awarded Top 5 Street Food Cart in Europe by The Guardian. The Icelandic dog with everything is a hot dog on a bun with fried onions, raw onions, ketchup, remoulade and sweet mustard. It’s unique, delicious and about $4 US.
Sandholt
Sandholt is a small bakery inside of Sandhotel. Next time I’m in Iceland, I’m going to check and see if they have rooms open just so I can eat Sandholt every day. I’m serious.
This family owned bakery has been around since 1920, and their homemade treats are incredibly delicious. They only use the freshest local ingredients and have everything from traditional breads, as well as, innovative desserts and gourmet sandwiches. The highlight of my trip was their smoked salmon sandwich on fresh pretzel bread with cream cheese & dill and their fresh jelly donut of the day- mango ginger. It was one of my top 5 meals of 2017, and it was less than $20 US.
