r e y k j a v i c b a n k i n g
c o l l a p s ec r o w d e d w o r l d
| r e y k j a v i c b a n k i n g c o l l a p s ec r o w d e d w o r l d | |
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What is the meaning of the word kreppa... read here to find out.
That was cool, because I knew I wasn't in Reykjavik for the food -- I was there for the kick ass music and the Midnight Sun! The first time I went to Iceland, I couldn't afford to eat anything at all! That said, if you have the money, there are some gourmet options in the country -- mostly in Reykjavik, but also in other towns and villages. This website is basically the attempt to catalogue all of these aforestated Icelandic dining options. So the góðærið ("golden times") are over. For example, there is Thorri, a Viking festival held on the Friday in the 13th week of the year. Each February Perlan (one of Reykjavik's most important sites) hosts a Thorri Day of its own for 200 guests. An hour's walk about Öskjuhlíð is followed by servings of hot cocoa and rum, after which a banquet is held with traditional food as it was prepared a thousand years ago. Thorlaksmessa, held two days before Christmas in honor of Iceland's native saint, is another festival you could experience if you were so inclined.
++ATM's in Reykjavik++++Better Red than Dead++ ++Bonus Supermarket Chain Feeling the Imports Pinch++++'Burgers++++Cafes++++Hot Dogs++++Hotel Restaurants++++Gourmet Restaurants++++Icelandic Home Cooking++++Italian Restaurants++  ATM's in Iceland Aðalbanki Austurstræti 5 101 Reykjavík Austurbæjarútibú Laugavegi 120, v/Hlemm 105 Reykjavík Árbæjarútibú Hraunbæ 117 110 Reykjavík Borgarholtsskóli Mosavegi 112 Reykjavík Hagkaup Skeifunni 108 Reykjavík Domus Medica Egilsgötu 3 101 Reykjavík Félagsstofnun stúdenta Hringbraut 101 Reykjavík Fjölbrautaskólinn í Breiðholti Suðurlandsbraut 2, Hótel Esju 105 Reykjavík Háskóli Íslands Suðurgata 101 Reykjavík Háskólinn í Reykjavík Ofanleiti 103 Reykjavík Höfðaútibú Hverafold 1-3 112 Reykjavík Kringluútibú Kringlan 8-12, 2. hæð 103 Reykjavík Kringlan 8-12 Kringlan v/Hagkaup 1. hæð 103 Reykjavík Landakotsspítali Túngötu 26 101 Reykjavík Landspítalinn Barónsstíg 101 Reykjavík Melaútibú Hagatorg 107 Reykjavík Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð Hamrahlíð 105 Reykjavík Menntaskólinn við Sund Gnoðarvogi 43 104 Reykjavík Miðbær Reykjavíkur Laugavegi 3 101 Reykjavík Mjódd Þönglabakka 1 109 Reykjavík Sambíóin Álfabakka 8 109 Reykjavík Vesturbæjarútibú Vesturgötu 54 107 Reykjavík Verslunarskóli Íslands Ofanleiti 1 103 Reykjavík Garðatorgi 5 Garðatorgi 5 210 Garðabær Fjarðargötu 13-15 Fjarðargötu 13-15 220 Hafnarfjörður Smáratorg 1 Smáratorg 1 200 Kópavogur Þverholti 1 Þverholti 1 270 Mosfellsbær Kirkjubraut 28 Kirkjubraut 28 300 Akranes Geislagötu 5 Geislagötu 5 600 Akureyri Glerártorgi Glerártorgi 600 Akureyri Hagkaup Furuvöllum 17 600 Akureyri Sunnuhlíð 12 Sunnuhlíð 12 600 Akureyri Menntaskólinn á Akureyri Eyrarlandsvegi 28 600 Akureyri Húnabraut 5 Húnabraut 5 600 Akureyri Shellskálinn 310 Borgarnes Miðbraut 15a Miðbraut 15a 370 Búðardalur Fagradalsbraut 11 Fagradalsbraut 11 700 Egilsstaðir Nían Miðvangi 700 Egilsstaðir Akurgerði 4 Akurgerði 4 845 Flúðir Grundargötu 30 Grundargötu 30 350 Grundarfjörður Þrúðvangi 5 Þrúðvangi 5 850 Hella Breiðumörk 20 Breiðumörk 20 810 Hveragerði Kirkjubæjarklaustur Kirkjubæjarklaustur 880 Kirkjubæjarklaustur Laugarvatn Laugarvatn 840 Laugarvatn Skagfirðingabúð Skagfirðingabúð 550 Sauðárkrókur Austurvegi 10 Austurvegi 10 800 Selfoss Aðalgötu 10 Aðalgötu 10 340 Stykkishólmur Varmahlíð Varmahlíð 560 Varmahlíð Ránarbraut 1 Ránarbraut 1 870 Vík í Mýrdal
Bitbank // Auroracoin // ina: Lækjargötu 6 | 101 Reykjavík | Sími: 511 1333 | Web: www.4x4.is/others/amigos/. As a writer at GoNomad has pointed out: "Many Mexican restaurants are in city center. But don't expect the same type of Mexican food you are accustomed to. The special Iceland touch with sauces on very thick homemade dough makes this well-worth tasting. The Mexican fare is at reasonable prices, from $5 for a taco and up." Amigos Mexican Cantina is one of those many Mexican restaurants in the city. Whether it is authentic real Mexican food, or Mexican food filtered through an Icelandic lens, I don't know, because I have never actually visited the place.
Apótek Bar Grill: Pósthússtræti 7 | 101 Reykjavík | Sími: 562 4455 | Web: http://www.veitingar.is. Apotek Bar-Grill is one of the newest restaurants in Reykjavík. The building at Austurstræti 16 formerly housed the pharmacy Reykjavíkurapótek, which lent the restaurant its name. The food at this place is not cheap -- but this is Iceland after all, what did you expect? The maki sushi on the menu (basically rice and seafood type stuff wrapped in seaweed) will set you back 300Kr a plate, which is about five times what you would expect to pay for the same thing in Tokyo (but I guess this is not Japan!) Grilled flounder with fried noodle cake and ponzu-noisette sauce goes for 2860Kr, while the salted cod with cardamom sauce, mashed potatoes and bacon is a steal at 2990Kr (equal to the cost of about six big glasses of beer in a swinging Reykjavik bar!)
Argentína Steikhús: Barónsstíg 11a | Reykjavík 101 | Sími: 551 9555 | Web: www.argentina.is. According to the official homepage: "Argentina Steakhouse opened 1989 and has since been one of the most popular restaurants in Iceland... in the wooden panelled passageway to the restaurant you can detect the southern atmosphere that awaits you inside. In the lobby, the wild South-American vibes of the decoration and demeanour hits you. At the reception, the dancing red flames in the fireplace keep the guests warm and the leather sofas and chairs promise comfort." You might have dined on steaks in other parts of the world, but this restaurant offers some unique tastes and flavors. For example, Icelandic ox. Quoting from the restaurant's website again: "The Icelandic ox has remained unchanged since the time of the settlers, over 1000 years ago. It is smaller than elsewhere and renowned for its quality as the body develops slowly, making the meat more stable and the muscles finer so that there is more time for fat to build up. Fat is absolutely necessary for the meat to grill perfectly and for the steak to turn out succulent and tender. On the menu, you can also find wide selection of seafood and the very tender Icelandic lamb."
On Comment is Free, icelandic26 wrote: "I can tell you how everything is here. "I live in fear. "Everyone does. "People are loosing their jobs. "People are losing their savings. "People have lost faith in the gorvernment. "People resent the national bank of Iceland that greatly failed all it's duties. "Fresh groceries like fruits and vegetables are running out. "Am I going to starve? "Will I be able to use my debitcard to pay for food for my two small children? "I am hardly able to pay for their daycare, let alone paying the gas on my car. "Will my bank have closed my debitcard and swallowed my money and savings when I wake up tomorrow? "Will my children get the healtcare they need? "I have million questions but I don't seem to get answers anywhere. "It seems like nobody knows the answers. "i don't know how this will end. "People are crying everywhere. "They can't pay for their houses, their cars, their everything, yet they can't sell either, they're stuck in dept. "Everything gone in just few days. "Sincerely I don't quite know what happened, or maybe I should say, how it was allowed to happen. "I didn't know how stupid the actions of my government and a few businessmen would turn out to be. I didn't even know it had all gotten so big.. silly me, silly us. "These men have destroyed the world as I know it. "I'm afraid for some of my folks, some of them work in banks, other are in businesses of some sort. "Will they loose their jobs? "Are they going to starve? "Wil they be safe? "They certainly will loose everything. "Iceland is in crisis, it's like we've been hit by a big tornado of some sort. "But instead of helping us, each and everyone of us get handled like TERRORISTS?!? "Do you truly know HOW everything is here? "We are paralized... "We are in shock and sorrow..."
Later on the same thread Kristjana said: "I have lost my job, I have lost the little savings I had in founds, recommended by my bank of 20 years. Soon I will loose my home and I have not own a car in 5 years.
Our government has not listen to any warnings, either from us, the public or experts around the world. Our currency is and has been for years of no worth and we have to count on foreign currency for all our imports. There is no foreign currency left in the country and our imports are under regulation. Only food, oil and medicine is allowed to import. If we go abroad we have to show an airline ticket to get foreign currency. At the moment we can no use any credit or debit cards in other countries so all Icelanders, both turists and student are moneyless were ever they are. We can not just put euros or pounds to them as we can not get them over here.
A little later on JonJonsson claims: "There is not a single person here in Iceland who has not lost some money in this finance crisis. And many people have lost very much. I think that the Icelandic government has not acted right in some things i.e. they should have stopped these banks in Iceland long time a go (which wasnt so easy in that time when all things were going right). Iceland is a microcosom of what could happen on a larger scale if the credit situation doesnft get fixed. All those people advocating a gcash onlyh lifestyle donft seem to quite understand how the world works these days. Credit is the lifeblood of the econonmy as there is a cascading series of people that get paid for their products and services in 30 day terms or better. The issue is further complicated by the fact that most of what the US consumes (aside from food) is imported from overseas. Everything from oil to the Wal-Mart items that come from China are all imported on credit! Culiacan: Faxafeni 9 | 101 Reykjavik | Sími: 533 1033 | Web: www.culiacan.is/. The Guardian wrote on December 22: "The sign at Keflavik international airport made for an odd greeting. "Welcome to Halfpriceland," it said. "Are you here for the nature or the exchange rate?" It was quickly deemed offensive and removed. But it spoke volumes about Iceland, and its sudden dereliction. Not so long ago, Iceland was known mainly as an expensive, exotic geological wonder in the North Atlantic. Now it stands for something altogether different: the first sovereign victim of the financial crisis, and a sobering case study in what happens to a country when an economy falls off a cliff. The collapse of the banking system and the currency, the krona, has been so severe that it has left a surreal economic landscape: a country gone from rich to poor so quickly that it can no longer afford some imports; moribund construction sites dotted with half-finished buildings; an affable people now reduced to pelting parliament with eggs; newspapers so strapped that they are struggling to afford the paper on which to print the news, just at a time when Iceland has become newsworthy. Anyone with debt is feeling the pain the most. One of the features of the Icelandic crisis is that most loans - to buy a house, or even a car - were taken out in foreign currencies, to avoid high interest rates and inflation-linked loans in the domestic currency. Klemens Thrastarson, a 33-year-old journalist, and his girlfriend bought a house with loans in an exotic mix of Swiss francs and Japanese yen as well as krona, as recommended by their bank. When the krona collapsed, their debts more than doubled. The couple and their baby had to move and rent the house out. "If it reaches the point where the monthly instalments from the housing loan will be equal to my pay cheque, I would have no qualms about handing in the keys to my house, declare bankruptcy and perhaps leave the country," Thrastarson says. Icelandic News in English reports on the exodus to Norway: "Norwegian media are now this weekend covering the expected emigration of Icelanders. Aftenposten says that one of every three Icelanders are thinking about moving away from the country, and most of them are looking to Norway. The newspaper talks to Halldor Egill Kristjansson, director of Bortaekni, who is moving the whole family and the company to Oslo. Also it speaks to Sturla Jonsson, truck driver and more persons, that are thinking of moving. gThere are nice people in Norway. They have the same humor as we do. It is amazing how well my children are adapting to the idea of moving there. We have spoken to them about the woods and the options of skiing. And we are looking forward to burning wood in the fireplace,h says Halldor to the paper. Fylgifiskar: . This is what National Geographic reported: ""Twenty years ago, Iceland was struggling, economically and gastronomically," explains Guðbjörg Logadóttir, ice-blue-eyed proprietor of the sleek fish luncheonette Fylgifiskar. "We're not struggling anymore. No more boiled haddock and lamb fat. We have the best fish in the world, and we know how to cook it." Fylgifiskar is a new-generation fish deli (marinating fishes await: salmon in mint and garlic, trout in Thai spices, Arctic char in coriander and sesame) that serves a daily lunch special."
Galileó: Hafnarstræti 1-3 | 101 Reykjavík | Sími: 5529500 | Web: www.galileo.is. Galielo is an Italian restaurant and pizzeria, situated in the Falcon house, one of Reykjavik's oldest houses, right in the city center by Inghólftorg square. Items on the menu include Salmone "Li" (horseradish and redbeet gravel lax, brioche toast and aioli) and Intingdo di pesce (fishsoup, smoked haddock, and clams) in the starter department, Tagliatelle agli scampi (tagliatelle and lobster with tomatoes and garlic) and Linguini del Pescatore (linguini and tunafish with garlic, chili and capers) in the mains section. There are also plenty of pizzas, which probably makes it a hit with the pizzahappy Icelanders. They even have a lobster pizza at this restaurant, which should make it a hit with any lobsterhappy foreigners!
Gallerý Fiskur: Nethyl 2 | 110 Reykjavík | Sími: 5872882 | Web: http://www.galleryfiskur.is. As this restaurant's official website reports: "Í Nethyl 2 rekur (is run) Gallery fiskur bæði verslun og veitingastað þar sem gæði og þjónustu er í fyrir rúmi. Á veitingastað okkar bjóðum við upp á um 40 rétti af matseðli auk ríkulegra hádegisverðartilboða ásamt súpu dagsins. Á veitingasaðnum geta gestir fengið sér sæti og valið af matseðli eða hringt á undan sér og tekið með rétti dagsins eða af seðli allt eftir því hver viljinn er. Veitingastaðurinn tekur einnig að sér að sjá um hópa smá sem stóra allt frá 15-60 manns með góðu móti í sæti og er boðið upp á glæsilega hópamatseðla. On the other hand I think I might be feeling the fears of the world as the credit crunch bites -- I feel as if I am channeling the fears of the world. I was writing a page on my website about the financial meltdown in Iceland, and then the next day, my bank account got shut down and I couldn't withdraw any money. The reason was I hadn't paid local tax for a few years at my old address and the local City Hall had seized my bank account to recover the funds. Apparently in Japan they have the power to do that. I was acting out the mass fear of having one's bank account emptied out and closed down. It was stressful to be sure (and it triggered another panic attack), but I survived, and I learnt some valuable lessons. The amazing thing is that life always goes on even after you suffer a tragedy... "Hér á síðunni getur að líta verðlista nokkurra fisktegunda og rétta sem fást í versluninni Við leitumst við að veita sem víðtækasta þjónustu við viðskiptavininn. Sem dæmi um það undirbúum við t.d. veislukost frá grunni að veglegum fiskréttum og gkosth handa námsmönnum sem og öðrum Íslendingum búsettum erlendis, sem vilja geta fengið sér ferskan fiskbita fjarri heimahögum. ú getur einnig fengið heim með þér gómsæta fiskisúpu eftir pöntun." Prices range from 990Kr for Ýsuflök með roði to 1690Kr for Rauðspretta á risotto/cous-cous up to 2390Kr for the Saltfiskur á rösti. Which according to my limited understanding of Icelandic, means "roasted saltfish", although I am probably wrong.
Gott í Gogginn: Laugavegi 2 | 101 Reykjavík | Sími: 552 4444. Heimasíða: Hótel Búðir, Snæfellsnesi. One Icelandic review wrote: "Nýju Búðir finnst mér alveg halda sama sjarma og Búðir sem brann. Kom í hádeginu og fékk mér franska lauksúpu, skötusel og súkkulaðiköku. Magnað og magnað pleis."
Hornið: Reykjavik. The Internet Is Boring site reports thus: "After wandering around for a bit, we arrived at a place called Hornið, a relatively small restaurant with big windows and reasonable prices. If you want a very good meal without spending an obscene amount of money, I recommend this (Lonely Planet doesn't mention it, but it's just a block or so to the west of the Læketor bus station downtown). I had sauteed cod in a tomato and olive sauce, served over linguine with an assortment of grilled fresh vegetables, and Tyrrell had grilled salmon with capers, served in a similar manner. The fish was fresh and perfectly cooked, and the sauces for both were flavorful, but not overpowering. The vegetables, unlike some others I had encountered in Iceland, were not frightening at all, but were very good."
Kaffi Krókur: Sauðárkróki. Metnaðarfyllsta veitingarhúsið á Króknum. Alveg fínt, en aðeins og dýrt kannski. Kebab Husið: A good place to dine.
Kebab Husið: A good place to dine.
 Kornið:
In six locations across Reykjavik and Iceland | Web: www.kornid.is.Kornið var stofnað árið 1981 að Hjallabrekku í Kópavogi og lagði strax mesta áherslu á smásölu og var með fjóra útsölustaði þegar mest var. Eftir erfiðleika í rekstrinum í kringum 1988 varð uppstokkun í fyrirtækinu sem leiddi til breytts eignarhalds með nýjum áherslum. Eftirspurn var eftir brauðvörum meðal fyrirtækja og varð það sífellt stærri hluti af viðskiptum fyrirtækisins. Nú rekur Kornið þrjár verslanir í Reykjavík og Kópavogi auk þess að sinna dreifingu á brauði um allt land. Nýjung í aukinni þjónustu Kornsins er veisluþjónusta. This is a bakery with branches in various locations in Reykjavik. As well as selling bread, they also make tertur (cakes) and can prepare banquets of edible wonders (for corporate events, parties and weddings and so on) including grapes, strawberries, gróft túnfisksalat (tuna fish salad), and snittur (a kind of Icelandic nibbly.)
Múlakaffi: Hallarmúla | 108 Reykjavík | Sími: 553 7737 | Web: www.mulakaffi.is/ | mulakaffi@mulakaffi.is. This local institution was opened about 40 years ago by Stefán Ólafsson. It is now run by his son Jóhannes. The place is open from 7.30am to 8pm on workdays, 7.30am to 2 pm on Saturdays and from 11am to 8pm on Sundays. Located quite close to Laugardalur Park, one of my favorite parts of the city, and famous for such working class specialities as salted cod and roast pork, for under about 1000 Kr. a meal. If you are staying at the Youth Hostel and want to taste real Iceland food when you are in Iceland, walk over to this place. As Blesöndin wrote on his/her website: "Í dag fór ég í Múlakaffi og borðaði þorramat, reyndar ekki allan þennan súra viðbjóð og sviðakjammana, hætti mér ekki strax í það."
Nonnabiti: Nonnabiti is the top manufacturer of what more advanced cultures call submarine sandwiches. It closes later than most restaurants here, which means 2 a.m. weekdays and 6 a.m. weekends, so it's a favorite of pub crawlers. (Get a dollar off before 1:30 p.m.) The big, greasy boats have a unique taste due to Nonni's sauce, which he invented--only he and his wife, Björk (no, not her), know the recipe. Try the lamb or fish boat ($10), or a holiday boat, with smoked pork, if you're in around Christmas or Easter. Hafnarstræti 11, 011-354/551-2312.
Ólsen ólsen: Keflavík. Þokkalegur hamborgadjónt við Hafnargötuna, en megahagstætt verðlagið (miðað við) hífir pleisið upp um stjörnu.
Nings: Reykjavik. Peking öndin er mjög góð og á þokkalegu verði. Nings Kóp X Heita dótið í borðinu er bragðlaust og lélegt.
Perlan Restaurant: Perlan | 101 Reykjavík | Sími: 562 0200 | Web: www.perlan.is/. The most famous building in Iceland, and home to one of the finest restaurants. The restaurant at the moment boasts three menus: the Gourmet Fish Menu, the Gourmet Wild Game Menu, and the A la Carte 2006 menu. If you choose the Gourmet Fish Menu (5,950 ISK) you will receive a spread of Cream Of Lobster (with Madeira and grilled lobster tails), smoked scallops with butter fried spring onions and cauliflower pure, fish fresh from the market, and a milk chocolate mousse. For 5,950 ISK the game menu will give you Salmon Tartar (with cream fraiche and scrambled eggs), smoked scallops, venison and the aforementioned milk chocolate mousse.
Pitan: Skipholti 50c | 101 Reykjavík | Sími: 5629090 | Web: www.pitan.is. This is a Middle Eastern themed restaurant and takeout joint which also features some of those great Icelandic staples: namely hamburgers, steaks and fishes (and hefty side orders of fries.) A holiday in Iceland can give anyone an overdose of fat and calories... if you want to avoid that, then avoid Pitan at any cost. If you are cool with great slabs of meat and melting cheese and crispy fried potato, then Pitan is the place for you! As in many other Icelandic restaurants, hamburgers are presented by weight. Weighing up on the Pitan menu include the Hamborgari Mexicana (Mexican Burger), boasting 94 or 140 grams of nautabuff, hamborgarabrauð, iceberg (that's a lettuce), nachos and salsasósa (good old salsa sauce.) That little beauty will cost you 550Kr or 575Kr, depending on the grammage. There are also steaks and fish dishes. Nonetheless, pita bread concoctions are the speciality here, and this Middle Eastern favorite gets a bit of an Icelandic touch (for example, Icelandic lamb features prominently.) There are also kebabs.
Pizza Hut: Reykjavik | Pöntunarsíminn hjá okkur í Take away er: 533 2000 | Web: www.pizzahut.is/. If you want to experience what the Guardian was on about when it bemoaned Iceland's "cardboardy pizzas", this could be your place. According to the chain's Icelandic website: "Pizza Hut er ein vinsælasta veitingakeðja í heimi og svipaða sögu er að segja af stöðunum hér á Íslandi þar sem alltaf er líf og fjör. Við leggjum sérstakan metnað okkar í að bjóða einungis fyrirtaks hráefni og frábærar uppskriftir okkar tryggja að pizzurnar á Pizza Hut eiga sér engan jafningja. Komdu við hjá okkur þegar þér hentar, sestu niður í notalegu umhverfi og njóttu góðrar þjónustu. Staðirnir hjá okkur eru barnvænir og við bjóðum fjölskyldur sérstaklega velkomnar."
Red Chilli: Skipholti 50c | 101 Reykjavík | Sími: 5629090 | Web: www.pitan.is. Blogger Arni Tofason gave this restaurant three hamburgers on his Icelandic restaurant review site. Arni concluded: "Samantekt: - Hamborgarinn var öðruvísi og ljúfengur - Franskarnar voru skemmtilegar og góðar - Svindl að við fengum ekki tómatsósuna og þurftum að borga fyrir kokteilsósuna - 0,25l og það af peffsí er óásættanlegt - Verðið var hátt og ekki hjálpaði að gaurinn á eftir okkur fékk feitan afslátt því hann þekkti eigandann. Og þessu var troðið í nefið á okkur. - Ég fékk ekki stæði."
Restaurant ZooBar: Klapparstígur 38 | 101 Reykjavík | Sími: 551 7760. Located in the same space as the old Pasta Basta. According to the intrepid Iceland Guest: "The cuisine at the RestaurantZooBar brings a strong breath of international flavour. The ambitious head chef, Jónas Ólafsson has for the last 15 years travelled throughout the world and both studied and practiced culinary art in different continents. His precious experience has gained him strong skillfulness and widespread reputation which is now unified with the reputation of The RestaurantZooBar. "As you can expect, the menu is enfolded with diverse food traditions from all over the world. Guests can choose between tempting and seasonal courses from countries such as France, Italy, Australia, Thailand along with creole-food from the southern states of USA. The ingredients are truly amazing. Apart from extraordinary sauces made from exotic fruits and vegetables, the raw-material is coming from animals such as ostriches, kangaroos, reindeers and many kinds of unfamiliar fish species. "Although the menu is diverse and international, the head chef Jónas, has not forgotten his origins as an icelander. One of the main specialties of the house is the traditional Sunday leg of a lamb which is served in whole piece with a brown sauce, sugar potatoes, homemade red cabbages, green peas and vegetables. It is only served for four people or more and it has to be ordered with a day in advance. "On weekends The RestaurantZooBar is pretty lively place. As the night turns on, the tables of the glass-house room are removed and the restaurant floor turns into a classic disco floor. The second floor changes into lounge room, with a laid-back ambience feeling. A VIP room on the top floor can also be arranged."
Serrano: Stjörnutorg - Kringlunni | Reykjavík 101 | Sími: 551 1754 | Web: www.serano.is. Located in Iceland's most popular mall, this place basically does tacos and burritos and so on. There are some variations on the general Mexican theme, a Thai burrito (saturated with satay sauce) on the menu, for example. But basically it is standard Mall Mexican... expect to pay around 700Kr. for the burritos, 700Kr. for a plate of four tacos, and 700Kr. for the jumbo sized nachos. Some facts about Serrano: Their chicken burritos contain only 3 per cent fat. Eat that chicken burrito with beans and you will consume 11 grams of fibre. This food is as healthy as it is delicious. If you visit Kringlan Shopping Mall, you might as well check this place out. Visiting Iceland in 1999, Israeli adventurer Nir Halman wrote: "With all the respect we have for the Icelandic supermarkets the climax is certainly the Kringlan modern shopping mall in Reykjavik. It is a very elegant shopping mall (like "Canyon Ramat Aviv" in Israel) where there are so many shops! Every time we are in Reykjavik we don't skip on a "tour" in this shopping mall ! They have there a fancy supermarket with BBQ chicken ready to eat, imported Swiss and French cheeses and other delicatessen... and when the "Utsala" (sales) is going on, it is for us almost like paradise...
Sowieso: Lækjargata 2a | 101 Reykjavík | Sími: 517 5020.
SUfistinn Kaffi & Te: Strandgata 9 | Hafnarfirði | Phone: 5653740. This place boasts freshly roasted coffee and teas from all over the world. Quick delicious lunches and incredible cakes are also said to be available. The cafe is the partner of the Sufistinn Book Cafe in the heart of downtown Reykjavik.
Tapasbarinn: Vesturgata 3 | 101 Reykjavík | Sími: 551 2344. Tapasbarinn is an extremely lively restaurant where Spain meets Iceland in the cuisine. It is located in a cellar at Vesturgata 3 in Reykjavik's central. Eating tapas means dining without to much regard to rules and schedules and the menu shows that everything is possible. Tapasbarinn offers over 50 different meat, fish and vegetable dishes so you can take your time and experiment with many kinds of different dishes, which makes the dinner even more fun and enjoyable if you are with a group. But if you find it hard to choose you can order the special Tapas-selection. The restaurant has been open since the year 2000 and has become a popular place with the Icelandic crowd. It's breezy atmosphere and the Spanish effects in the decorations make Tapasbarinn ideal for an excellent evening.
Tveir fiskar: Hafnarbúðir /Geirsgata 9 | 101 Reykjavík | Sími: 511 3474 | Web: www.restaurant.is/.
Þrír Frakkar: Reykjavik. A poster on The Amateur Gorumet visited this restaurant and wrote: "Another really nice restaurant in Reykjavik without such an extraordinary price tag but good whale dishes and a bust of Clark Gable is Þrír Frakkar. I heard another winter specialty (which I did not get to try because it was summer when I was there) is rotten skate. Someone once must have thought it a good idea to leave skate uncooled in a bucket in the garage for multiple weeks until it rots and ferments (why it even does this at subzero temps is beyond me...) and then eat it. Catch is, it reeks so terribly that people apparently don't dare take it inside the house. Garage picnic..."
Veitingahúsið Lindin: 840 Laugarvatn | Sími: 4861262 | Web: www.laugarvatn.is. This restaurant is located about 100 kilometers east of Reykjavik, between Þingvellir and Gullfoss in the heart of Iceland's legendary Gullna hringsins (Golden Circle). Frá Reykjavík er styst að aka um Þingvelli en vegurinn frá Þingvöllum til Laugarvatns (Gjábakkavegur, Lyngdalsheiði) er ómalbikaður að hluta og aðeins fær á sumrin. Lengri leiðin liggur um suðurlandsveg, framhjá Hveragerði en beygt er veg nr. 37 áleiðis að Laugarvatni skömmu áður en komið er að Selfossi. Árið um kring er eru daglegar rútuferðir milli Reykjavíkur og Laugarvatns. This place is regarded as a "summer paradise" in Iceland, although it is open at some times during the winter. The menu includes wild game -- the Villibráðaveisla– (wild game offer) goes for 3990Kr. Other dishes include starters like the Hreindýrapâté með fersku salati og rifsberja vinaigrette (reindeer pâté with fresh salad and redcurrant vinaigrette --it goes for between 950Kr-1350Kr), Steiktur silungur með graslauk og möndlum (panfried trout with chive and almond -- 2190Kr), and Pönnusteiktar langvíubringur með bláberja-púrtvínssósu (panfried guillemot with blueberry-portwine sauce -- 2990Kr).
Vín & Skel: Laugavegur 55 | 101 Reykjavík | Sími: 534 4700 | Web: www.vinogskel.is/. Vín og Skel (Wine & Shell) is literally what you get at this establishment -- the place is a tribute to the humble shellfish, and you can drink wine as you eat. There are oysters from France, clams from Peru, mussels from Ireland and lobster and scallops from the heaving seas of Iceland. According to one report, the shellfish soup is tasty and delicious. Meatcourse is chicken cassoulet which is simular to the world famous cock au vine. A main course of Kræklingur ("mussels") costs 1990Kr. The main saltfish dish goes for 2890Kr. and if you are not troubled by the thought of eating cetaceans, try the Splunkunýtt Hrefnukjöt "Teriyaki" (teriyaki Minke whale), priced at 2340Kr.
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