Reykjavik Food Walk: Iceland's #1 Food Tour Fully Explained

What Is a Food Tour in Reykjavik - and Is It Worth Doing?

Food is one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to connect with a country. And in Reykjavik, that becomes even more true.

Instead of sitting down at one restaurant for a single meal, a food tour takes you through the city with a local guide, stopping at several hand-picked spots along the way. At each one, you sit down, eat well, and let a local Icelander bring the city to life around you - the food, the culture, the history, and the hidden gems that most visitors never find on their own. By the end, you have tasted a real cross-section of local food culture - and you know the city far better than when you started.

Reykjavik is a small, walkable capital with a food scene that punches well above its weight. But the best spots are not always the most obvious ones, and the stories behind the food matter enormously. A good food tour gives you both: great food and a local guide who actually grew up here, connecting the dots in a way that would take days to piece together on your own.

What Is Icelandic Food, Really?

One of the biggest myths about Icelandic food is that it begins and ends with fermented shark and Viking dare-food. That stuff exists - and yes, if you are feeling brave, you might get the chance to try it. But it is a tiny sliver of the real picture.

Icelandic cuisine is practical, comforting and deeply tied to the landscape. Cold seas mean incredibly fresh fish. Wide open spaces and pure mountain air produce some of the world's best lamb. Long winters forced generations of Icelanders to become creative with preservation and resourcefulness. And a new generation of chefs has taken those same ingredients and pushed them into something genuinely exciting on the world stage.

Here is what Icelandic food is actually built on:

Lamb. Icelandic sheep roam freely all summer, grazing on wild herbs, berries and mountain grass, drinking from clean springs and rivers. The result is meat that is naturally tender with a clean, almost sweet flavor - and countless travelers tell us it is unlike anything they have tasted elsewhere.

Fresh seafood. Surrounded by some of the cleanest, coldest waters in the world, Iceland produces exceptional fish. Cod, haddock, Arctic char, salmon - everyday staples prepared simply and honestly. The traditional fiskipanna - a home-style fish pan with butter and vegetables - is one of the most comforting dishes you will find anywhere.

Dairy. Skyr has been a staple of Icelandic life for over a thousand years. Thick, high in protein, low in fat, and incredibly versatile - one of the oldest food traditions still enjoyed daily in Iceland today.

Modern Nordic creativity. Reykjavik's restaurant scene is genuinely world-class - Michelin-recognized kitchens, inventive Nordic-fusion cooking, and chefs who have trained at the best restaurants in Europe and come home to cook with Icelandic ingredients.

Food tells you more about a place than a museum ever could. And in Iceland, the food has a lot to say.

What Is the Reykjavik Food Walk?

The Reykjavik Food Walk is our signature food tour in the heart of downtown Reykjavik.

Over around three hours, you visit five carefully chosen local spots - four hand-picked restaurants and the most iconic food stand in Iceland - sit down at each one, enjoy a generous variety of Icelandic dishes, and hear the stories that bring the food and the city to life. A passionate local guide leads a small group of guests through roughly 2 km of easy, slow-paced walking through central Reykjavik.

Every Reykjavik Food Walk includes:

• 8+ tastings of traditional Icelandic dishes
• 4 carefully selected local restaurants plus the famous Icelandic hot dog stand
• A local Icelandic guide who genuinely knows and loves this city
• All food included, plus some drinks - with the option to add more at any stop
• A proper introduction to Reykjavik, its food culture, and its stories

Groups are kept small - maximum 14 guests - and the tour runs almost every day of the year with multiple departure times.

This is not one of those tours where you nibble three tiny bites, take a photo, and leave hungry. We built it to be properly filling. If you are joining a lunchtime tour, you can skip breakfast. If you are joining later in the day, dinner probably will not be necessary either.

What Will You Eat?

Each tour is carefully curated by our team so that every route is a brilliant local foodie experience. The exact stops and dishes vary between tours - which keeps every visit feeling fresh, and is a big reason why many guests come back to do it all again and again.

But here is what every single Reykjavik Food Walk has in common:

Icelandic Lamb - always on the menu

Free-roaming Icelandic sheep, clean mountain air, pure spring water. The lamb that comes from this environment is naturally tender and unlike anything most travelers have tasted before. Depending on your tour, you might enjoy it as kjötsúpa - a slow-cooked lamb soup that is Icelandic comfort food in its purest form - as beautifully slow-cooked lamb, or as a perfectly prepared lamb steak. However it arrives, it will be delicious.

Fresh Icelandic Fish - straight from the daily catch

Every tour features fresh local fish, though the preparation changes with the route. The traditional Icelandic seafood pan, a silky slow-cooked cod, or fresh Arctic char - rich, buttery and a consistent guest favorite. Whatever lands on your plate will be straight from that day's catch.

A Homemade Icelandic Dessert or Pastry

Every tour ends the sweet way - sometimes a unique homemade Icelandic ice cream, sometimes a traditional pastry with deep roots in Icelandic home cooking. Either way, it is the stop guests mention most in their reviews.

The Famous Icelandic Hot Dog - a true national institution

Made primarily from lamb, ordered með öllu (with everything), and eaten at Iceland's most famous hot dog stand. Icelanders have been doing this since 1937. You will understand the hype within the first bite.

And a few delicious surprises

We have given you a taste of what to expect - but we are not giving everything away. Part of the fun is not knowing exactly what is coming next. Across the full tour you will enjoy 8+ tastings in total, and we like to keep a few of the best ones as a surprise. Some things are simply better experienced than described. You will just have to come hungry and find out 🧡

What Makes a Great Food Tour in Reykjavik

Not all food tours are created equal, and it is worth knowing what to look for.

Local guides who actually grew up here. A food tour is only as good as the person leading it. You want someone who knows the city from the inside - who grew up eating this food, who has personal stories about these streets, and who genuinely loves sharing it. A guide reading from a script while running tours in multiple countries is a very different experience from a local who calls Reykjavik home.

Generous, properly filling food. When we were building the Reykjavik Food Walk, we researched tours in cities like Rome, Paris, New York and Tokyo - and focused specifically on the one-star reviews. The same complaint kept coming up: guests left feeling hungry. We decided from day one that would never be our problem. A good food tour should replace a meal, not tease one.

Small groups. A group of 30 people shuffling between stops is a very different experience from a small group of friends sitting down together, talking and connecting over food. Small groups allow the guide to be personal and genuinely present with everyone.

Authentic, hand-picked local restaurants. The stops should be places locals actually love - not chosen because they are convenient or agreed to a commission deal. The best food tours take you somewhere you would never have found on your own.

Culture, not just consumption. The food should come with context. Why does Iceland have such exceptional lamb? What is the story behind fermented shark? The best food tours leave you understanding a place better, not just fuller.

Those are the principles we built the Reykjavik Food Walk around from day one.

The Reykjavik Food Walk in Every Season

The Reykjavik Food Walk runs almost every day of the year - and every season brings its own kind of magic.

Summer is long, bright, and endlessly energetic. We take our time between stops, enjoy the streets, and soak up the atmosphere of a city fully alive in the sunshine. Exploring Reykjavik with a local on a bright summer evening is something guests talk about long after they fly home.

Winter is something else entirely. When everything is clear, still and covered in snow, Reykjavik has a quiet magic that is hard to describe. The food walk feels naturally cozier - hopping between warm restaurants, wrapping your hands around a bowl of lamb soup, hearing stories about a food culture literally built for survival in the dark. On rough weather days when most outdoor tours cancel, we still operate, spending time outside when we can and ducking warmly between restaurants when the weather calls for it.

Spring and autumn bring fewer crowds, softer light, and a city that feels more local and relaxed. We also love adding seasonal tastings and special touches around events throughout the year.

There is no bad time to do the Reykjavik Food Walk. The food is great, the guides are passionate, and Reykjavik is worth experiencing properly in every season.

Is the Reykjavik Food Walk for You?

Who will love it

Almost anyone who enjoys good food and is curious about the place they are visiting.

We have hosted solo travelers, couples, families with young kids, groups of friends, corporate groups, and people visiting Iceland for just a single day. The tour works brilliantly as a first-day experience - when you want to get your bearings and meet a local - or as a fun afternoon at any point in your trip.

The Reykjavik Food Walk is a great fit if you:

• Love food and want to genuinely understand Icelandic cuisine
• Want to see Reykjavik through a local's eyes, not from a bus window
• Are traveling solo and want to meet people in a natural, fun setting
• Are a first-time visitor looking for the best possible introduction to the city
• Believe the best way to understand a place is through its food

Who it might not be for

We would rather you book knowing it is exactly right for you.

The Reykjavik Food Walk is probably not for you if you:

• Prefer familiar food and are not open to trying something new
• Are looking for formal fine dining with white tablecloths and structured service
• Would rather spend your afternoon covering Reykjavik from a tour bus

If you are curious about Iceland, open to a local showing you around, and the idea of trying fermented shark with a group of strangers while an Icelander tells you its history sounds like your kind of afternoon - you are going to love this.

A few practical notes

• Dietary restrictions: We accommodate most - vegetarian, pescatarian, gluten-free, lactose-free and most common allergies. Add them in the special requests when booking. Vegans are welcome, though the options are more limited given how meat and dairy-forward traditional Icelandic cuisine is.
• Children: Everyone is welcome! Children under 4 join free - they are happy sharing food with their parents or family. Families join us regularly and kids absolutely love it.
• Walking: About 2 km, easy and slow-paced. Some tours are not wheelchair accessible due to the older infrastructure of some restaurants we visit so please contact us before your tour.
• Pregnant guests: Let us know in the special requests and we will coordinate alternatives where needed.

Why So Many Travelers Do the Food Walk on Their First Day

Because it solves a lot of things at once.

You eat well. You see the city. You meet a local. You learn what Icelandic food actually is. You get your bearings in a way that genuinely improves the rest of your trip.

By the end of the tour, most guests leave with more than a full stomach. They leave with confidence - restaurant recommendations for the evenings ahead, a proper feel for the city, and usually a new friend or two in the group.

The Story Behind the Reykjavik Food Walk

In 2014, my best friend Dan and I started noticing something that bothered us.

Reykjavik was welcoming more travelers than ever - but so many of them weren't truly experiencing the city. Tourist trap restaurants, the wrong bars at the wrong time, the cozy local spots completely off their radar. We kept thinking: these people can't go home and say they truly fell in love with Reykjavik.

If only they could see the version we knew.

So we decided to do something about it. Our first idea was actually nightlife - I was working as a bartender in downtown Reykjavik and watched visitors miss the real energy of the city every single weekend. That turned into our first product, the Reykjavik Bar Crawl, and we loved every minute of it.

But then my mum changed everything.

A passionate foodie and the best cook I know, she came back from a food tour abroad and told us: "You two should do a food tour in Reykjavik. You would be great at it. It is one of the best ways to experience a new city."

We laughed at first. Then we thought about it properly - and realized she was completely right.

We planned the dishes, chose the restaurants, walked the route, and obsessed over every detail. The standard we kept coming back to: what would we create if our own family was visiting and we wanted to give them the best possible day in Reykjavik?

In summer 2015, we hosted the very first Reykjavik Food Walk.

Two wonderful guests from Canada joined us. The tour lasted almost six hours - we were a little ambitious that first time. But it was a brilliant day, and afterward we sat by the ocean, shared a local beer, and talked about how to make the next one even better.

From that day on, the Reykjavik Food Walk became our entire focus.

The Team Behind the Tour

Today, Wake Up Reykjavik is a family of over 20 local legends - students, actors, chefs, a national bodybuilding champion, a sports reporter, a former Iceland's Got Talent contestant, a comic book creator, and more. Every single one born and raised in Iceland. Every single one genuinely in love with this city.

We never outsource our guides. We never bring in people who don't know Reykjavik from the inside. The local knowledge and warmth our guides bring is something guests mention again and again in their reviews - and it is something that simply can't be faked.

There is a phrase I often share with new guides joining the team: "This is more than just a food tour."

And I mean it every time.

More Than Just a Food Tour

For most guests, the Reykjavik Food Walk is exactly what it should be: a really fun afternoon with great food, good laughs, and a city that suddenly makes more sense.

But every now and then, you are reminded that travel experiences can mean much more than that.

One of my favorite stories: two solo travelers met on our tour, went out for drinks afterward, fell in love, got engaged, had a baby, and eventually invited our guide to their wedding in the United States. He flew over to celebrate with them. So yes, technically this is a food tour. But sometimes it gets a little ambitious.

We have also had multiple proposals on the tour (although we always find that a little weird - no pressure, people!), and countless birthdays, anniversaries, and all kinds of wonderful celebrations over the years. If there is a reason to celebrate in Reykjavik, somehow the food walk ends up being part of it.

Then there are the stories that hit differently.

I once received an email from a guest whose wife had always dreamed of visiting Iceland. After she was diagnosed with cancer, they decided to make the trip happen. He planned everything perfectly - waterfalls, glaciers, the Blue Lagoon. And somewhere in the middle of it, they joined our food tour. He wrote to tell me that on the flight home, despite everything they had experienced, she talked about the food tour the whole way back.

Not long after, she passed away.

He reached out simply to say thank you.

That email changed how I think about this tour. For some guests it is a fun afternoon. For others it becomes something they carry with them for a very long time. That is why, even now after all these years, there is still a feeling of quiet excitement and responsibility every time one of our guides walks toward Harpa to start a tour.

Practical Details: Everything You Need to Know

Duration: Around 3 hours, give or take 30 minutes depending on the group, weather and other factors

Meeting point: Main entrance of Harpa Concert Hall, downtown Reykjavik - walking distance from most hotels

Availability: Almost every day of the year, multiple departure times

Group size: Maximum 14 guests. Private tours available - email info@wakeupreykjavik.com

Walking: Approx. 2 km, easy and slow-paced

Price: 17,900 ISK per adult | Children (4-12): approx. $79 USD

Food and drinks: All food included. Some drinks included. Additional drinks always welcome.

Cancellation: Full refund or free reschedule with 24+ hours notice. Bookings never expire.

Money-back guarantee: If you don't enjoy the tour, we will refund you. Simple as that.

Is the Reykjavik Food Walk Worth It?

We are obviously biased. But yes, we think so.

And more importantly, 19,000+ past guests on TripAdvisor seem to agree.

The reason it works is simple: it combines the best parts of travel into one relaxed experience. Great local food, city exploration, human connection, cultural context, and a few hours spent with someone who actually calls Reykjavik home.

That was the dream in 2015. That is still the goal every single day.

Come hungry. We would love to show you our city. 🧡

Book the Reykjavik Food Walk here

More from Our Local Guide Collection

• What to Eat in Iceland: 10 Traditional Icelandic Foods You Must Try
• Best Restaurants in Reykjavik - 2026 Local Guide
• Best Coffee Shops & Bakeries in Reykjavík - 2026 Local Guide
• Iceland in Summer: Your Complete Travel Guide

Written by Egill Fannar - Co-Founder of Wake Up Reykjavik

Proudly born in Akureyri but a local in downtown Reykjavik, Egill has spent over a decade helping travelers experience Iceland like locals - from cozy cafés & restaurants to hot pools and hidden adventures across the highlands.