Skyr is Iceland's ancient cultured dairy, thick and tangy like strained yogurt but technically a fresh cheese. It is eaten with milk and berries, blended into smoothies or folded into desserts.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Skyr dates back to the Norse settlers and is mentioned in the medieval sagas, making it one of the oldest continuously eaten foods in Iceland. It is made by culturing skimmed milk and straining off the whey, leaving a high-protein, low-fat curd. For centuries it was a daily staple that kept through the winter. Today it is a global export, but in Reykjavik it still turns up plain with cream and sugar, on breakfast tables and in the desserts at New Nordic kitchens.
Common allergens: Milk
Tip from the editors. Save a few spoonfuls of each batch as the starter for the next, exactly as Icelandic households always have.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Salka Valka on Skolavordustigur runs a meat-free, half-vegan kitchen of soups, salads and sandwiches, a cheap healthy Reykjavik option a few doors below Hallgrimskirkja.
Try: Vegetarian and vegan plates
Tip: Vegan options daily and a small but filling lunch menu. Bagels and soups are the value picks.
Sandholt on Laugavegur serves an all-day bakery brunch in Reykjavik, with shakshuka, sourdough toasts and savoury waffles by the pastry counter.
Order: The shakshuka, or sourdough toast piled with eggs and cheese.
Tip: The pastries come straight from the bakery in the same room. Arrive early at weekends to beat the queue.
Grai Kotturinn on Hverfisgata is the classic Reykjavik breakfast den, a tiny basement famous for the Truck, a plate of pancakes, bacon and eggs.
Order: The Truck, a loaded plate of pancakes, bacon, eggs and potatoes.
Tip: Only a handful of tables, so a queue is likely. Mornings only, closing mid-afternoon.
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