Skyr is an Icelandic cultured dairy food, thick like strained yogurt but classed as a fresh sour milk cheese. It is traditionally served cold, sometimes with cream.
Where to eat it: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Skyr is mentioned in medieval sources including Egil's saga and Grettis saga, though nobody knows how like modern skyr that was, and Hotel Ranga says Icelanders have eaten it for over 1000 years. Today it starts from skimmed milk, a spoonful of an earlier batch and rennet, ferments for about five hours and is strained through cloth. In Reykjavik Sandholt serves it with lemon cream and berries, Cafe Loki with cream and sugar, and Hofnin as its house dessert.
Common allergens: Milk
Tip from the editors. Save a few spoonfuls of each batch as the culture for the next one; a small amount of an earlier batch is how skyr is started.
Sandholt serves breakfast from 07:30 on Laugavegur 36 in Reykjavik, with shakshuka and sourdough bread, and waffles with berries or with bacon.
OrderThe shakshuka with sourdough bread, or a waffle with berries.
TipThe breakfast menu starts at 07:30, and Sandholt stays open every day until 18:00.
Café Loki is a restaurant across from Hallgrímskirkja serving Icelandic home-style food, with rye bread slices with mashed fish and rye bread ice cream.
Why locals goA family-run restaurant on two floors right across from Hallgrímskirkja, the most famous landmark in Reykjavik, cooking classic Icelandic home-style food.
TipThere are no table reservations, so it is first come, first served.
Höfnin is a homely family restaurant at Geirsgata 7c by the small boat harbour in Reykjavik, serving classic Icelandic food with a view over the old harbour.
OrderThe fish soup, which a guest says won the restaurant a medal in 2012.
TipA guest advises asking for a window seat, since the restaurant is right on the harbour.
Fish Company is in the old Zimsen building, built in the 19th century, serving gourmet cuisine seasonally influenced with ingredients from land and sea.
SignatureFive-course seafood menu
TipTakeaway is available: grab your favorite dish and enjoy it at home.
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