Hakarl is fermented Greenland shark, cured for weeks then hung to dry for months until safe to eat. It has a powerful ammonia smell and is eaten in small cubes, traditionally with a shot of brennivin.
Greenland shark is poisonous when fresh, so Icelanders learned to bury and ferment it, then air-dry it into hakarl, an extreme example of the preserving that kept the nation fed. It is a centrepiece of the midwinter Thorrablot feast, eaten as a dare-and-tradition with the caraway schnapps brennivin to chase it. Most visitors try a cube at the Kolaportid flea market or Cafe Loki, where it is served as a rite of passage rather than an everyday food.
2 editor picks for Hakarl (fermented shark) in Reykjavik, ranked by editorial score. All Reykjavik signature dishes · Hakarl (fermented shark) across every city.
Kolaportid ★ 4.2
101 · Tryggvagata 19, 101 Reykjavik
Kolaportid fills the old customs house on Tryggvagata each weekend, Reykjavik's flea market where food stalls sell fermented shark, dried fish and rye bread.
Cafe Loki ★ 4.2
101 · Lokastigur 28, 101 Reykjavik
Cafe Loki faces Hallgrimskirkja from Lokastigur, a Reykjavik cafe built on traditional Icelandic plates of dark rye bread, mashed fish and rye ice cream.