Tasting menus, Michelin stars and the chefs redefining Reykjavik.
Tasting menus, Michelin stars, and the kitchens redefining what fine dining means in Reykjavik.
Dill on Laugavegur was Iceland's first Michelin-starred restaurant and still leads its New Nordic cooking with a foraging-driven tasting menu in Reykjavik.
Signature: Dung-smoked trout, Skyr and sunchoke
Order: Whatever the set tasting menu serves; the kitchen smokes, ferments and forages its own larder.
Tip: Founded by Gunnar Karl Gislason, Dill holds a Michelin Green Star too. It books out weeks ahead, so reserve early and take the wine pairing.
Ox is an eleven-seat Michelin-starred counter hidden behind Sumac on Laugavegur, where chefs cook a long Icelandic tasting menu in front of you in Reykjavik.
Signature: Seasonal Icelandic tasting menu
Order: The single set menu is the only choice, and the langoustine and aged-fish courses are its peak.
Tip: Entry is through Sumac, the sister Levantine grill. Ox earned a Michelin Green Star in 2025. Two seatings a night, booked far ahead.
OTO on Hverfisgata is a Michelin Guide listed Italian-Japanese kitchen in Reykjavik, serving a kaiseki-shaped tasting menu that is a hard table to book.
Signature: Kaiseki-style tasting menu
Order: The chef's tasting menu, where the pasta and raw-fish courses bridge the two cuisines.
Tip: Open Wednesday to Saturday from 17:30. The room is small and loud; book ahead online.
Brut sits inside the Radisson Blu 1919 on Posthusstraeti in Reykjavik, a Michelin Guide listed seafood room where a former Dill cook keeps the fish simple.
Signature: Marinated scallops, Icelandic whelks
Order: The marinated scallops, and whatever fish was landed that morning.
Tip: Opened in 2021 in one of the city's grandest old buildings. Good wine list, lively at weekends.
Mimir at Hotel Reykjavik Saga on Hagatorg works a head-to-tail Icelandic menu, a recently renovated fine-dining room run with the Farmers Association of Iceland.
Signature: Lamb head-to-tail plates, Seasonal tasting menu
Order: The seasonal tasting menu, built from the Farmers Association's producer roster.
Tip: Owned by the Farmers Association of Iceland, with menus from local producers. Lunch and dinner.
Fish Company, Fiskfelagid in Icelandic, cooks Reykjavik's most awarded seafood in the 1884 Zimsen house, a five-course menu of local fish landed that day.
Signature: Five-course seafood menu
Order: The five-course gourmet menu, which changes with the day's catch.
Tip: Voted the Grapevine's best seafood for over a decade. The downstairs room under the bridge is the one to book.
Grillmarkadurinn, the Grill Market, works fire and smoke over Icelandic produce on Austurstraeti, a reliable Reykjavik room for lamb and aged beef.
Signature: Dry-aged rib eye, Salted cod with lobster
Order: The dry-aged rib eye, or the Trip to the Countryside tasting if you want range.
Tip: Adventurous diners can find reindeer and whale on the menu. Dinner only from 17:30.
Fish Market, Fiskmarkadurinn, gives Icelandic seafood a Japanese turn on Adalstraeti in Reykjavik, with a sushi counter and robata grill that made its name.
Signature: Sushi, Robata-grilled fish
Order: The sushi, or the tasting menu that runs the grill and raw-bar both.
Tip: The upstairs Uppi wine bar pours from the same kitchen if you want a lighter sitting. Dinner from 17:00.
Apotek Kitchen + Bar fills the old first-pharmacy building on Austurstraeti in Reykjavik, cooking Icelandic-European small plates and an open Argentine grill.
Signature: Argentine-grill plates, Small plates
Order: The shareable small plates and anything off the open Argentine grill.
Tip: The happy hour at the long bar is one of downtown's better deals. Open from 11:30 for lunch.
Matur og Drykkur revives old Icelandic recipes in a former salt-fish factory at Grandi, named for a classic cookbook and Michelin Guide listed in Reykjavik.
Signature: Cod head, Old Icelandic recipes
Order: The slow-cooked cod head, the dish that put the kitchen on the map.
Tip: It shares the building with the Saga Museum down at the old harbour. Open Wednesday to Sunday for dinner.
Sumac Grill + Drinks brings North African and Lebanese flavours to Icelandic produce on Laugavegur in Reykjavik, the sister venue that hides the Ox counter.
Signature: Mezze, Charcoal-grilled meats
Order: The mezze spread and the charcoal-grilled lamb; share across the table.
Tip: Sister to the Michelin-starred Ox, which sits behind it. Cocktails here are among the city's best.
Editor picks in Reykjavik include Dill, Ox, OTO, plus the full fine dining chapter on TableJourney.