Around Reykjavik

Having spent a few days in the city, I can recommend a few things to do and places to eat.

The Reykjavik Food Walk is very good value, and not only will you get a little tour of the city, including lots of tasters, but the guides will also give you a little bit of Icelandic history.  So you're getting a bit of orientation, a few tips on where to eat, some culture and a lot of food all in one go!  I'd advise to do this as early in your trip as you can!  It starts at Harpa, the concert hall in the city, which in itself is worth a look around and is very photogenic.  Before I went on the tour, I took a walk along the waterfront to the Solfar, Viking Sun Voyager statue.  It looks great in all weathers, with views of mountains behind.

Harpa

Solfar

Another thing that is worth doing is taking a trip up the tower of Hallgrimskirkja Church if you get a clear day - you can see for miles.

There is a lake in Reykjavik called Tjornin, which is currently frozen, and we took a little stroll there to walk on it and to see the ducks, geese and swans.  There were some local kids playing football on the lake as it had snowed so the ice wasn't slippery!  You can also find a little hidden sculpture park near the Church, which is worth a few minutes to stroll around, particularly if it is snowy!

Reykjavik is pretty small and is really nice just to stroll around - you should look out for the street art, and also the little toys that are hidden around the place (see here!).

If you manage to do the food walking tour, then some of my food recommendations you will come across on that too!  One thing you definitely have to do in Reykjavik is visit the infamous hot dog stand, and have a hot dog 'with everything'.  Don't be surprised to come across queues for this, popular with both locals and tourists!  Food and drink is very expensive in Iceland (well, everything is very expensive to be honest), however if you wanted a really nice evening meal, then I would recommend either Apotek in the centre of town, or Hofnin by the Harbour.  At Hofnin, if you can, request a table upstairs then you may get a good view out over the harbour.   In all honesty, we have eaten out in a lot of places in town and never had a bad meal, so you really can't go far wrong!  I would recommend Ostabudin for lunch (and I am sure dinner is good there too, although we didn't try it).  I had a big bowl of delicious asparagus soup, with loads of bread and butter and a jug of water, for around £7-£8, which for Iceland is a total bargain.  It is also a deli which you would visit on the food tour.

If you fancy a drink, our go-to place is The Laundromat Cafe.  I've had coffee and cake there (carrot cake is highly recommended!) a couple of times, but most often go in for a beer and just to chill out.  It usually ends up being the first and last place we visit in Reykjavik!  My favourite beer is Snorri No. 10, made by Borg brewery on the outskirts of town.  We did a beer tasting this last trip, which was less a brewery tour and more an excuse to drink a lot of beer very quickly whilst making some new friends!  Audor writes about it better in her blog than I could, but our experience was very much the same - we spent the rest of the evening with our new found friends, and it was a great night!

Other places we ate and enjoyed;

Harbour 101 - great seafood, especially Arctic Char

MAT Bar - tapas

Glo - healthy food, including vegan if you like

Le Bistro - wonderful fondue and affordable wine!

Cafe Loki - famous for rye bread ice cream, and also good coffee

Block Burger - burger joint, kind of hidden behind Ostabudin - if you go make sure you put their seasoning on your chips!

Ramen Momo - near the harbour - wonderful little gem with a very friendly chef, big portions and great food.