Last updated: . This update checks current Iceland food and potable-water information and identifies article prices and the family’s dining experiences as historical. Date information added October 28, 2026.
Travel through food. Eating the local delights allows you to really immerse yourself in culture and experience a destination in a whole new way. When arriving in Iceland, we were unsure what kinds of food we would find or how difficult it would be to find restaurants. However, we ended up loving the food in Iceland!
What kind of food can you find in Iceland? How much does it cost? What can you expect? Let’s dive in!
Our original family video from Iceland: Iceland Ring Road: Day 2 | Waterfalls and Diamonds (With 5 Kids).
First published August 17, 2021. This is our family’s account of an earlier Iceland visit. The USD amounts below are examples from the original article, not current quotes or exchange rates.
We had a large party of eight on our trip to Iceland. While five of those were children, we still consumed a lot of food and paid a pretty penny for it.
Dining out in Iceland for our party averaged about $20–30 USD per person, depending on the restaurant. Even pizza ended up costing over $100 for three pizzas, breadsticks, and drinks. Those are the costs we described in the original article.
Groceries felt costly too. In the original article, I estimated that a couple of bags of basics could cost nearly $100 USD.
Historical USD examples from the original article:
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Seafood is part of Icelandic food traditions, and the fish dishes we tried were a highlight for us.
The fish in Iceland is tender, cooked to perfection, and filled with a vast variety of fantastic flavors. This goes for all of the fish we had in Iceland.
Fish dishes vary by restaurant; examples include fillets, fish and chips, and seafood soups. I’d recommend trying a fish dish if one appeals to you.
Iceland imports some foods and also grows vegetables in geothermal greenhouses.
Produce choices vary by shop and season. The produce I described in the original guide included bananas, apples, grapes, lettuce, carrots, and potatoes.
Produce felt expensive! One example in the original article was a large apple for around $2; check today’s prices for your own shopping list.
Icelandic lamb has a long place in local food traditions. During our trip, we had lamb pizza, lamb steak, and lamb sandwiches. We especially enjoyed trying it in different dishes.
We especially loved the lamb soup.
Skyr is an Icelandic dairy product. We found it thicker and a bit more sour-tasting than the yogurt we were used to, and we loved it. Where you can buy it depends on the shop.
The flavors I described included fruity varieties, chocolate, and caramel. We loved it! Selection varies by shop.
Hot dogs are a popular Icelandic street food. At the Reykjavík stand Bæjarins Beztu, Visit Iceland describes toppings such as ketchup, sweet mustard, fried and raw onions, and remoulade, a mayonnaise-based sauce with sweet relish. Toppings vary by vendor.
If you are road-tripping, you may stay in different places along the route. Breakfast inclusion varies by accommodation. For our family, it was important to look for breakfast when comparing places to book.
Breakfast offerings vary by property. Examples in this guide include:
For our family, breakfast inclusion was one factor to compare when choosing accommodation. Check the current room details to see what is included.
On our trip, we found several kids’ menus with choices different from the typical American options we expected. The examples listed in this guide reflect what we encountered then, not a promise about current menus.
On our trip, I found it hard to eat gluten-free at the restaurants and hotels we visited. We did not find gluten-free bread at those places. At a grocery store in Reykjavík, we found one loaf of gluten-free bread and a brownie mix; that was our experience on that route.
Thankfully, we could look for meals built around protein and vegetables rather than bread. That alone does not establish whether a dish is gluten-free; check ingredients and preparation with the restaurant for your own needs.
We found one gluten-free pizza, and it was yummy! That was our experience at the places we visited.
I’d recommend packing some of your GF snacks for road trips if you are sensitive and trying to stick to your usual diet!
The food we tried in Iceland was fresh, delicious, and unique. Leave a comment below with your favorite dish from Iceland!
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Find affordable hotels in Iceland from Booking.com, Expedia, or Vrbo, (we also love Tripadvisor and Hotels.com)
Discover more about Iceland through fun activities from GetYourGuide, Airbnb Experiences, or Viator
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Capture your best family memories while traveling with a GoPro, Sony camera, or our favorite drones: DJI FPV, Air, and Mini
Check out other travel necessities from a comprehensive list of all the 7Wayfinders Travel Must-Haves. Click Here!
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