*This tour was paid for by me and is not a collaboration
I don’t know about you, but one of my favourite things to do when I’m in a new city is to try the local food. I will sometimes research some recommended restaurants and try to make some reservations but this is quite time consuming.
Finally, I’ve figured out that taking a food tour is a much more time and cost effective way for me to try many local dishes in a new place. Plus, I have the expertise of a local ,so I know I’m headed to some good places. I just need to show up and they lead the way.
Being a solo traveler, I also like the idea of being able to share something I love (food) with others who are also visiting a new place. It can be lonely sometimes traveling solo and it’s great to share a meal and swap some travel stories too.
I like to book a food tour at the beginning of my trip for a few reasons:
- If we visit a place I love, I can return to it on another day of my trip
- I don’t know anyone and if I meet some people and hit it off we may end up hanging out later on.
- I usually get some great trips on other places to see in the city from fellow tour participants.
- Usually, I take a food tour the day or night I arrive. This forces me to get out and do something instead of falling asleep early from jet lag.
The food tour
I chose to take a tour with Wake Up Reykjavík: The Reykjavík Food Walk in Iceland. This is a popular tour in Reykjavik so you will need to book ahead online to secure a spot. I picked the 17:00 time slot since I knew this would cover my dinner! There are also earlier times to enjoy a tour. Come hungry, you will eat a lot.
About 10 people arrived at the agreed upon meeting place and met our guide, Agnes. She was enthusiastic about Iceland and it’s food and shared some Icelandic history with us as we walked to our first restaurant. The emphasis on this tour is the food so you won’t get a history lesson here but you have plenty of chances to ask questions.
First stop
First stop was at Messinn, a wonderful example of Icelandic cooking with an emphasis on fish. We tried Arctic Char cooked in honey and almonds and Fish stew – (Cod, potatoes, onions, butter, cream, garlic, celery, white wine and lime ). Both were delicious and the presentation was breathtaking. The meal was served family style so you could take as much (within reason) or a little as you wanted. It was also a nice time to get to know fellow travelers as we sat down and ate.
Second Stop
After filling our faces with fish, we then headed off to try the infamous Icelandic hot dog. I recommend you try the hotdog with the works- Icelandic ketchup, Icelandic mustard, remoulade sauce, deep fried onion, raw onion. I’m not sure I can describe the taste, but it was delicious. I really loved the deep fried onion on it! There aren’t many places to site as it’s a hotdog stand so if it’s cold, you’ll scarf these down pretty quick.
Third Stop
Next stop was the restaurant, Íslenski Barinn, to try some Icelandic meat soup. This was my least favourite dish as I’m not a fan of lamb. The broth had a nice flavour though. It was also wonderful to sit down again and enjoy some time chatting with the other travelers. By this time I was starting to get full so I appreciated the break between meals.
Fourth stop
Our fourth stop, Ostabúðin, was very interesting, as it wasn’t just a restaurant but also a butcher/cheese shop. I had passed it earlier in the day while walking through Reykjavik and it was really crowded so I was excited for our tasting here. We sampled some Icelandic cheese and meats that are popular in Iceland as a snack.
On the menu for the meats were: Cured Icelandic sheep seasoned with rosemary, thyme and anise , Cured Icelandic horse seasoned with rosemary, thyme and Curry Smoked Icelandic goose with Raspberry champagne vinaigrette.
The goose was my favourite and paired really well with the vinaigrette. Some people opted not to try some of the meats which was totally fine.
Last stop!
The best was saved for last- well if you are a fan of dessert! We finished off the tour at Cafe Loki, for some Rye bread ice cream. Yes, you read that correctly. This ice cream was delicious and has to be tasted!
Finally our tour was done. I can’t say enough good things about this tour. The food was delicious and with well thought out stops. Our guide, Agnes, was enthusiastic and we had fun learning fun facts about Iceland and sharing some english sayings with her. She also introduced me to chocolate bars with licorice that I have developed a really love for!
Being part of this food tour was one of my favourite memories of my trip to Iceland. I highly recommend that you try a tour if you have any interest in local cuisine. For my solo travel friends, this was a great tour to meet other solo travelers who provided me with great trips on where else to visit!
Have you gone on a food tour while visiting a new place?
Looking to do something more relaxing on your stay in Reykjavik ? Check out my visit to the amazing Blue lagoon.
Wow looks like an amazing food tour. Good to see other solo travellers meeting up.
I am all about the food tour when I travel! I used to be a chef so it’s always about the food for me. 🙂 This looks like a great one with a good amount of variety. I’ll be saving this for when I finally get to Iceland.
I am just hungry reading all about food now! I love guided tours and would love go on such a great guided food tour!
This tour looks like so much fun! The rye bread ice cream sounds so unique and tasty!
I generally avoid food tour as I am a budget Traveller and most of the food tours are expensive. But I can see how these tours can be delighful to person like you who loves food exploration.
A food tour is definitely a great way to get closer to the local culture. I visited Iceland a few years ago and I remember being positively surprised about the quality of the food there but I wish I tried the rye bread ice cream!
Wow! We were in Iceland maybe 12 years ago and the food places were not nearly like this — just another reason to go back (like there aren’t a million already!). I do remember the best sandwiches from a meal truck that all the locals would go to at like 4 am. I still remember it well it was so good!
Interesting point you have there, I never thought of joining a food tour to meet new people ! I checked the price though, it is not cheap, over USD 100 ! But, I shall consider doing this maybe in other cities I visit, as another way to meet new people ! =)
Lol. you made me drool early in the morning! We never been to a food tour yet but I would love to do it in Thailand. The last time we went our kids is still very young so it would be a pain to do it.
You remind me of doing a food tour! I love tasting local delicacies and know their favorite cuisine.
It’s seems you are enjoying it! I love to taste local delicacies and cuisine.
Wow this looks great! Looks like you had lots of food to try so good job you went hungry! I’ll definitely try this out when I go back to Iceland.
This sounds right up my street! We had some fantastic fish in Iceland (and we tried those tasty hot dogs) But I didn’t really feel like I tried enough Icelandic flavours. I’d love to do this next time we visit. 😀
I’ve never tried booking a food tour before. I guess it’s a good way to get to try lots of local dishes in a short time. Might give it a go when we have more time to spare in a travel destination.
Wow looks and sounds amazing
The way you described Icelandic hot dog made me salivate. These food tours are a real nice way to explore a city’s culture that exists in food. Nice find.