Íslenski Barinn - The Icelandic Bar

Icelandic restaurant · Reykjavik

Íslenski Barinn - The Icelandic Bar

Icelandic restaurant · Reykjavik

43W8+QP5, Ingólfsstræti 1a 101, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland

Highlights

Authentic Icelandic spot with shark, reindeer, whale & beer

43W8+QP5, Ingólfsstræti 1a 101, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland Get directions

islenskibarinn.is

@islenskibarinn

kr 4,000–6,000

@travelleisure

How to Plan the Perfect Trip to Reykjavik, Iceland

"An approachable, reasonably priced restaurant popular with both locals and visitors for honest Icelandic fare; it’s a good spot to try traditional items such as shark, fish jerky, and Icelandic flatbread with smoked lamb, and it’s noted for a lively atmosphere and a well-regarded happy hour." - Lydia Mansel Lydia Mansel Lydia Mansel is a writer with more than eight years of experience editing and writing for both brands and online publications—with a particular focus on travel, fashion, and lifestyle. She’s also the founder of the travel site justpacked.com. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines

https://www.travelandleisure.com/reykjavik-iceland-travel-guide-8751612

View Postcard for Íslenski Barinn - The Icelandic Bar

Marina

Google

Small restaurant in the center of town with lots of atmosphere and a really good menu. Even if you don't feel adventurous and try the fermented shark or whale meat, you will find a bunch of great options. We had the fish pie (delicious!), a burger (fantastic!) and some of the dogs, which were also great. My personal favourite was the Popped cod skin. Staff was friendly and very quick. Great beer selection, too. Absolute recommendation!

Erick Ponce

Google

Was ours first time trying island food, so we went directly for shark, whale and dry fish… We ordered Skonsa með langreyði and Hákarl (6 bitar) & harðfiskur með smjöri - you need to know that shark could smell very strong- and both dishes were really good!! Whale meat is soft and tasty and dry fish is salty and tasty too. Place is nice and is located a few blocks from the main church. Prices, like all Iceland, high… but really worth it

annie ann

Google

We have decided to go for some traditional islandic food and this place didn’t disappoint. However, it didn’t give the very Wow factor either. My favorite is actually the platter. 4 different types of delicacies - the whale, the smoked salmon (my absolute favorite)… it came with some tuna salad and the different cheese to pair with. Lamb shank is good but not wow. The dried fish of the day dish is also good but just kind the same as fish fish you get everywhere else in Europe. The reindeer burger was good, I love the Smokey flavored of it. Beer was good!

Kevin Horst

Google

This place has delicious Icelandic foods in a warm, relaxing atmosphere. We enjoyed trying the lamb, shank and reindeer burger. We also tried a small portion of whale just to say we did, it was not too bad, but wouldn’t be my first choice either. They do offer the fermented shark here, but we weren’t feeling quite brave enough to try that. We enjoyed the atmosphere in this place, it did not have the loud music you might expect at a place like this at home, rather the only music came from a real piano that some folks were playing.

Anirvan Sen

Google

For a famous bar, this place was pleasantly surprising. The servers were really nice, attentive and would explain details. I had the fermented shark, dried fish, puffin and the whale meat. I also had delicious popped cod skin (which was like a pork crackling). All of them were top class. I was really surprised by fermented shark, it was like fat with a chewy bit. The whale was like beef

Wai'oli Briones-Brooks

Google

We love this place. Been here few times now and The service is always good and food is excellent. Lamb shank is so delicious. Also the reindeer burger was very good. And they do also have svid the sheep’s head, which was surprisingly so good also! One of our favorites was the creamy seafood soup. It Was very filling. On our first trip to Iceland we tried the shark and Brennivin here. Definitely a must try.

Melissa Buxton

Google

Delicious meal. We went around dinner time with no reservation and only had to wait 15 mins. It was really fun to try the puffin. I was expecting it to taste like chicken or turkey but it tasted like a meat and was good. The lamb soup was also tasty (tender and flavorful). Fish and chips were interesting. I've never had curry seasoned batter but I liked it. Super cozy inside and the staff really friendly / nice. We are from the US and so of course went to leave a tip and our waiter was so sweet he explained to us it is not custom to tip in Iceland, he really wouldn’t let us 😂it was so different to not leave a tip but he was so kind to explain to us the culture there.

astrid boursier

Google

Very nice authentic restaurant in Reykjavik. The fish & chips are the best I had in the city and if you want to try the whale this is the place to go. They also serve puffin on a crumpet but there are so many toppings on it that you cannot really taste the meat. I would definitely recommend this place.