Sjávarpakkhúsið

We had an amazing dinner at this restaurant, truly a fine dining experience, with a lot of care to the detail. If you find yourself here you must try the wasabi cocktail - it is really one of a kind! The vibe in the restaurant is also really nice.

After a day of exploring, we found ourselves in the small fishing town of Stykkishólmur at Sjávarpakkhúsið. We opted for the six-course tasting menu, all focused on fish, & it did not disappoint. We began with fried cod skins, scallop ceviche, & halibut tartar. The standout was the scallop ceviche with wasabi cream, wasabi granita, & licorice salt. The flavors blended beautifully, & the scallops were sourced right from the local bay. For entrées we had the char with onion cream & pickled onions, along with halibut served over caramelized cabbage with a butter sauce & crispy kale that tied the whole dish together. To end the night on a lighter note, we enjoyed lemon cream with apple & wasabi granita. Great service & amazing food all around. Such a fantastic find!

Fantastic food absolutely recommend to go! It’s a small cozy cottage with cute interior and very friendly staff/owner. We all had Halibut and the taste of the sauce and caramelized cabbage under is just exactly what you need in this cold 😍❤️ Also the small roasted thyme potatoes is a MUST, we took it 2 times 😋

We tried the 6 plate tasting menu and it was delicious. They probably serve similar to what is on the menu but you don’t have a tasting menu in front of you they tell you what you are having when they bring it out. The fish was a fresh catch of the day (quite possibly the smoothest halibut I ever had). For Icelandic restaurant prices, this was very much worth it. The staff is helpful and very professional. Definitely worth a visit!

The confit blue ling starter was outstanding - best bite of fish I think we have ever had. Great balance of flavours on the ceviche too. We had a lovely meal, highly recommend!

The translation of their name is literally Sea Packing House, which the 100-year-old building was at one time. This is a small, waterfront restaurant that seats around 30 people. The emphasis here was also strictly seafood, locally sourced from docks within eyesight of your table. The atmosphere was cozy, quiet and warm. I selected the cod cheeks (with rhubarb barbecue sauce and smoked mayo) from the smaller-plate menu and the shellfish soup (creamy shellfish broth, scallops, apple, herbed oil drizzle). The cod cheeks were deep-fried in a batter that shattered with the edge of my fork like creme brulee. As I cracked each piece open, the steam rose, revealing a perfectly cooked chunk of cod with the texture and sweet taste of a sea scallop. Delicious, perfectly prepared and presented. The shellfish soup was also a standout, and I would love to know how the chef made the “creamy shellfish broth.” If there was dairy in it, it didn’t overpower a pure base of steeped shellfish. I was feeling so giddy from this meal, I ordered the three listed desserts for the table for the three of us to split. And then Dana decided to head back to the hotel to crash. When the two people left at the table are Jason and me, it’s not a problem to polish off three desserts. The lineup: choux pastry with juniper and birch cream and dark chocolate, brown butter ice cream on almond cake with blueberries and arctic thyme, and lemon posset infused with tonka bean with plum and black currant sorbet. The two of us were bouncing among these three dessert plates, trading bites and comments. They were all interesting and delicious, but the lemon posset really stands out for me. Our waitress and the chef were very friendly and I peppered them with questions and praise. I would have given the food alone a very high 4.9, but it was the staff and atmosphere that pushed it to the High Five. 5/5.

Wonderfull location on the town port with plenty of dishes with fresh fish and shells, we tried the mussels, the fish balls and the muscles, all of them simply fantastic, fresh fish, balanced flavours, nice presentation truly researched and well studied. Every plate has a reasonable price, good portions of the main dishes and very nice ambient. Service is superb, kind, smiling and super fast!

The composition and flavor of the wolffish dish were excellent. The halibut, however, was less convincing – the sauce was overly sour and the dish felt poorly balanced. Both fish preparations were somewhat dry. The side potatoes, heavily coated in thyme, were not enjoyable. Charging nearly 1000 kr for simple bread and butter feels excessive; I would have expected it to be offered complimentary. The interior is tastefully designed and decorated, but guests seated upstairs will find themselves leaving with a strong smell of fat and food, as kitchen odors travel heavily to the upper floor. Overall, this leaves me with an ambivalent impression of the restaurant. Considering its fine dining aspirations, there remains considerable room for improvement. A final note: the menu is strictly fish-based, with no meat or vegetarian options. During our visit, we saw guests leave upon realizing it was a fish-only restaurant. Reservations are required, you may simply use the form on their website.