Kurdo Kebab (Akureyri, Iceland)

 Skipagata 2, Akureyri, Iceland

 

Kurdo Kebab is a rather big kebab place in the center of Akureyri in North Iceland. They serve a host of the classics : shawarma, wrap or plate, with chicken, beef, or lamb, humus, but also various pizzas.

 

I get the Special Kurdo Kebab Chicken (ISK 1490 or ~$11.50), which comes with pieces of marinated chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion, mushrooms, red bell peppers, and two sauces, one spicy. Wrapped in a Lebanese bread, it is a big sandwich and remarkably tasty.

 

VERDICT: 87/100

While not technically a kebab, as meat is not shaved, it is tasty!

Shellskálinn (Eskifjörður, Iceland)

 Strandgata 13, 735 Eskifjörður, Iceland

 

Shellskálinn is an old-school snackbar, in a gas station, that does burgers, sandwiches, pitas, and even pizzas. It has only a few tables inside and it is quite bumping on this Saturday early afternoon.

I get a burger with bacon and egg, which comes with fries, and a soda (the delicious local Appelsin) for a total of ISK 2320 (ca. $18). The fries are coated while the burger is also prepared meat, a bit chewy, as is the bacon.

 

VERDICT: 78/100

Very basic snackbar food

Hafnarbúðin (Höfn í Hornafirdi, Iceland)

Ránarslód 2, 780 Höfn í Hornafirdi

 

Hafnarbúðin is a rather small snackbar that serves burgers, sandwiches, fries, onions rings, and salads. The specialties are fish and lobster, as this place is just off the sea in a small touristic town in South Iceland. It is packed on this August early evening.

I get the Fishburger (ISK 1740 or ~$13.50)) and a Pylsa or Icelandic Hot Dog (ISK 430 or ~$3). The fishburger is  original and tasty, though not very special, and the hot dog is the standard tasty Icelandic version.

 

VERDICT: 83/100

Decent but not remarkable snackbar

Smiðjan Brugghús (Vik, Iceland)

Sunnubraut 15, 870 Vík, Iceland

 

Smiðjan Brugghús is a modern brewpub in the small touristic town of Vik in South Iceland. It is known for its beer and burgers but also serves ribs and wings. It’s a tourist favorite, which it tries to commodify by selling blingy swag.

 

I get the Onion Ring & Bacon Burger (ISK 2990 or ~$23), which comes with fries (which I hadn’t noticed), so I ordered a side of Onion Rings (ISK 990 or ~$7.50). The burger is big and comes with bacon, lettuce, tomato, an onion ring, and chili mayo. An excellent burgers, grilled perfectly medium. The fries are thin and coated (like BK) and presented lukewarm. The onion rings are pretty good, thick coating with reasonably thick onion inside, and zesty chipotle mayo dip.

 

VERDICT: 87/100

Very solid US burgers in cool setting

Chikin (Reykjavik, Iceland)

Ingólfsstræti, Reykjavík, Iceland

 

Chikin is a US-Korean-type fusion street food place that serves various chicken boas and burgers as well as a few special sides (sweet potato waffle fries, pineapple kimchi).

 

I get a Spicy Chicken Bao (ISK 790 or ~$6) and a K-Town (ISK 1790 or ~$14). They are both fried chicken with Gochujang Mayo, chili slaw, coriander and scallions, but one is a relatively small bao and the other a rather large burger. The chicken is perfectly fried, very tasty, but also very salty and has a kind of buttery taste to it.

 

VERDICT: 88/100

Cool place but with limited options.

Pylsuhúsið (Reykjavik, Iceland)

Hafnarstræti, 110 Reykjavík, Iceland

 

Pylsuhúsið is another hot dog stand, not too far from Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur and next to Hlölla Bátar. It serves hot dogs in different varieties, including bratwurst and chili dogs, as well as ice cream. I get the Icelandic Hot Dog, which was roughly $4, and very similar to BBP, but without the remoulade, I think. It was good, but not remarkable. 

 

VERDICT: 86/100
A standard Icelandic hotdog.

Hlölla Bátar (Reykjavik, Iceland)

Hafnarstræti, 110 Reykjavík, Iceland

 

Sandwich stand on popular square in downtown Reykjavik that offers “boats”, that is sandwiches (6” or 12”) with mostly warm meats, lettuce and sauce.

 

I get the 6” Bacon Boat (ISK 1050 or ~$8). The sandwich is a toasted soft grain bread with a few strips of not crispy bacon, which mostly taste salty, while the lettuce and "Hlölla sauce" (mayo or aioli)  don’t change taste much.

 

VERDICT: 80/100

Decent but not remarkable. CRazy overpriced, of course, but this is Iceland.

101 Reykjavik Street Food (Reykjavik, Iceland)

Skólavörðustígur 8, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland

 

101 Reykjavik Street Food is a small local and tourist favorite that serves just 8 different meals, 6 of which are different soups. I get the famed Fish & Chips (ISK 1850 or ~$14.50), which is one big piece of perfectly battered and fried cod (I assume). The fries are thin and pretty standard but also perfectly fried. The chipotle mayo is very tasty, the tartar sauce a bit bland.

VERDICT: 90/100

Funky little place with excellent food

Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur (Reykjavik, Iceland)

 Tryggvagata, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland

Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur is the world famous hot dog stand that allegedly sells "the best hot dog in the world." A must-see touristic attraction that has been visited by celebrities from across the globe. It only serves hot dogs and sodas. I get a Hot Dog “with everything” (ISK 550 or ca. $4.40) that comes with crunchy onions, remoulade, and an odd watery brown sauce. The dog itself is really snappy and overall this is a great hot dog.

 

VERDICT: 95/100

BBP lives up to the hype. An excellent hot dog stand that is quite affordable (by Icelandic standards). Best hot dog I had in Iceland.

Borg Brugghus (Reykjavik, Iceland)

 Grjótháls, Reykjavík, Iceland

Borg Brugghus is a "progressive craft brewery" at the edge of downtown Reykjavik. It is a very nice restaurant and bar in a kind of rustic setting. Known mostly for its beer selection, the menu is a combination of modern takes on Icelandic and International food. There are both "small bites" and bigger plates but they overlap a bit.

Open Buffalo Chichen Sandwich (ISK 2,150, ca. $17), pricey even by Icelandic standards. It has a few chicken tenders doused in Buffalo sauce stacked up with Asian slaw and a small slice of thick bread. Very tasty and with a big kick. The table also orders French fries, which are thin and a bit undercooked, while I get Onion Rings (I think they were ISK 1,350 or ~$10.50), which were really weird. They looked like calamari but the filling was mushy and didn’t taste like onion. The zesty dip sauce was tasty though.

 

VERDICT: 82/100

A really nice bar/restaurant but too artsy and expensive.

Íslenski Barrin (Reykjavik, Iceland)

1a Ingólfsstræti, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland

The Islenski Barrinn (Icelandic Bar) is a popular tourist destination that is known for its food and particularly its burgers. It’s very cozy inside and on this Wednesday mid-afternoon it is not too busy.

 

I get the Classic Icelandic Burger (ISK 2,440 or ~$19), which comes with waffle fries. I get it medium and to my surprise it is really cooked medium. This is one of the best smelling burgers I have ever eaten! The meat smells so good! It comes with lettuce, red onion, tomato, cucumber, and "burger sauce like they make it up North", which is a kind of sweet remoulade sauce, all on a big, a bit too dry, bun. Everything is fresh and, although I am not such a fan of sweet sauces, the burger overall tastes really good. The waffle fries are perfect fly crisp but coated, which is not really my thing.

 

VERDICT: 88/100

A very cozy and tasty burger place. Highly recommended!

Mandi (Reykjavik, Iceland)

Veltusund 3b, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland

 

 

Mandi is a shawarma place, billed as "Mediterranean restaurant" at the heart of downtown of Reykjavik. It serves a broad variety of platters and wraps (lamb, chicken, beef, fish) as well as humus and burgers.

 

I get a Chicken Shawarma Wrap ISK 1290 (~$10), which is a good size Lebanese wrap with spiced meat, lettuce, onion, and some sauces. It started out a bit bland but started to grow on me. Nice little kick to it.

 

VERDICT: 83/100

Very acceptable shawarma for a country with few immigrants from the Middle East.