Reykjavik Food Tour: 5 Tastings & Secret Dish Downtown

Five Stops Through Reykjavik's Food Scene, Ending With a Dish You Won't Know Until You Arrive

You taste five different Icelandic dishes at separate stops through downtown Reykjavik, walking past Hallgrímskirkja and down Laugavegur between each one. The tour includes a mystery secret dish revealed on the day, hot chocolate, Icelandic Marriage Cake, and stories about the food and the neighborhoods. You finish in the evening after roughly three hours of walking and eating, knowing what locals actually eat instead of what tourists are told to try.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Reykjavik and local food tastings

• View Hallgrímskirkja church
• Enjoy Icelandic pastry near church
• Stroll down downtown Reykjavik
• Stop for pictures on Rainbow Road
• View world's oldest legislative home
• Try hearty Icelandic seafood
• Drink rich hot chocolate
• Eat Icelandic Marriage Cake
• Taste Secret Dish revealed

The experience

You land in Reykjavik with an afternoon free and no idea what the local food actually tastes like. The food tour starts in downtown, near Hallgrímskirkja (that tall church that shows up in every photo of the city), and moves through the streets on foot. It's not a cooking class or a sit-down meal. It's five separate stops where you eat something different at each one, and the guide tells you what's happening in each neighborhood as you walk between them.

The first stop is an Icelandic pastry with a view of the church. Then you move into the rhythm of it: a traditional seafood soup, the Icelandic hot dog (which tastes nothing like you'd expect), smoked lamb, a kleina, which is a fried pastry that's been made the same way for centuries. You walk down Laugavegur, the main shopping street, and past the Rainbow Road where tourists stop to take photos. The guide knows which places have what, and they know the owners: that matters when you're trying five different things in three hours and need to time it so you're not standing around hungry or too full to taste anything.

The secret dish is the thing nobody talks about before the tour. It's revealed on the day, and it changes. That's the real hook. You don't know what it is, so you show up curious instead of checking the menu online first. After that comes the hot chocolate and the Icelandic Marriage Cake, which is a layered almond cake that tastes like someone's grandmother made it in a very deliberate way. The tour wraps up in the evening, and you've walked through downtown Reykjavik eating things that connect to the place: old recipes, local suppliers, the kind of food that stays the same because it works.

The walking is real, comfortable shoes matter. If you have dietary needs, you contact them before you book so they can adjust the stops. Strollers work for infants, and the pace is slow enough that you're not rushing between places. It's a small group, which means the guide can actually talk to you instead of shouting at twenty people.

What’s included

• Five local tastings including an Icelandic pastry, traditional seafood soup, Icelandic hot dog, smoked lamb, and kleina.
• a mystery secret dish revealed on the day.
• hot chocolate and Icelandic Marriage Cake.
• local jams, chocolates, and treats.
• guided walking through downtown Reykjavik past Hallgrímskirkja, Rainbow Road, and Laugavegur.
• small group experience with a local guide.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 11:00, 11:30 and 12:00

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Youth (13 to 17 years) · Child (3 to 12 years) · Infant (under 3): free

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.Operator's directions: “n We will meet at the Leif Eriksson Monument at Skólavörðustígur 45, 101 Reykjavík outside the Hallgrímskirkja church”

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Secret Food Tours

Is this one for you?Right for anyone with an afternoon in Reykjavik who wants to taste what locals actually eat without arranging five separate restaurants. The guide handles the stops, the timing, and the stories, so you just show up and eat.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 17 years); Child (3 to 12 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24h before the start.

How long is the Reykjavik food tour?

The tour takes roughly 2–3 hours and covers downtown Reykjavik on foot, with five tasting stops and walking between neighborhoods.

What's included in the five tastings?

An Icelandic pastry, traditional seafood soup, Icelandic hot dog, smoked lamb, kleina (fried pastry), hot chocolate, Icelandic Marriage Cake, and a secret dish revealed on the day.

Do I need to book dietary requirements in advance?

Yes. Contact the tour operator before booking if you have dietary needs so they can adjust the stops and tastings to suit you.

What is the secret dish?

The secret dish changes and is revealed only on the day of the tour, so it's different each time.

Do we stop at Hallgrímskirkja church?

You view the iconic church from outside at the first tasting stop, but the tour does not include entry to the church itself.

Is public transportation nearby?

Yes, public transportation options are available near the tour route in downtown Reykjavik.