Reykjavik: Food Walking Tour with Shark Tasting & Flea Market

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/10

Duration3h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · NO +9

PickupAt your hotel

Local flavors, laughter at the flea market, warm soup by the harbor and that shark

You’ll wander Reykjavik’s old center tasting shellfish soup by the harbor, lamb hot dogs at a famous stand, and even brave fermented shark at Dass restaurant—all guided by a local who shares stories as you go. Expect laughter in the flea market if it’s open and end your walk with an Icelandic drink (alcoholic or not) near Hallgrimskirkja.

Step-by-step itinerary

Reykjavik food walk and tasting

Meet at old Reykjavik city center
Start with Icelandic shellfish soup
Sample lamb hot dog at stand
Visit local supermarket for snacks
Stroll Reykjavik Flea Market (weekends)
Try delicacies and fermented shark
Celebrate with Icelandic drink

The Experience

Someone hands me a steaming bowl of shellfish soup down by Reykjavik harbor. The wind’s sharp but the soup’s got this buttery smell that cuts right through it. Our guide, Sigrún, waves us closer to the water and starts telling stories about fishermen—her uncle used to work these docks, apparently. I try not to spill anything on my gloves. It’s early but already there’s this low hum from the boats and gulls overhead. Didn’t expect to start a Reykjavik food tour with my nose running from both cold and pepper.

We snake through old streets—someone points out graffiti I would’ve missed—and then we’re suddenly at the hot dog stand everyone talks about. The line moves fast; Sigrún orders in Icelandic (I try to repeat it, she laughs). The lamb hot dog is… different? Smoky, with crunchy onions and this sweet brown sauce I still can’t name. There’s a guy behind us who says he eats here every Friday after work. Feels like half of Reykjavik passes by in five minutes.

Inside the supermarket, we poke at licorice candies and weirdly bright yogurt drinks. Sigrún grabs something called Skyr—she says it’s technically cheese but nobody treats it like cheese here. If you catch this day trip around the weekend, you get swept into the flea market too—smells like wool sweaters and dried fish in there. Some old man tries to sell me dried cod skin for “snacking.” I pass.

The last stop is Dass near Hallgrimskirkja church—a cozy spot with wooden tables and dim lights. We sit together for little plates of smoked lamb, rye bread so dense it almost squeaks when you chew it, and then… fermented shark. The smell hits first (like cleaning fluid?) but everyone cheers each other on anyway. I manage a bite—sharp, salty, weirdly soft—and chase it with a sip of Black Death schnapps that burns all the way down. Sigrún raises her glass: “Now you’re Icelandic.” Not sure about that but I do feel changed somehow. Still think about that table sometimes when I smell cold air or rye bread.

What’s included

Your day includes plenty of local tastings—from shellfish soup by the harbor to famous lamb hot dogs—plus snacks from shops or markets if they’re open. You’ll finish at Dass restaurant near Hallgrimskirkja church where you can try traditional delicacies (including fermented shark) alongside an Icelandic drink of your choosing before saying goodbye in central Reykjavik.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Your Friend In Reykjavik