22 Best Restaurants in East Iceland and the Eastfjords, Iceland

White tablecloths, vintage-style crockery, and antiques add to the neoclassic tone of Eldhúsið restaurant, where you can enjoy beautifully plated meals made from local ingredients. You can’t go wrong with the fish of the day, beef reared on the surrounding farm, or the homemade ice creams and sorbets. There's a vegan menu, too.

The town's old icehouse, which was once a storeroom for glacier ice used to keep the local fresh catches cool, is now a popular harborside pizzeria serving up soups and salads but mainly stone-baked pizzas. You’ll find classic pizza toppings along with langoustine. There’s also lobster soup and cheese-filled breadsticks.

While enjoying the exhibitions at Skriðuklaustur, you might get distracted by the delightful aromas wafting from the inviting in-house restaurant. If you follow your nose, you'll discover a lovely farmhouse-style dining area serving a buffet of lamb stew, reindeer pie, quiche, and potato salad, all made from mostly local ingredients. There's also a tantalizing display of sweets at the afternoon cake buffet. The cook, Elísabet, has published a collection of her favorite recipes available to purchase at the reception in English and Icelandic.

The menu at waterside L’Abri is full of fish and meat dishes with the usual emphasis on locally sourced ingredients, and a twist on French classics like French onion soup and steak frites. The decor is modern and minimalist, featuring vintage photos of life in the town, but the best feature is the epic views of the fjord, where you might see a whale swimming by or even catch a show of the northern lights.

Helmed by the former head chef at Reykjavík restaurant Dill, Nielsen is the first Icelandic eatery to be awarded a Michelin star. The chef does wondrous things with the fine produce, all grown, caught, farmed, and foraged in the restaurant’s radius. You might spot wild game, pickled rhubarb, local barley, and angelica alongside better-known favorites such as fresh fish and lamb. 

Winning high-pedigree accolades for its food that creatively fuses fresh local fish with Japanese techniques and flavors, Norð Austur is worth booking ahead for. It is open in the summer only and is in high demand for its beautifully presented morsels, creative cocktails, and cozy atmosphere.

Based in an old warehouse made of scrap wood, Pakkhús makes good use of the area's supply of fresh seafood, especially the langoustine, which they are primarily known for (often referred to as 'lobster' in Iceland). Their menu also features duck, lamb, and beef, with some tempting desserts too. The créme bruleé flavored with licorice presents a tasty (and very Icelandic) twist.

At this boathouse on the water’s edge (built in 1890), you can enjoy gourmet dishes like spotted catfish and crispy reindeer meatballs. The interior is furnished with an impressive collection of maritime artifacts, and the soundtrack is of old Icelandic fishing songs. Upstairs the fishermen’s living quarters have been preserved exactly as they were found, undisturbed for almost a century.

There’s a good selection of quality bread and pastries at Sesam, an artisanal bakery in the middle of town that also serves coffee and cake. Each weekday there’s a good-value lunch special that’s popular with locals (Friday is pizza day).

The house restaurant of Hotel Aldan is a lively spot for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, especially during the summer. The menu features a fusion of Icelandic cuisine with a bit of continental influence and is big on fish fresh from the fjord. 

A simple, stylish space, Askur Pizzeria pumps out a menu of 12-inch pizzas with toppings that range from standard (ham and pineapple) to unexpected (wild goose and red-onion jam). It's attached to Askur Taproom, which serves craft beers from the Austri label (brewed on-site) in a relaxed, fun setting. 

There’s a ramshackle appeal to this converted old fishing hut located by the waterfront (its name translates to “the Bait Shack"). Meals served under the low-beamed ceilings decorated with nautical salvage are tasty and the service is quick, but the real draw of this place is the epic views of the fjord.

Pizza dominates the menu at Bistro Skaftfell, a charming place to dine located in the same building as the Skaftfell Art Center and furnished in the spirit of the late artist Dieter Roth, the art icon of Seyðisfjörður. The regularly updated menu also features soups, brownies, and cakes. The bistro closes at 9 pm—book ahead for large parties.

This spot has been in business since 1973, first as a bookstore and now as a homey café. Friday and Saturday afternoons feature a fantastic cake buffet, with some old-school Icelandic specialties.

Convenient, fast, and especially welcome after a morning hike on Skaftafellsheiði, Glacier Goodies, located next to the visitor center in Skaftafell, serves a modest menu of tasty, hot meals from their food truck. Just follow your nose.

At the large and no-frills Kaffiterían Skaftafelli, next to the Skaftafell Visitor Centre, you can get light lunch of soup or a hot dish like fish or meatballs. They also serve grilled sandwiches, pastries, and cakes, plus snacks for the trails.

The only dining stop in this fjord, Sólbrekka Cafe serves light refreshments and coffee (with free refills), and they have a cake buffet on Sunday. On display are old photos from life in the valley. Note that on Sundays they may occasionally be booked for a wedding reception, birthday, or christening.

As the only place of shelter at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, this basic café, resembling a series of pitched roofs, offers light refreshments with sandwiches, soups, hot chocolate, and coffee. There is free Wi-Fi, bathrooms, and a modest selection of postcards and souvenirs. It's open year-round. If the weather is good, the food trucks in the car park are a better option for a bite.

Large portions of comfort food (think burgers, pizzas, and more expensive meat and fish dishes) are served under low timber ceilings at Tærgesen, a family-run restaurant and guesthouse located in a lovely old building dating back to 1870. Tærgesen was the filming location for the Midnight Sun Hotel in the British TV thriller Fortitude.

This small café operated by the landowners of Viking Village in Stokksnes serves coffee, light meals, and snacks. Pay here to explore the Viking Village and access iconic views of Vestrahorn mountain.

The large restaurant inside the Þórbergssetur museum and cultural center is often busy, as there are limited food options along this stretch of road in Iceland. Even with that pressure, the dishes are always tasty, with a special emphasis on lamb and arctic char raised on the local farm. It's an all-day affair too: you can stop by for a light meal, soup, or a waffle or a hearty, three-course evening meal.