My favorite way to explore a new city is by taking a food tour. There’s no better way to taste the local food, get great information about the area, and have all your questions answered by someone who lives the life of a local every day. When we got to Reykjavik, we knew we wanted to do a tour with Reykjavik Food Walk.

We met our guide, Barði (pronounced Barthy), in Ingólfur Square, and immediately knew he was the kind of character you want guiding you around a city. Steeped in local knowledge, corny in that dad joke kind of way, and didn’t take himself so seriously that he’d be upset if a member of his flock wandered from time to time. He explained the history of the square and the two pillars which represent the original posts to identify the settlement that became Reykjavik by none other than Leifur Eiríksson (aka Leif Ericsson). Turns out we were staying on the first road in the city.

Our food tour consisted of the 5 friends in our group and 5 other people. The intimate group size was a big plus as we explored the streets of Reykjavik. Barði was full of jokes, history, and stories about every random thing we saw and asked about, and it was nice to be able to hear him even when you wander off a bit.

Our first food stop was the Seabaron, a charming little spot along the bay. Barði told us about the original owner who used to sleep upstairs, in the area where we were served, and how he had to get special permission to continue to do so as laws changed to prevent that kind of thing.

We tried a delicious Lobster Soup. The soup was a delicious, creamy soup with large fresh chunks of lobster, potatoes, and fish. I live in Florida, so I know fresh seafood, but this was some of the most tender lobster I’ve ever had.

small servings of Fin Whale steak — Fin Whale Steak

The waiters then passed out small servings of Fin Whale. (Full disclosure, Fin Whales are endangered through the Marine Mammal Protection Act. We didn’t know that at the time we tried it.) It was a very tender cut of meat, almost like a delicious piece of steak, not fishy at all. After we tried it, our guide explained that it was a main staple of Northern Iceland, but even Iceland would stop hunting the animal within the year.

Þúfa in Reykjavik's bay area — Þúfa, an art installation by artist Ólöf Norda

We made our way through town as Barði pointed out more landmarks including the Reykjavík Art Museum Hafnarhús, Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre, and The Icelandic Phallological Museum.

We stopped at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur and tried a hot dog, Icelandic style. Icelandic style is a Lamb Hot Dog with Icelandic Mustard, Remolaði sauce, Fried Onions, Raw Onions, and Iceland Style Ketchup.

Hot dog with the works from Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur — Hot Dog from Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur

As we walked past Reykjavík's City Hall, or guide pointed out a couple of important politicians walking past us as their day was ending and told us about the Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat.

Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat in Reykjavik — Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat

Our third stop was Iðnó where we tried the Cured Lamb, Lamb Stew and Rye Flatbread. We were lead upstairs and treated to a beautiful view of Tjörnin, a small lake with lots of waterfowl lined by parks and walking trails. The lamb stew was very rich and matched well with the flatbread and butter. The cured lamb would be perfect for a charcuterie board.

Barði walked us up the street and showed us the Icelandic Punk Museum, pointed out cafes (including a lovely spot called Baka Baka that we came back and checked out later) and shops as we walked along Bankastræti towards the famous Rainbow Street Art. We walked up the hill and found ourselves in front of Hallgrimskirkja, a beautiful modern-day cathedral that was inspired by the northern lights.

The fourth, and final stop was Café Loki. Upstairs, there’s a beautiful mural of a part of the Nordic sagas. Here we were treated to a delicious Cod Fish Stew, Arctic Char on Rye Bread with Cottage Cheese, and Fermented Shark with a shot of Brennivin.

The cod was just as fresh as the lobster we had earlier. The sushimi grade arctic char was delicious, and the cottage cheese and rye bread balanced it perfectly. The fermented shark and shot of Brennivin is another Icelandic tradition.

The shark was a Greenland shark, and it has to be fermented to remove the poisonous arsenic from it before it can be consumed. The Brennivin is also known as Black death and is a local version of schnapps. The idea is you take the bite of shark, chew a couple of times and drop it without inhaling the smell, and then you take the shot of schnapps to top it off.

I wouldn’t call the shark and shot my favorite part of the day, but I do love trying local customs, so down the hatch it went.

Barði was smart enough to have one more surprise for us. We got a nice cup of rye bread ice cream and a crepe with some fresh whipped cream. We were worried when he said rye bread ice cream, but I have to say, it’s now one of my favorite flavors. It had a nice light sweet creaminess, but also a small bit of that ryeness to balance it out. I’m glad he talked us into it.

As the day wound to an end, and the sun started to set, we stepped back outside the Café Loki across from the Hallgrímskirkja. Barði patiently answered everyone’s questions and gave recommendations as he said his goodbyes. As we walked back down the hill towards our hotel area, stuffed and happy, I couldn’t help but take in the people along the busy streets enjoying their evening. The citizens of Reykjavik looked genuinely ecstatic considering we were in the chill of winter. I had heard that the people of Iceland were some of the happiest in the world, and with the food and stories we heard on our tour, there was no wonder.

A collection of videos from our food tour