Forréttabarinn Reykjavik: Excellent Small Dishes, Good for the Family

In this month’s edition of First Friday Feast, we tried out Forréttabarinn when we visited Reykjavik, Iceland for some good eats.

Forréttabarinn Reykjavik (Frakkastígur location)

First Friday Feast is a monthly series debuting on the first Friday of each month and elaborates on a recent dining experience. For avoidance of doubt, this post was in no way sponsored by the restaurant.

We’ve been trying to have a date night each month this year (and post about it on the first Friday of every month). Sometimes we bring the kids along for date night and sometimes they stay at home. But that’s fine by us–the kids are more than welcome to tag along if they want. Doing some research, we heard some nice things about Forréttabarinn from others who went to Iceland. That meant we needed to stop by and check it out for ourselves.

Arrival to Forréttabarinn (Reykjavik, Iceland)

Official link to Forréttabarinn: https://www.forrettabarinn.is/en/

Forréttabarinn currently has two locations, both within Reykjavik. We went to the Frakkastígur location (downtown) though technically the other location was just as close to us. We had reservations but they turned out to not be necessary.

Anyways, Jenn and the kids went into the restaurant before I did so I could have some time to find a parking spot and pay.

Naturally, this was the day that parking was free–something I didn’t know was possible until this very moment. A British couple was also standing there at the pay station wondering why the machine seemed to be disabled. At least it wasn’t just me who didn’t know! It wasn’t until I downloaded the Parka app, created an account, and got the to the payment screen that it told me payment wasn’t necessary. For what it’s worth, the EasyPark app didn’t say anything other than erroring out when I tried to pay, just like in person.

Anyways, I made it over to the restaurant slightly delayed but at least I sent Jenn and the kids ahead of me.

Forréttabarinn has a cute layout and decorations, which makes you almost feel at home here.

The menu

Forréttabarinn seems to specialize in appetizers, which is pretty much everything you can order on the menu. We’d say not to focus on the word “appetizer” so much because the “grand appetizers” are really just main courses. Coming in, we were wondering if it would be enough food to feed us and we’re happy to report that those fears were overblown.

The kids menu is also prominently featured on the regular menu,.

Accompanying the regular menu is the list of drinks because why not. They have quite a nice selection of drinks, but you’ll also want to check out happy hour. Each day from when the restaurant opens until 6PM, You’ll need to check with your server which drinks get a discount. You don’t have to sit at the bar to get the discount.

How substantial is the discount? I ordered two 40cl glasses of the same beer, one before 6PM and one after. Before 6PM, it cost 1,100 ISK ($9 US) while the normal price is 1,750 ISK ($14 US). Happy hour is worth it if you can make it. Normally, I wouldn’t gush over paying $9 for a beer, especially in Europe, but this is Iceland.

And then the desserts are repeated here along with some cocktails.

Drinks

Jenn and I kept things simple. She ordered Somersby Apple, a Danish cider, and thought it was delicious. There/s just something about European ciders that taste much more refreshing than ciders in the US. Meanwhile, I went with the Ölvisholt Classic, a malted local lager–tasty and refreshing!

The kids just stuck to water (and seemed pretty happy about it too).

The food at Forretta Barin

Kids meal (burgers)

Let’s start with the kids meals, since they got theirs first (in part because I was late). The kids version is a cheeseburger with lettuce on the side, some fries, and a couple of onion rings. You can choose to eat your onion rings separately or add them to your burger if you want to be fancy. It tastes just like a burger you might get back home in the United States, so it’s nice to have a little of a taste from home to avoid homesickness.

Robert’s hearty langoustine soup

Both Jenn and I ordered the “East side story”, which came with a choice of one classic appetizer, one grand appetizer, and one dessert. Jenn chose the langoustine soup to start, which she loved. It has a rich, hearty seafood broth with a skewer of different shellfish and shrimp. What this dish needs is some bread for dipping.

And that’s exactly what you get from it–this bread is excellent for soaking up that delicious broth. Or, if you’d prefer, you can eat it with the tapenade. The kids ended up stealing some of the bread from Jenn. This was arguably her favorite dish from the evening.

Beef carpaccio & basil pesto

My classic appetizer was the beef carpaccio, which was light despite having plenty of beef on it. The basil pesto brings together all the flavors while the fruits and nuts give the dish a bit more depth. It’s a good appetizer–not one that will fill you up but also one that’s hard to share with more than one other person.

Today’s fish course (white fish)

We didn’t get an official answer on which fish this was when Jenn ordered it other than it being a “white fish”. It’s most definitely not arctic char, which we had plenty of during our visit to Iceland. The dish is packed with plenty of stir-fried vegetables, giving it a healthy taste to it. But despite all those vegetables, it still has plenty of flavor from the fish. It’s a good fish entree; not the best we had in Iceland (that would be the arctic char at The Reykjavik EDITION) but still a reliable, satisfying choice.

Cajun style beef burger & bacon onion jam

Not to be outdone by the kids and their burger, I actually felt like being in the burger mood myself. And see? It’s fancy to put an onion ring in your burger. I’m sure there’s a nicer way to say this, but this burger is plenty lubricated with the cheese on top and the bacon onion jam, which wasn’t overpowering. You might expect somewhat of a kick from the “cajun” that’s in the burger, but I have to admit I didn’t notice it at all.

Still, this was incredibly satisfying and the wooden pick to keep it all together was necessary. Sometimes you just want a burger and a beer, am I right?

Cajun style beef burger & bacon onion jam

Dessert #1 (Skyr mousse)

You can think of Skyr as an Icelandic yogurt, but it’s a bit thicker and creamier than regular yogurt. Some might look at it as a breakfast item, but it’s acceptable in practically any course throughout the day. Here, we’re having it as a dessert along with some blueberry compote and an oat crumble.

This is lighter than ice cream and don’t tell the others but I kind of like this more than plain old ice cream anyways. Sometimes ice cream is just too heavy and this just hits the spot.

Dessert #2 (Rhubarb tarte)

Rhubarb is that silly vegetable that has many applications in cooking, including making a good dessert. That’s the case here, with this tarte that has plenty of toffee sauce on top of it for extra sweetness. And to complete the dish is some vanilla ice cream on the side.

Between this dessert and the other, the tarte is heavier and sweeter, so it’s really up to your own preferences on what you want. The kids were more of a fan of the ice cream here, but I think you could tell I was more of a fan of the lighter dessert.

Recommendation: Yes

Look, dining in Iceland is expensive. That’s doubly true if you’re trying to look for a fine dining restaurant. Sometimes you want a place that serves excellent food but doesn’t cost an excessive amount. You’ll get that here at Forréttabarinn. For the money paid, we thought this was the best dining experience per dollar spent. The kids meals were also an excellent deal. If you’re in the mood to try out a couple of different “appetizers” and perhaps share some with others, this is a great place to check out.

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