Where to Eat in Reykjavik with Kids (2026 Guide)

When you come to Reykjavik, Iceland, you’re naturally going to wonder where to eat with your kids, so let’s walk through where we ate.

This is a family guide, intended to provide assistance for you as you plan your own visit to Reykjavik, Iceland. For context, during our visit, our children were ages 6 and 9. We paid for all meals out of our own money and do not have any relationship (financial or otherwise) with the restaurants described below. That allows us to give our honest feedback about what we did and did not like.

Is Reykjavik, Iceland good for kids?

Bottom line — yes! Reykjavik is absolutely an awesome location to take the kids for a fun vacation. This applies whether you come here in the summer or the winter. You’ll want to make sure your little ones are appropriately dressed for the cold if you do come in the winter. It can get chilly and snowy!

Reykjavik, Iceland has all sorts of fun activities for people of all ages. While you probably won’t do some of the more daring things (like scuba diving, off-roading, or exploring some caves), you’ll still find plenty to do with your kids both in town and outside in nature.

If we’re being perfectly honest, we look at Iceland as a cold version of Hawaii. Sure, there aren’t beaches to lounge on, but much of Hawaii’s true beauty lies in its volcanic history. This gives off much of the same vibes though it’s colder and the service level is better here. If you’re open to bringing your kids to Hawaii, why not here too?

See our guide on the best activities to do with your kids in our dedicated post.

Quick guide on where to eat in Reykjavik with kids

Ultimately, we have to caveat our list by admitting we haven’t been to all restaurants in Reykjavik with our family, so this isn’t a definitive list. However, we certainly tried a lot of different restaurants and options in Reykjavik and would love to share our opinions of each.

This also isn’t intended to be a ranking of places. We’ve tried to group like-places as much as possible though.

Restaurant Name	Type	Cuisine	Kids Menu?
Reykjavik Kitchen	Full service	Traditional Icelandic	No
Forréttabarinn	Full service	Icelandic and appetizers	Yes
Steikhúsið	Full service	Steak	Yes
Tides Restaurant	Full service	Icelandic and western favorites	Yes
Posthus Food Hall	Quick service	All over the world	Some have one
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur	Take away	Icelandic hot dogs	No
DEIG	Take away	Bakery	No
Costco Iceland	Take away	Mostly typical Costco food	No
Ísbúð Vesturbæjar	Take away	Ice cream	No
Bónus	Grocery	Snacks and anything else you want	No
Krónan	Grocery	Snacks and anything else you want	No

Where to eat in Reykjavik with kids

Reykjavik Kitchen

Official website: https://reykjavikkitchen.is/
Address: Rauðarárstígur 8, 105 Reykjavík
Cuisine: Icelandic
Dedicated kid menu: No

Let’s start our list by talking about Reykjavik Kitchen, a restaurant that we tried out but didn’t post about separately. There is currently only one location for this family-owned restaurant. We’ve heard good things and wanted to give it a try.

We had reservations but ultimately didn’t feel they were necessary given we showed up right around the start of dinner service. Once I got done re-parking the car (the spots immediately outside the restaurant aren’t spots at all), I saw our son Alex holding down the fort on his own.

The menu

Reykjavik Kitchen serves up some traditional Icelandic food. They also have an extensive list of drinks if you want to add any to your meal.

Drink list — *Spirits, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks*

Appetizers and starters — *Appetizers and soups*

While the restaurant doesn’t have a kids menu, they do have activities for kids. That’s cute and very welcomed to keep our daughter Char entertained.

Bread

Our evening started off with some bread. These little bread balls are simple and the whipped butter is nice but it’s not otherwise very noteworthy.

Plokkfiskur

This is less of a traditional plokkfiskur and more of what they consider a “reimagined” version. We’d describe it as a super thick fish stew that you eat with a fork rather than a spoon. The crispy ryebread chip that comes with it provides some much-needed texture. It’s tasty, especially if you’re into some delicious fish stew.

Beef tenderloin steak

Alex is usually up for some beef, so we ordered him the beef tenderloin steak, which came with a truffle-butter sauce. In retrospect, we should have requested the truffle sauce on the side for him since he’s not a fan. I can’t say we’re a fan of truffle oil either but I get why it doesn’t appeal to him. Aside from that, the dish was a bit on the weaker side. We found the mushrooms a bit oversalted and the bok choy a bit undercooked for our tastes. If you want steak, go to The Steakhouse (see below).

Icelandic arctic char

For our daughter Char, we went with her namesake: the arctic char. This one is good though the preparation could use some improvement. For example, it would have been better if the skin side were facing upwards because the crispy skin was no longer crispy after sitting in the sauce. If you want an excellent arctic char, we’d suggest checking out Tides Restaurant (also further down on this list) but this one still isn’t a bad choice at all. We enjoyed this one, but not as much as we thought we would.

Glazed Icelandic lamb shank

And now for the dish that was the hit of the evening, the lamb shank is a huge leg atop your plate. It’s cooked perfectly and didn’t have an overpowering lamb taste to it. This was more approachable for the kids than other lamb we’ve had. The meaty sauce on the plate accompanies the dish well as does that creamy potato puree. If you’re trying to figure out what to feed the kids, give them this and you’ll be fine. It’s by far the best dish they have of the ones we ate.

Skyr cheesecake

If you know us, we like to finish off our dinners with a dessert (or two). Here, we just kept it simple and went with the Skyr cheesecake. You can think of Skyr as Icelandic yogurt, but it’s a little more on the thicker side than you might be used to. While you could just eat Skyr straight up, you’ll commonly find it mixed into cheesecakes and other desserts.

This cheesecake has a large spoonful of cherries that come with it and adds the right amount of sweetness. On top is some chocolate that has been shaped into some graffiti. It’s not too heavy a dish but that’s honestly what we were looking for after dining here.

Overall, we were happy with Reykjavik Kitchen. That said, we liked some of the other restaurants we tried a little bit more. While there wasn’t a kids menu, we did see plenty of other children in the restaurant by the time we were done.

Forréttabarinn

Official website: https://www.forrettabarinn.is/en/
Address: Frakkastígur 8a, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland (two locations)
Cuisine: Icelandic and appetizers
Dedicated kids menu: Yes

Forréttabarinn is a cute restaurant with two locations. They specialize mainly in Icelandic cuisine and their staff at the Frakkastígur location, where we dined, is pretty friendly. We’re comfortable in assuming that the other location is probably similar.

One look at their menu and you’d notice it split between what they call classic appetizers and grand appetizers. Classic appetizers are how large you’d typically expect appetizers to be. Grand appetizers can be thought of more as an entree. However, if you’re here with a crew, it’s fine to just split everything anyways.

The kids both got the cheeseburgers off the kids menu, which they enjoyed. They didn’t eat much “American” food on this trip and it gave them a taste of home.

Meanwhile, one of the best choices in our opinion was the hearty langoustine soup, which lived up to its name. Whichever appetizer you choose, you might want to consider their “East side story”, which combines a classic appetizer, a grand appetizer, and a dessert.

See much more about our visit to Forréttabarinn in our dedicated post.

Steikhúsið (The Steakhouse)

Official website: https://steik.is/
Address: Tryggvagata 4-6, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
Cuisine: Steak
Dedicated kids menu: Yes

The Steakhouse is an excellent option if you feel like having lots of meat. However, that’s not to say they only serve steak–they have Icelandic classics and seafood too.

The menu is broad enough to cover most interests, but for us, the real star of the show here is the steak, understandably.

There’s also a kids menu that mixes up either steak, chicken, or fish with some fries.

To start, we had some whale tataki, which tasted less like fatty tuna and more like beef. It was our first time eating whale, so how would we have known? It’s pretty good and worth it if you want a change up from eating steak.

One of the kids meals we ordered was the kids steak, which was plenty large for them–though our son Alex did also steal some of our steak too. The kids steak also has enough flavor, though a little less than the porterhouse Jenn and I split.

See many more details on our dinner at Steikhúsið in our dedicated post.

Tides Restaurant

Official website: https://www.tidesrestaurant.is/
Address: Austurbakki 2, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
Cuisine: Icelandic and western favorites
Dedicated kids menu: Yes

How about dining at a hotel restaurant that’s actually good? Well, look no further than Tides Restaurant inside The EDITION (a Marriott hotel). Unlike the other options on this list, this is the one we would recommend you grabbing reservations for as even hotel guests might find difficulty just walking up and finding no line.

The menu here is full of both Icelandic favorites and also a variety of other western cuisines. It’s not that big of a menu, but honestly it doesn’t need to be that big.

You might have to ask for it, but the hotel does have kids menus available with a small selection for them to choose from.

What are some of the highlights from the meal? Well, the lobster ravioli was so good that Alex said “forget it” to his own kids meal. He’s normally not a fan of lobster but he completely gobbled down my meal. It’s a rich dish and while it’s a bit on the expensive side, it’s also made extremely well. Our meal here ended up being our favorite of the trip.

Our daughter Char got the kids macaroni and cheese, which was good. But she too ended up liking the adult meal more than her own. It’s not meant to suggest that the kids meals aren’t good–they are. However, the kids just liked more of the flavors that came in the adult meals. Maybe they’re growing up?

See many more details on our dinner at Tides Restaurant in our dedicated post on our stay at The EDITION hotel.

Pósthús Food Hall

Official website: https://posthusfoodhall.is/en
Address: Pósthússtræti 3-5, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
Cuisine: All over the world (many smaller restaurants to choose from)
Dedicated kids menu: Some shops have a kids menu

In the heart of Downtown Reykjavik is the Pósthús Food Hall, an indoor area home to nine different restaurants. If your party can’t decide what to eat–or even if you’re just looking for something different–this is the place to consider.

Some options inside the food hall include a pizza place that we tried. The pizza is good and closer to the Italian version than what you might expect from New York. They have a kids menu that features a smaller pizza and a drink.

Other options inside include a sushi place that looked promising. Eating sushi in a city with access to plenty of fresh fish makes sense to us at least.

There are also a couple of places where you can grab a drink if that’s all you’re looking for. The food hall is open until 11PM daily (last call for food at 10PM), making it convenient late at night.

Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur

Official website: https://bbp.is/blogs/news/discover-the-famous-icelandic-hotdog
Address: Tryggvagata 1, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland (multiple other locations in Iceland)
Cuisine: Hot dogs, both Icelandic and ‘regular’
Dedicated kid menu: No

In the mood for something quick? Bæjarins Beztu could be something right up your alley. These are Icelandic hot dogs and they’re popular pretty much all day long. There can even be a line in the snow, as you see below. There are many locations, even several at the airport, but we went to the one in Downtown Reykjavik. It’s a couple blocks away from the Pósthús Food Hall.

What is an Icelandic hot dog? Locally known as either pylsa or pulsa, these hot dogs are topped with ketchup, sweet mustard, a remoulade sauce, and both crispy and raw onions. These hot dogs also are in the casing, adding extra texture. What you get is a hot dog that has plenty of bite to it. The combination of sweet and salty makes it feel less heavy too,

If you’re not in the mood for the Icelandic version, you can also get a hot dog with nothing on it, but don’t expect a discount.

If you’re just passing through Iceland on your flight, you’ll find Bæjarins Beztu both inside the Schengen Area and outside it. There’s also one outside the secure area, giving you plenty of options to try it even if not going into the city or one last chance at it on your way out.

DEIG

Official website: https://www.lekock.is/
Address: Tryggvagata 14 101, Tryggvagata 14, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
Cuisine: Bakery
Dedicated kids menu: No

If you’re in Downtown Reykjavik and need just a quick place to grab some food, consider checking out DEIG. This bakery is inside the Exeter Hotel, a Mr. & Mrs. Smith property. Bagels are a popular breakfast item to eat in Reykjavik as is pretty much anything else you might find at a bakery. Sometimes you just don’t need a big breakfast to start your day.

We purchased a “filled bagel”, which really is just a bagel and cream cheese where the two halves are pressed together. It’s good though simple and ultimately what you would expect it to be. And that’s perfectly fine with us.

Costco Iceland

Official website: https://www.costco.is/
Address: Kauptún 3, 210 Garðabær, Iceland
Cuisine: Mostly typical Costco food
Dedicated kid menu: No

If you happen to be filling up at the cheapest fuel station on the island and want to stop inside Costco itself, you certainly could. The food is all more expensive than what you would find in the United States, so don’t come here for cheap finds. In fact, we didn’t really find much on sale in the warehouse that screamed “must buy” to us.

But if you need something cheap by Iceland’s standards in the food court, this is for you. Sure, the hot dog isn’t $1.50 here but it’s pretty close (299 ISK is $2.40 US). Compare that to the Bæjarins Beztu above, and you could buy a couple of hot dogs here for the price of one from Bæjarins Beztu. Of course, it’s not going to be as flavorful, but that’s always the thing with Costco food.

You will need to show your membership card to get into the building but you won’t need to scan it when ordering. However, conveniently, Costco Iceland accepts Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. If only all were so welcoming!

Ísbúð Vesturbæjar

Official website: https://isbudvesturbaejar.is/
Address: Skipholt 50c, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland (multiple locations in Reykjavik)
Cuisine: Ice cream
Dedicated kid menu: No

Need a pick-me-up or a sweet finish to a meal? Then head over to Ísbúð Vesturbæjar for some ice cream. We went to the location in Holt, a few blocks away from Reykjavik Kitchen.

There are plenty of toppings to choose from and several ice cream flavors. Some swear by the “Gamli Ís”, which is the old-fashioned milk-based ice cream rather than the typical soft serve. But it can feel intimidating to order it–there isn’t much English you’ll find on the menus.

The kids enjoyed it though it’s hard to go wrong with ice cream. If you’re driving here, there is free parking in the lot behind the building. As we said, it’s worth a stop or two during your visit to Reykjavik.

Bónus or Krónan: The Affordable Breakfast Options

Bónus official website: https://bonus.is/english/
Krónan official website: https://kronan.is/grocery-store
Locations: All throughout Iceland

Tired of spending an arm and a leg for pretty much everything in Iceland? Then you might want to consider stocking up at local grocery stores Bónus and Krónan.

On thing that’s actually incredibly useful that we haven’t mentioned before–most stores list their hours right on the building itself. See that “10-21” displayed on the storefront below? That immediately tells you the hours here are between 10AM and 9PM (21:00). That saves you the effort of parking, walking to the door, and looking at the fine print. We wish more places around the world were as considerate of your time.

Anyways, take a step inside and you’ll find… a grocery store. What were you expecting?

We stocked up on some Skyr (Icelandic yogurt) for most of our mornings. We also grabbed some snacks for our longer road trips. Of course, before you buy things that require a freezer or a microwave, you better make sure you can make it work in your hotel room.

Krónan is a pretty similar setup, so feel free to choose whichever is closest to you.

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experiencing the world via gastronomy with our children