10 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).