As it turns out, I was the only one on the tour with Armann (solo travel for the win!). Along with being a licensed tour guide, Armann is also a classically trained chef and a former member of the Icelandic national hockey team!  He said long winters make you find different hobbies to try out!

Disclaimer: (23 June 2020) I’ve just confirmed that Akureyri Food Walk is no longer operating. However, Reykjavik Food Walk (their sister company) is! There is even a discount code at the bottom of this post! So keep reading for some fun Icelandic food and discounts!

Please note that some products or referrals in this post are affiliate links (in green) and if you go through them to make a purchase or booking, I will earn a commission. I share these product and booking links because they are related to the post and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours whether to click through and make a purchase through these links.

1. Introduction to Northern Icelandic (Akureyri) food

Icelandic food has come a long way since the days of just salted cod and lamb.  Armann said that when he was growing up, all he knew was lamb and cod.  To have access now to produce and different kinds of fruits and vegetables was something that was unheard of 20 years ago.  Many people complain about the price of Icelandic food, and yes, it is quite pricey, but I can say with confidence, the quality of Icelandic food is also very high.  Lamb and cows are raised in the utmost conditions, with little to any antibiotics.  They are free range and enjoy nature often. 

There is even a dairy farm outside of Akureyri that has mechanized everything, so the cows live in a climate-controlled barn, with little machines that clean the barn (basically, Roomba for barns), and are fed automatically.  Armann told a story of taking a group of Indian Hindus to that dairy farm , and it literally brought tears to their eyes as to how well these cows were treated. Happy cows make happy cheese, and apparently 95% of Iceland’s cheese comes from Akureyri.

Icelandic fruits and vegetables are now grown in greenhouses around the country.  They are currently trying to perfect greenhouse conditions to grow bananas!  I also know there is a famous tomato greenhouse and restaurant located outside Reykjavik (which I will not have the chance to visit).

Alright, back to the Akureyri food tour.

Stop 1: Greifinn Restaurant

Of course, we had to start out with a Viking Beer, a local Akureyri brew. The beer was nice and refreshing and perfect to pair with the langoustine soup and salted cod! The salted cod is from the best salted cod fishery in Akureyri, which has been in business for 6 generations! Really delicious! 

The langoustine soup is similar to a lobster bisque – rich and creamy. Langoustine is a small lobster, that people have only started treating as food in the last 10-20 years. And I’m so glad they did!

Stop 2: Strikið

The next stop was Strikið, where it was a cod-filled tasting! For starters, the candied cod and tuna tartare were really unique and delicious! Yes, I know that “candied” cod is also pickled, but it would be rude to refuse food on a food tour.  I’ve never had a pickled meat before. Have you?  yum.. After the starters, we were served a delightful roasted (regular) cod, paired with barley and roasted carrots. Really fresh and tender cod, delightfully roasted.

Stop 3: Bláa Kannan

I’m so glad this was the final stop on our Akureyri food tour. The big, beautiful, blue building (“bbbb”) is a landmark in town. I walked past it several times earlier, and never really figured out what it was. Turns out, it’s a restaurant, with an extremely cozy interior. This “bbbb” is home to Bláa Kannan, a local coffee shop and cafe, known for marital bliss.

Sorry, what? Just kidding, not marital bliss, the “marriage bliss” dessert! “Marriage Bliss”, a dessert made of oatmeal and rhubarb jam, served with ice cream.  Named so, because if the wife makes this dessert, the husband will never leave!

Parting Thoughts on my Akureyri Food Tour

And that was my first evening in Akureyri, eating my way through their great eats!

Overall, it was a wonderful food tour. I had great conversation with Armann, who was very knowledgeable.  I did a lot that first day in Akureyri, haven’t I?  The night isn’t over yet!

In my next post… the hunt for Northern Lights and all the misconceptions about Northern Light activity!

For other things to do in Iceland, consider:

• Try hunting for Northern Lights – Akureyri (Northern Iceland) is perfect for that!
• Go horsebackriding on gorgeous Icelandic horses – in summer and winter!
• Visit Lake Myvatn, but also try to have a better trip than me! Check out a Tale of an Awful Tourist.
• Have a spa day at the Blue Lagoon!

Disclaimer: During this food tour, I was posting to Akureyri Food Walk’s Instagram account. I was not sponsored, nor did I receive any compensation. It was just a fun thing to do, and thank you to Egill at Akureyri Food Walk for letting me collaborate with you!

Please note that some products or referrals in this post are affiliate links (in green) and if you go through them to make a purchase or booking, I will earn a commission. I share these product and booking links because they are related to the post and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours whether to click through and make a purchase through these links.

Information on Akureyri & Reykjavik Food Walk

Akureyri Food Walk – sadly no longer operational.
Their sister company, the Reykjavik Food Walk is open and taking bookings.
Cost: 13,900 ISK | $101 USD
Cost after discount code below: 12,510 ISK | $91 USD

For 10% off, use discount code FOODANDFUN

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

The intention was to always spend the whole day at the Blue Lagoon, even though it was January and therefore dead in the middle of winter. But it turned out to be an absolutely delightful experience. And I made a friend – another travel blogger, Barbara, who was also solo traveling in Iceland.

1. Important – Reservations for Blue Lagoon

You need to make reservations for entrance into the Blue Lagoon. Especially if you are going in the summer!! When I arrived (in winter), people were being turned away because it was sold out for the whole day. Book your tickets online here!

Also, there are several bus lines that will take you from the Reykjavik Keflavik Airport or Reykjavik town to the Blue Lagoon. BUT BEWARE – they don’t include entrance tickets to the Blue Lagoon unless you specifically include them.

2. Types of Tickets at the Blue Lagoon

There are three levels of tickets at the Blue Lagoon:

• Comfort – includes entrance fees, Silica mud mask, towel, 1 drink of your choice;
• Premium – all of the above, plus a second mask, slippers, a bathrobe, a reservation at Lava, and a glass of sparking wine at Lava;
• Luxury Spa – from 372 USD per room. I’ll let you look that one up on your own.

In 2018, I paid about $100 USD for the premium package (and an extra add on of an airport transfer). Right now (as of March 2021), Comfort packages are listed at $61 USD, and Premium at $68 USD.

3. Arrival to Blue Lagoon

It was raining that winter morning. Our ticketed arrival time of 8 am meant that we began wading into the lagoon before sunrise, which would happen around 10 am. It’s a pretty amusing experience to have at least 50-100 people in this large geothermal pool, in the complete darkness and rain.

I won’t write too much about the Blue Lagoon, since every other travel blogger will tell you how amazing it was. But here are the things that surprised me about the Blue Lagoon:

• It’s MUCH BIGGER than you imagine, and expansion is ongoing!
• The photo posted above shows the area near the bar…which is why it’s so crowded! Since the Blue Lagoon is actually quite large, you can definitely find areas that are quieter, with less people.
• There are several different areas, including a face mask stand. Silica mud masks are included, and algae mud masks for a fee. There are also steam baths, saunas, in-water massages, and a bar!
• The silica, while great for your skin, is terrible for your hair! Days later, my hair still feels a little rough and a little grimey from the sediment. The Blue Lagoon warns you, especially if you have long hair (which I do), to condition your hair immediately before and after entry into the baths. (I took a break at lunch time and reconditioned my hair and again that night in Akureyri.) In total, I conditioned my hair at least 4 times that day!!! I don’t entirely remember, because I was going on no sleep at that point.

4. Lunch Tasting Menu at Lava

After Babs left, I had lunch reservations at the Blue Lagoon’s famed restaurant, Lava.  I ordered the seafood, 3-course tasting menu, for 7600 ISK or roughly $77 USD.

My reservations were at 11:30. Besides a group that was still filing in, I was the first one seated.  Furthermore, I was the first table to put in an order. (Can you see where this is going?)

Watch this video on YouTube.

Yet, would you believe, that between my first and second course, 5 tables of 2 or more people already received their entrée?  And some tables had even finished and subsequently left?  I tried to complain in a friendly way to the waiter, who promptly brought out my second course, post-complaint. 

When the food finally arrived, I asked why it took so long. The waiter, poor guy, did not have a response, so I asked to speak with a manager about it.  The waiter came back shortly and said that the kitchen brought out the food as soon as it was done.  “Ok… May I still speak with a manager?”

I honestly felt like the manager did not want to speak with me.  When he finally came, he was not apologetic in any way. He said that the kitchen timed it, and 14 minutes elapsed from when I finished my first course to when my main course was brought out.  Other tables did not order the set menu, so their food came out faster.  (That logic does not entirely make sense to me).  

The manager accused me of being in a rush and not taking the time to enjoy the dining experience. I responded that I was in fact not in any hurry at all.  Somewhere in our conversation, he received a phone call, did not excuse himself, and left mid-sentence.

In the meantime, I cancelled my dessert course and was annoyingly finishing my cod.  The manager came back and jumped back into conversation. He says, of course, lunch is free. And that I did not need to cancel my dessert.  He reminded me that he already explained the mechanics of the kitchen. Unfortunately, because I did not accept that explanation, there was nothing more to be done.  And with that, he left.

Don’t get me wrong – the food was really very good. And the portions were generous for a tasting menu size.  I did not expect this level of service for a place so reputable.  In fact, my food tour guide in Akureyri, who is a trained chef, was immediately excited when I told him that I had eaten at Lava.  After I recounted the story to him, he replied, “hmm, something does not sound right about that story…”  AGREED

5. Don’t miss your ride

After lunch, I went back into the lagoon to shake off the annoyance of before.  Without Babs around, it wasn’t as fun as lively as the morning was.  I got out early to shower and condition my hair and wait for my bus to the Reykjavik domestic airport. 

I found my Flybus, off to the side, and the bus driver said we would not leave for another 45 minutes and instructed me to wait in the luggage storage area, where he would pick everyone up.

44 minutes later, and no bus, I walked outside, only to watch the bus fly by.  They don’t call it Flybus for no reason… The bus was there, however, with a larger passenger bus completely blocking it out of view.  At this point, I had no choice but to take a taxi to the airport, because although I had plenty of time, I did not have the time to wait for the next bus.  Another 45 minutes?  Perhaps an hour?

I knew the taxi ride would be annoyingly expensive, and sure enough, it was.  $180 USD for a 45 km ride.  Iceland, you’re killing me.

6. Departing Reykjavik

The Reykjavik domestic airport was a small, quite adorable place.  The boarding area was separate, but the rest of the airport, check in, car rental, café, baggage claim, disembarking area was 5-in-1.

Watch this video on YouTube.

Not only that, but the plane itself was a propeller plane!  I’ve never flown in one!

Surprisingly it was a smooth 35 minute ride, in which I promptly passed out.

Watch this video on YouTube.

And now, onto Akureyri!  Capital of the North.

Parting Thoughts on my day at Blue Lagoon

Despite having issues with my lunch, I genuinely had an amazingly relaxing time at the Blue Lagoon! There’s something so relaxing about wading around in hot water for long periods of time. (At least for me). If that’s not your jam, maybe skip the Blue Lagoon on your Iceland trip.

But for me, having been on horrible flights, and having not slept for days at that point, it was the relaxation and rejuvenation I needed to start a 3 month traveling journey!

For more information and bookings, visit The Blue Lagoon.

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/