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Steeped in tradition

Downtown Reykjavik, a cluster of old houses overlooking the historic city center. One of them, a wooden building from 1834, is a host to one of the oldest and most traditional restaurants in Reykjavik. Lækjarbrekka takes pride in its 20 year history of offering a traditional Icelandic cuisine consisting mainly of fish and lamb.

The restaurant has two floors, including a bar and a comfortable lounge on the upper floor. The interior is old-fashioned but you get a nice friendly feeling on entering, like taking a step back into early 20th century Reykjavik history. At the same time, Lækjarbrekka is presided over by young, friendly and knowledgeble staff, adding a spice of youthfulness to the otherwise historical atmosphere.

The menu is diverse, with lunchtime menus focusing on light and fresh dishes including soups, salads and fish. In the evening, variety is the name of the game, although lamb and seafood play a leading role.

Some of the more popular dinner menus are the 3 course feast menus, such as Lobster Feast, Mountain Lamb Feast and Icelandic Fish Feast. It is easy to recommend the Lobster Feast. The starter, a lobster soup with a taste of cream and cognac is delicious. The same can be said of the main course: lobster served in 3 different ways, i.e. grilled garlic lobster tails, lobster wrapped in puff pastry and fried lobster. The feast finishes off with a delightful "grand marnier" ice cream.

If you'd rather go for individual courses the chef´s selection of 4 appetizers is a good start. Continue with the tender grilled Iceland lamb filet and dont skip the dessert: the highlight of the evening was the Icelandic "skyr" - a non-fat milk product, with blueberry sorbet. Absolutely delicious!

The dinner is preceded by tasty warm home-baked bread and a rather exotic surprise: a spoonfill of smoked lamb, dried fish and creme freche.

The dishes are beautifully presented and prices are moderatly high, ranging from 4600 ISK to 6000 ISK for a 3 course feast.

Lækjarbrekka leaves you with a feeling of an enjoyable culinary experience in a traditional Icelandic setting. And the location is an advantage, its easy to continue exploring further Reykjavik's busy bar life.