2 Best Restaurants in Akureyri, Iceland

This Akureyri restaurant takes its name literally, with chefs who use their signature “magic pepper” rub and a variety of others to enliven fish, lamb, and beef dishes. There are excellent sushi options too, and it's one of the few places in Iceland where you can sample real Icelandic wasabi (fresh wasabi is actually grown locally in Iceland, whereas previously the wasabi you would eat here was an imitation). Book in advance for evening meals.

The views from this attractive fifth-floor restaurant are just as excellent as the food and service. The menu focuses on Icelandic ingredients but doesn’t mind borrowing from around the world. Lounge music blends with the enthusiastic chatter and laughter of locals and tourists, who come to sip house cocktails like the “Yfir Strikið” (Over the Line; made with rose gin and champagne).