Vegan food

Visiting Iceland as a Vegan: The Only Guide You Need

Travelling can be tricky for vegans. While some parts of the world have certainly responded to increased demand for vegan options, others have not. Luckily, Iceland has become very vegan-friendly in recent years, with plenty of options at restaurants and grocery stores. Here‘s my guide to the best vegan in town!

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Nína Þorkelsdóttir

7. February 2022

Supermarkets

Assuming you will not be eating out for every meal while in Iceland, it‘s a good idea to start with the basic supermarket stuff. The selection of vegan food varies from supermarket to supermarket, so it‘s a good idea to do a bit of research before you go shopping.

While Bónus is the cheapest and most widespread supermarket chain in Iceland,  their focus isn‘t really on vegan food. However, you should be able to find a variety of non-dairy milk substitudes, yoghurts, cheeses and spreads. They also have frozen meat substitudes, such as the Linda McCartney products and a brand called Hälsans Kök.

A part of Bónus's selection of vegan meat substitudes. Photo: Bónus@Facebook.

Other supermarkets, such as Krónan, Bónus and Nettó, generally offer a better selection of vegan products. In these stores, you can find all kinds of vegan ice cream, a popular meat substitude called Oumph, and many other great vegan brands. The bakery at Nettó usually offers vegan pastries.

The best supermarket for vegans, however, must be Vegan búðin, which is a supermarket that offers only vegan products. It‘s a bit far away from the city centre, but if you have a chance to go there, I would recommend that you stock up.

Vegan Búðin offers a huge selection of vegan products. Photo: Vegan Búðin@Facebook.

Grabbing a quick bite

If you‘re looking for a quick bite at a smaller grocery store, kiosk or a gas station, I recommend a brand called Jömm. Their sandwiches may not be the healthiest vegan option out there, but they are really yummy.

Jömm sandwiches. Photo: Jömm@Facebook.

There are plenty of bakeries in Iceland, but not all of them offer a large variety of vegan options. It goes without saying that the bread is usually vegan, but you deserve a pastry too. Snúður, one of Iceland‘s most common pastries is actually vegan and has always been. It‘s definitely not the most elegant of pastries, but it‘s all right.

Some bakeries also offer vegan croissants, buns and other more delicate pastries. Check out Brauð & Co. in Reykjavik, Brauðgerðin in Akureyri and GK Bakery in Selfoss. The French café/bakery Emilie and the Cool Kids also has tons of vegan options.

Snúður - one of the most popular sweet bites in Iceland - is vegan. Photo: Björnsbakarí@Facebook. 

Vegan pastries at Emilie and the Cool Kids. Photo: Emilie and the Cool Kids@Facebook. 

What about vegan ice cream? Well, not all ice cream shops in Reykjavik have it, but some offer an ambitious selection. Huppa, Skúbb and Valdís are all shops that won‘t disappoint if you‘re looking for creamy and delicious vegan gelato.

Vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants

Although there are not many exclusively vegan restaurants in Reykjavik, there‘s a variety of exciting places that focus on mostly on vegetarian and vegan-friendly cuisine. Here are a few I‘d recommend for vegans:

Jömm

Buffalo "wings" at Jömm. Photo: Jömm@Facebook.

“Hangover vegan food” is perhaps what describes Jömm’s focus best. Their burgers and wraps are sinfully juicy. Vegan fast food at its best.

Mama Reykjavik

Photo: Mama@Facebook. 

An exclusively vegan restaurant in downtown Reykjavik. Among their most popular courses are Indian Dahl, smoothies and sweet bites. Fresh ingredients and relatively healthy food. 

20&SJÖ Mathús og bar

Photo: 27 Mathús&Bar@Facebook. 

This brand restaurant is already a hit in the vegan community. Although it isn‘t even entirely vegetarian, they have an impressive selection of vegan alternatives. The only downside is that it‘s located in Kópavogur, a suburb of Reykjavik that can be hard to reach if you don‘t have a car.

Garðurinn

Photo: Gardurinn@Facebook.

This vegetarian restaurant has been around for decades. The focus is on hearty and healthy dishes and delicious vegan cakes. It's by no means a fancy spot for a meal, but if you're searching for something healthy and quick, it's an ideal choice.

Fine dining

Mat Bar

Grilled pak choi at Mat Bar. Photo: Mat Bar@Facebook. 

This incredible restaurant combines Italian flavours with Nordic cuisine. The outcome is simply fabulous –  lovely little courses bursting with flavour. Mat Bar is not a vegan restaurant, but they offer tons of good vegan alternatives.

Sumac Grill+Drinks

Photo: Súmac@Facebook.

Sumac is a relatively new restaurant that focuses on innovative Middle Eastern cuisine. In just a few years it has become one of Iceland‘s most popular restaurants, all thanks to its creative high quality cuisine and hip vibes. A large part of their mezze menu is vegan, which makes this restaurant a very attractive option for those who don‘t eat products from animals.  

Punk

The five course vegan menu at Punk. Photo: Punk@Facebook.

Punk is a new restaurant, offering mouthwatering street-food inspired dishes. They do not have that many vegan options on their menu – but the ones they have are incredibly good.

Skál

Photo: Skál@Facebook.

One of my favourite eateries, located in the Hlemmur Mathöll. Try the grilled broccolini with a glass of natural wine.

The Icelandic vegan community

The Icelandic vegan community is a fast-growing group of people that share a vegan philosophy and a passion for good food. There is a group on Facebook called Vegan Ísland, that has roughly 24,000 members. It is very active and everybody can join – even those who are still some steps away from becoming entirely vegan. Don‘t be afraid to join the group and ask for recommendations. Usually, people are more than happy to share their insights and give good tips on restaurants, shops and other things.

Finally – just in case you were wondering – I am not involved with any of the businesses that were mentioned in this article and I do not benefit in any way from discussing them here. In other words, this is not a sponsored post by any means, just my sincere opinion x