The only two restaurants in Iceland that are completely vegetarian are Gardurinn in Reykjavík and Silva in Eyjafjarðarsveit, in the countryside near Akureyri. Both restaurants offer vegan meals on their menus. Gardurinn only opens for lunch, and Silva is only open in the summertime from 1st June - 31st August (otherwise upon request in the winter time at weekends). Silva’s simple decor is warm and comfortable and provides a library area and a play area for children. You are guaranteed a nice time when you eat at Silva, and you'll even get to meet the owner and chef of the restaurant, Kristín who is very friendly!
In Reykjavík, Iceland’s capital city, you will have no trouble finding vegetarian restaurants or cafes offering vegan and vegetarian meals. All Asian restaurants usually offer a vegetarian option.
Gló is one of the most popular health food/vegetarian restaurants in Reykjavík city (there are five branches). Founded by the famous raw food chef Sólveig Eiríksdóttir (more commonly known as Solla), who’s the first Icelandic chef to offer raw food meals to the Icelandic public through her Gló restaurants. Raw food diets are on the rise globally and raw eating is becoming more popular in Iceland! There are other restaurants where you can easily find vegetarian dishes, at Núðluskálin, the Reykjavík Art Museum (Listasafn Reykjavíkur) and the Laundromat Café, to name a few.
If you're vegan, you will have a few lunchtime options in downtown Reykjavik. C is for Cookie offer a vegan soup of the day or if you prefer a sandwich you can try out The Coocoo's Nest. If you wish for something sweet to eat, Babalú offers a scrumptious vegan carrot cake! If you feel like a vegan burger you can try Kaffihús Vesturbæjar, Islenski Barinn, Prikid and Hamborgarabúlla. Islenski Barinn offers a delicious barley-based dish with peppers and potatoes - yummy!
In the north of Iceland, aside from Silva mentioned above, the Simstöðin Cafe in Akureyri offers a raw food dish daily, always vegetarian and sometimes also vegan. The bistro Gamli Bærinn at Myvatn offers a vegan burger.
Our list is obviously incomplete, so we would like to welcome you to share with us any suggestions and comments regarding your vegetarian restaurant experiences in Iceland, your opinion will help us to complete our Vegetarian Iceland guide.
Joanne, WhereToGoInIceland.blogspot.com
