Iceland Street Food

Iceland's street food runs on the humble pylsur hot dog stand and harbor shacks slinging fish straight off the boat.

🌭 Iceland's unofficial national dish might just be a hot dog — Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, Reykjavik's most famous stand, has been slinging them since 1937.

4 street food dishes from Iceland — what each one is, why it's made that way, and what to expect when you order it.

🗺️ Open the interactive view Filter by diet & time of day

Signature street foods of Iceland

🌭 Street Classic · Lamb & Beef Hot Dog Pylsur (Icelandic Hot Dog) The order isn't 'with everything' — it's 'eina með öllu,' and it gets you raw onion, crispy fried onion, ketchup, sweet brown mustard, and remoulade… A short, snappy sausage blending lamb, beef, and pork is steamed or grilled and tucked into a soft bun, then piled with a specific stack of toppings — crispy fried onions, raw onion… 🐟 Snack · Wind-Dried Fish Harðfiskur (Wind-Dried Fish) It isn't smoked, salted, or cooked at all — just hung outdoors on wooden racks and left to dry in Iceland's constant wind until it's basically fish… Whole haddock, cod, or wolffish fillets are hung on open-air drying racks called hjallar for weeks, where Iceland's cold, relentless wind pulls the moisture out without a flame or a grain… 🍩 Bakery Classic · Twisted Fried Dough Kleinur Getting the classic diamond twist right takes one clean cut down the middle of the dough and pulling one corner back through the slit — no… A firm, only lightly sweet dough scented with cardamom is rolled flat, cut into diamonds, slit down the center, and twisted by pulling one corner through the cut before it's dropped into… 🦞 Harbor Classic · Creamy Langoustine Soup Humarsúpa (Icelandic Lobster Soup) The 'lobster' in the name is actually langoustine — a smaller, sweeter cousin of true lobster that Icelanders have simply called humar for… Langoustine tails are simmered into a rich, cream-based broth with tomato, garlic, and a splash of sherry or cognac, then ladled into bowls loaded with extra whole tails. Harborside shacks…

More street food in Europe

Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries. Photo credits.