Fun and tasty tapas at Tapasbarinn in central Reykjavík

Where to go for a fun dinner out with friends in Reykjavík? I can't think of a better place than Tapasbarinn.

Tapasbarinn has been running since the year 2000 and is always as popular. The food is obviously Spanish and the décor is matching: Spanish cellar, whitewashed walls, dark wood, colourful tiles on floor, stained glass lanterns, large chunks of hanging meats and Latin music. The perfect place to go with a group of friends for some kind of a celebration and have some cocktails or sangria with your meal.

I consider this one of Reykjavík's best restaurants, and have been here a number of times and never been disappointed.

I organised a hen-do here some years ago, where we met up with a random stag-do, and everyone had a great time with some fantastic food and plenty of sangría.

Tapasbarinn has long been known for making very interesting fusion of food from Icelandic ingredients combined with traditional Spanish tapas.

The most popular menu for foreigners is The Icelandic Gourmet Feast, whereas the most popular menu for locals is The Journey Into the Unknown. Both of them are priced equally and include a pre-drink plus 7-8 tapas dishes.

The Icelandic Feast starts with a shot of Brennivín and includes puffin with blueberry & brennivín sauce, sea-trout, langoustine (tip: dip the bread from your breadbasket into the langoustine juice & lemon!), blue ling, lamb, minke whale with malt sauce and skyr mousse.

The Journey into the Unknown is a mix of whatever the chef decides but is always a mix of seafood, meat and poultry unless otherwise requested. You can expect dishes such as baconwrapped scallops and dates (best idea ever), wrapped tuna in Serrano ham, blue ling with chorizo, oxtails (amazing) or beef loin with beetroot, mushrooms and foie gras!

And if you really want to spoil yourself, why not get a mix of all of the desserts? Go on, spoil yourself, you won’t regret it.