Review of Fish Market: Seafood Done Right

A few friends and I were in the mood for a nice evening out and agreed that it was time for something a bit special. We all agreed on Fish Market, or "Fiskmarkaðurinn," as it's called in Icelandic, which is a pretty iconic seafood restaurant in Reykjavik. They serve original Icelandic dishes with "an Asian twist," as they call it, and their sushi is famous for being some of the best in town!

I had been to Fish Market once before, but I hadn't gotten the chance to try the sushi. As an avid sushi lover, a return visit had been on my to-do list, so it was with excitement that we booked our table and got ready for what promised to be a fantastic evening!

Gearing "Upp" for a Night Out

The Fish Market building is one of the oldest in Reykjavik.

Fish Market is located right by the Ingolfstorg square on Adalstraeti 12. It's in a beautiful historic house, originally built in 1886 as a printing press, and it stands next to the oldest house in Reykjavik. This history is honored with a little plaque by the entrance, though it's only in Icelandic.

As our table was at 8:30 pm, we headed up to Uppi Bar to get the evening going beforehand. This very stylish wine bar and test kitchen is on the top floor of Fish Market, and the entrance is on the left side of the building. It's not the most obvious entrance!

You'll find the entrance of Uppi Bar on the left side of Adalstraeti 12.

Entering Uppi Bar feels a bit like you're walking into someone's house. The entrance gives the idea of a secret club, as it's only marked by a small sign with the bar's logo. It isn't until you've ascended the stairs that you're greeted by what is definitely not someone's living room!

 Uppi Bar has some really nice interior design. Definitely one of a kind in Iceland!

The whole space is in blue, purple, and red hues, with colored glass in the windows. There's a cool bar area with an uncountable number of options! They have an extensive collection of wines, with some really nice ones on display, but the really valuable ones are safely stored away in the cellar.

Uppi is definitely the go-to place for wine lovers, which I count myself as, even with my very limited wine knowledge. You're sure to find the perfect answer to your cravings.

Just look at the colors of the windows, they must be extra pretty when it's bright outside!

Because this was just a quick stop before dinner, we asked for something that would work nicely as a starting glass for the tasting menu we were about to order downstairs. This resulted in glasses of Mommessin Beaujolais-Villages, a solid choice.

The wine selection of Uppi Bar is impressive, with great options for different price ranges.

We got cozy in a comfortable lounge area, which was perfect for enjoying the atmosphere. We still had quite a bit of privacy to chat away, and before we knew it, the time had finally come for the much-desired food.

Anchoring Down for Dinner

We headed downstairs to Fish Market, and thankfully, their floors were connected, so there was no need to head back outside in the cold autumn air to switch locations. We could also leave our coats upstairs for less hassle.

We were quickly shown to our table, which was on the bottom floor in a very cool area by the open kitchen. The decor is inspired by Asia, with the walls framed by bamboo plants and lantern-like lights setting a cozy mood.

The warm tones and nature themes make for a really cozy setting.

As we had planned to try the 6-course tasting menu, we just had to concern ourselves with what to pair it with. Our wonderful waiter helped us choose something fitting to start the dinner: a fresh Koehler Ruprecht Kallstadter Riesling. It was a great choice for the first few courses!

The suggested wine choices for the night paired nicely with the food.

Our two starters were served around the same time and made quite an impact. First to arrive was the fantastic king prawn tempura, which was paired with a yuzu jalapeno dressing, wakame, and sweet melon balls. It had the perfect crunch and was packed with flavor, and I'm still thinking about it now, a few days afterward.

This was one of our favorite dishes of the night. The red color was so vivid in person!

The other starter was an Icelandic Queen Scallop served with smoked cod roe, wasabi dill oil, and champagne vinaigrette. It was very beautifully plated, with the oil providing a pop of color. The scallop was perfectly cooked as well, providing a refreshing start for the dinner.

The Icelandic scallop was cooked to perfection.

Next up was the famous Fish Market sushi, which I had been excited to try. We got the chef's choice platter of maki, sashimi, and nigiri, which was super fresh, high quality, and served beautifully with fresh ginger and authentic wasabi grown in Iceland!

The Fish Market sushi really deserves the hype!

The platter also included Arctic char and flounder that had been soaked in beet juice. They were served like beautiful flowers, which you can see on the corner of the plates in the image above.

Making Waves with the Mains

Now, it was time to move on to the two mains. The first main was the surprise highlight of the evening for me. It was one of the specialty dishes of Fish Market, the lightly salted cod served with celery salad, creamy mashed potatoes, and completed with a cherry sauce.

The lightly salted cod was my personal favorite main dish of the night.

Now, while I do like cod, it's usually not my first choice on a restaurant menu, but this is absolutely a must-try dish of Fish Market. The salty fish and the savory potato mash worked so nicely together, and I wanted to eat way more than my share of the sharing plate!

While the fish ended up being my personal favorite, the next main was also a hit with the group. It was duck marinated in chipotle miso with black garlic potatoes and green apple purée, perfectly cooked and beautifully presented.

The duck was really great and paired nicely with a lovely red.

For this course, we switched to a glass of red. One of us really wanted a nice Ripasso, and as she seemed like she knew what she was talking about, we followed her lead. It ended up complementing the dish nicely!

Sailing Off into Dessert Waters

The crescendo of delicious dishes came with what can only be described as a dessert mountain. This was the glorious dessert platter featuring four sorbet flavors, a warm chocolate cake, white chocolate cheesecake with passion fruit glaze and merengue, and a yuzu chawa muchi pudding with fruit salsa and coconut foam. It was surrounded by fresh fruit, and the diversity in flavors was very impressive!

The dessert platter was the perfect end to the dinner!

Each dessert was absolutely amazing, and everything was completely devoured. Our resident cocktail superfans also got some espresso martinis to complete the night. The favorites ended up being the yuzu chawl muchi pudding and white chocolate cheesecake, which you can see in the black bowls in the photo above.

After this incredible feast, we took some time to relax and chatted away the rest of the night while finishing our drinks. At this point, we were some of the last guests left, and it was getting close to midnight.

Drinks finished and bellies full, we quickly called it a night. We headed back up to Uppi Bar to grab our coats and set course for home, feeling very happy with our overall dinner experience!

Conclusion: Fish Market offers some of the highest quality seafood you'll find in Iceland, with creative dishes cooked to perfection. The tasting menu is a great way to taste the best they have to offer in one visit. The service is friendly and helpful, and the atmosphere is perfect for a cozy night out with friends or a romantic dinner!