9 Best Restaurants in Reykjanes Peninsula and the South Coast (with the Golden Circle), Iceland

This family farm serves amazingly fresh dishes at their restaurant, Hlöðuloftið, including stuffed trout from the nearby lake and hamburgers from their own meat. But their downstairs ice-cream bar truly takes farm-to-table to another level with the delicious homemade ice cream you can enjoy while watching the dairy cows through a big glass window.

The only mushroom farmers in Iceland invite you to feast on pâté, spreads, sauces, and ice cream—all made out of mushrooms. There's an emphasis on slow cooking, and their herbs, meat, and vegetables come from neighboring farms.

Eating world-class food at a restaurant built into a lava cliff with views of the milky Blue Lagoon is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity you will never forget. The set menu offers a gourmet meal for pescatarians, vegetarians, and carnivores at a reasonable price (by Icelandic standards).

Tucked away in this small town is a local brewery that uses geothermal energy to make quirky and tasty beers and eclectic and delicious wood-fired pizzas. The selection of draft beers changes depending on what concoction these master brewers made that week, but expect to find very creative ingredients—many of which are local. 

Tucked away in the sleepy fishing town of Hafnarfjörður, Pallett looks at times like an ad from a 1970s issue of Vogue with its jungle of houseplants, a rotary telephone at the counter, and cassette player blaring in the background. But this is more than just a hipster hangout: the food is hearty, wholesome, and inherently British (think freshly baked scones with homemade jam) and the coffee is made from award-winning beans. Pálmar Þór, co-owner and resident coffee guru, is a twice-national barista champion and makes a first-class Irish coffee that'll leave you feeling so serene, you might just want to stay in the 1970s a little longer.

For those looking to try authentic Icelandic food, look no further than this beloved family-run eatery. Specializing in fresh fish, their ethos is all about sustainability and slow food. And clearly it's worked, as many Icelanders make the long trip to Vestmannaeyjar purely for a dinner here. So don't be surprised if even a quick lunch at Slippurinn ends up being the meal you rave about for months after.