Reykjavik Food Tour – Supermarket Tour & Lunch at Microbrewery

A food tour with a grocery-store stop feels like cheating—in the best way. This small-group format makes Icelandic food less mysterious by showing you what’s actually on shelves in Reykjavik and how it turns into lunch. I especially like the grocery-store learning component and the private microbrewery tasting that follows right after. The only drawback to plan around is timing: it moves fast in about 2 to 3 hours, so it’s more sampling and pointers than a long, slow sit-down meal.

You’ll meet at Dill Restaurant on Laugavegur, Reykjavik’s main shopping street, and finish a short walk away at MicroBar Reykjavik. The group size stays capped at 12 people, which helps keep the experience calm enough to ask questions and compare what you’re eating to what you see in the store.

Key highlights worth your time

• Grocery-store stop on Laugavegur to see common Icelandic ingredients up close
• Private microbrewery reserved just for your group
• Complimentary tasting of local craft brews alongside lunch
• Multiple Icelandic dishes sampled so you can figure out your favorites
• Small group cap of 12 people for better interaction

Why start at a Reykjavik grocery store?

Most first-time food plans in Iceland start with wishful thinking: you pick a restaurant, hope the menu makes sense, and then cross your fingers. This tour takes a smarter route. You begin at a grocery store on Laugavegur, Reykjavik’s main shopping street. That small choice changes everything because you get a real sense of what people buy there—not what a menu tells you to imagine.

In practical terms, the store stop helps you connect three dots:

1) What produce and foods show up often

You can read about Icelandic ingredients online, but seeing them in a real supermarket makes the whole idea click. You’ll get a feel for what’s normal there, not just what’s rare or tourist-focused.

2) What flavors Icelandic food tends to build on

A lot of Icelandic eating patterns come from local availability and traditional preferences. When you see the ingredients in a grocery store first, you’re better prepared for what you’ll taste later at lunch.

3) What to look for when you eat on your own

By the time you head to the microbrewery, you’ll have a mental checklist. Even if you don’t remember every item, you’ll know the general categories—so you can make more confident choices back in the city.

I also like the “learn by doing” vibe. The store visit isn’t presented like a lecture; it’s part of the flow. One review comment summed up the best part of this approach: shopping and learning where food comes from. That’s the kind of practical takeaway that makes you a better eater, not just a satisfied one.

Private microbrewery lunch: beer plus food, in the same room

After the store, the tour shifts gears to lunch at a microbrewery in Reykjavik. The microbrewery is reserved exclusively for your group during the tour, which matters more than it sounds. When you’re not sharing the space with a big crowd, you get a calmer, more focused experience—time to ask questions and actually hear what’s going on.

This is also where the tour adds a fun, very Iceland-friendly pairing: craft brews. You’ll get a complimentary tasting of local craft beers while you try Icelandic dishes. That combination is a smart way to learn because beer tasting and food tasting reinforce each other. If one dish feels too salty or too rich for your taste, a brew pairing might help you understand why.

A microbrewery lunch can be either a short food stop with a sip or a real lunch with tastings. This one is designed as lunch that includes a tasting element. You’re not only drinking; you’re also sampling different Icelandic dishes, so you can compare flavors and textures while you reset your palate with something local.

One practical note: because this is a microbrewery setting, the pacing tends to be social and quick. If you prefer long, formal meals where you take your time with every bite, consider that this experience runs only 2 to 3 hours total.

What you’ll taste (and how to use the samples)

The tour is built around trying several Icelandic foods at the microbrewery after the grocery-store visit. You’ll sample multiple dishes, which is exactly what you want on a short trip. Icelandic menus can look intimidating because you’re not always sure what a dish will feel like on your tongue.

Here’s how to get the most out of the sampling portion:

• Treat the lunch like a menu experiment

You don’t need to love every dish. Your job is to identify patterns: do you like seafood-forward items more, or do you prefer the simpler comfort-food flavors? Do you want something smokier, saltier, richer?

• Use the store stop as your decoder ring

If you saw an ingredient in the grocery store earlier, it gives you context for what you’re tasting now. That makes the experience stick in your memory.

• Pair tastes, not just bites

Since craft brews are part of the tasting, don’t think of it as a separate activity. Try to remember which beer you were drinking when a dish felt especially good—or when it felt too heavy.

This “taste and compare” style is one reason the tour has such strong ratings. People tend to rate experiences higher when the format helps them make better choices later. Once you know your own preferences, choosing meals around Reykjavik gets easier fast.

Timing, meeting points, and how the 2–3 hours works

The tour starts at 11:00 am and runs about 2 to 3 hours. That timing is convenient for a mid-morning start that gets you to lunch without wasting the day. It also keeps the experience tight enough to stay energetic, especially during short daylight or busy city schedules.

You’ll meet at Dill Restaurant at Laugavegur 59. The tour ends at MicroBar Reykjavik on Laugavegur 86. Since both points are on the same street, you’re not jumping across town in transit gaps. You’re also in Reykjavik’s central zone, so it’s easier to continue your day afterward—whether you want to browse shops, grab coffee, or head back to your hotel.

The tour also uses a mobile ticket, which is handy for phone-first planning. And it’s described as near public transportation, which is useful if you’d rather not think about parking or taxis.

The main timing consideration is also the only real “watch out”: because the total duration is short, you’ll want to arrive a few minutes early and stay present. This isn’t a start-late-and-chill experience. It’s more like a guided sequence: store → food sampling → reserved microbrewery lunch → wrap-up.

Price and value: what $123 is buying you

At $123 per person, this isn’t a budget-only snack tour. But for Reykjavik—where a lot of high-quality food experiences are priced like dinner—this can feel like a good deal because the cost is tied to two real pieces of value:

1) Special access to a reserved microbrewery lunch

The microbrewery is exclusively reserved for your group during the tour. Private access is one of the biggest cost drivers in food and drink experiences. Even if you think you’d be happy eating on your own, the reserved atmosphere helps create that learning-plus-lunch format.

2) A structured “learn the ingredients first” approach

The grocery-store stop isn’t just a photo op. You’re using the supermarket to understand what Icelandic food is grounded in, then applying that knowledge at lunch. That turns the meal into something more memorable than random sampling.

You also get a complimentary tasting of local craft brews, which adds to the overall value. If you end up liking Icelandic beer, that alone helps justify the price. If you don’t, you still benefit from learning how different beers interact with the dishes.

In short: the cost makes sense when you want guidance. If your plan is to wander casually and choose whatever looks good from storefronts, you might pay less doing it solo. But if you want to compress learning and lunch into a couple hours, this one earns its keep.

Who should book this food tour?

I think this tour is a great match if you want a guided path through Icelandic flavors without spending hours researching ingredients and menus.

You’ll likely enjoy it if you:

• want to understand Icelandic food beyond one restaurant meal
• like learning by seeing ingredients first
• enjoy microbrews and want a tasting included with lunch
• prefer a small-group setting (max 12 people) where questions feel easy

It may not fit as well if you:

• want a long, slow, full-course dinner experience
• don’t like structured sampling and prefer picking one dish and committing
• need exact dietary customization beyond what the tour data guarantees

Weather and refunds: plan like an adult

This experience requires good weather. If it gets canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund. The cancellation terms are straightforward: you can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund, and within 24 hours the paid amount isn’t refunded.

If you’re planning around a fixed schedule, keep that window in mind. Iceland can change quickly, and a short 2 to 3 hour tour is still subject to conditions.

Should you book the Reykjavik Food Tour with BiteSized Iceland?

Yes—if you want Icelandic food to make sense fast. This tour works because it connects the dots: supermarket ingredients on Laugavegur, then a private microbrewery lunch where you sample Icelandic dishes and get free craft beer tasting. That combo helps you build confidence for future meals in Reykjavik, not just have one good lunch.

If you’re the type who enjoys learning through doing—looking at ingredients, tasting dishes, and figuring out what you actually like—book it. It’s also well-suited for a short visit where you can’t afford to spend half a day testing menus.

If you’re hunting for a purely “luxury fine dining” experience or you hate structured sampling, you might find the pace a bit brisk. But for most people, the value comes from the guided setup and the reserved microbrewery atmosphere, all packed into a very doable 11:00 am start.

FAQ

How long is the Reykjavik Food Tour?

The tour lasts about 2 to 3 hours.

What time does the tour start?

The start time is 11:00 am.

Where do I meet the tour, and where does it end?

You meet at Dill Restaurant, Laugavegur 59, and the tour ends at MicroBar Reykjavik, Laugavegur 86.

How many people are in the group?

The tour has a maximum of 12 travelers (small group size).

What’s included in the experience?

You visit a grocery store, then have lunch at a microbrewery reserved for your group. You also get complimentary tastings of local craft brews and you try different Icelandic dishes.

Does weather affect the tour?

Yes. The tour requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund. If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience starts, the amount paid is not refunded.