Bryggjan Brugghús — Restaurant in Reykjavik

4.5 stars, not 5 (excellent delicious food). We stopped by here after completing a puffin tour out of the old harbor. The ambiance was very nice. There is a small brewery onsite and they offer other local beers on draft as well.

We came around 1:15 pm and were given a lunch menu. The -.5 star comes from the fact that they advertise as a steakhouse (which is why we came in) however there wasn't any steak on the menu. We were a bit fatigued by the constant burgers and fish we've had in Iceland and wanted steaks.

I ordered the Artic Char fish and was informed they were out and asked if I wanted to substitute salmon instead. This was fine with me. I will say the salmon that I had was a deliciously cooked, thick, juicy salmon filet. It was skin side on top and dressed with pesto on top of a bed of mashed potatoes with asparagus. I prefer skin off/none and was very mildly disappointed that the pesto was on the skin and I had to scrape it off. This was minor and once I mixed the pesto with the potatoes and salmon meat it was PHENOMENAL. Welcome to flavor country. Probably the most delicious tasting fish filet I've had in Iceland. It was filling, delicious, and exactly what I wanted on a cold, windy day.

My father opted for a burger and fries. The fries were surprisingly good as well. They were thin and crispy and crunchy textured on the outside and delicious. When looking at the menu they were advertised as crispy fries and I remember thinking to myself that they truly lived up to the description. He said the burger was excellent but was disappointed there were no steak options. My mother had fish of the day that came with baby potatoes that looked good, standard of fish options in restaurants. Looking at hers I was glad to have chosen my option that came with mashed potatoes and pesto.

I wish we had the opportunity to come for dinner as we would have liked to...

We had the mussels, scallops, and cheek. The food was excellent, great technical execution of cooking. This place is just a bit...rough around the edges?

I really want to love this restaurant, but there's lots of little details which made the experience of dining kinda weird. I taste the excellent preparation of the food and I know that whoever runs this place cares very much about the restaurant; I hope these notes are well received.

What's the restaurant about? We were seated immediately with zero introduction to the menu, no background on the restaurant, just a sudden "What's your order?" Some small talk would have been wonderful, but perhaps that warmth is not part of icelandic culture. Seats by windows should allow guests to see outside the window. When you place half the table with their backs to the window, the view is lost. Simply rotate the seating. There's an absence of plates. Little plates for the bread allow your guests to eat bread without making a mess of crumbs. If guests are sharing a dish, give them plates to share it with. Please explain the dishes when you bring them to your guests. Our delicious meals were unceremoniously dropped at our table without any explanation... But there's a lot going on! How was the protein prepared? What are these mystery sauces? What is this vegetable??

These are small details that could improve the experience. But I also recognize I'm coming to this restaurant without knowing the cultural norms of dining in Iceland. Perhaps it's normal here to have to...

I can't rate this more than five stars but it deserves ten stars! This brewery/restaurant was so fabulous. Unfortunately, we discovered this towards the end of our trip or we would have gone more than once!!

The happy hour was the reason we decided to come and we were fortunate enough to sit at the bar. We love to sit at the bar - especially when traveling to talk with locals! Our visit was prior to COVID so I'm not sure their rules now but even before COVID, this place was clean!

We sat at the bar and had a few drinks for happy hour. We did make a reservation and wanted to sit at the bar for dinner but since we made the reservation, we moved to our table when it was time. The beer here is fabulous and if you're not into beer, they have a fully stocked bar as well. Bartenders and staff and very friendly and helpful.

For dinner, my husband and I both got the fish and chips. Let me tell you, I am VERY picky when it comes to fish and chips (I eat this very often when traveling abroad) and this place was the best in Iceland - as well as in my top three in my life! I even spoke about it in my Iceland YouTube video (Iceland Travel | Where to Eat, Stay, and Go in Iceland - Amber Dawn) If you are in the area, this is a must! We did see advertisements that they offer brewery tours which will be on our list on the next visit! If you visit, the fish and chips are highly...