MAR Seafood Reykavík — Restaurant in Reykjavik

This is one hell of a restaurant. For our last dinner in Iceland we wanted to splurge on seafood. Number 2 of my dinners in Iceland and by far the best value.

Its ambiance is truly fancy especially if you get one of the cosy cubicle seats for 4. Looks so good you think its way to expensive for your budget. Trust me don’t worry, I got you there.

Service was outstanding. The waitress was very flexible and really thought along with us and set all meals to share!

We saw the sister restaurant in selfoss, but didn’t go. It came quite highly recommended. The website in selfoss advertised the special 3 course meal for 10k. That’s quite nice for a high end seafood place. And even though the Reykjavik website doesn’t advertise it…they also offer this menu.

What is not shown on the websites is that they have an ongoing lunch promotion. All pan dishes for 3500ikr. That’s about 25€. This promo last until 17:00. As we are early diners anyway we arrived at 16:45 and itwas no problem to get the deal. We ordered the appetizer platter for2 at 6100ikr. It had 1 canner lobster tail from Canada, 2 small crab claws and 2 prawns and 2 scallops. It was tasty. Alottle disappointed it wasn’t Icelandic lobsters. Than came the main courses. These are called pans and are served and cooked on these 24 cm pans/skillets. Quite a sight. They have all sorts of fish that’s cooked in different sauces. We chose monkfish/arctic seawolf, arctic char(looks like trout/salmon), halibut and cod cheeks. The bestwas the halibut with creamy myshroommsauce. Itwas so tasty. Asking for some pasta it bread to soak it all up. 2Nd was arctic char. It’s really. Good and cooked in a burnt butter sauce. Amazing, all it needs is pieces of bread. 3rd was the cod cheeks, cooked in teriyaki. A bit on the salty side. A very distant 4th was the monkfish cooked in a brown sauce with pear. It’s sweet and sour taste was not a hit with us. I bet with mushroom cream sauce of the halibut…this monkfish would be great too.i wonder if we can change it. The portions were huge and we were stuffed.

The best part was the price. 21.000ikr for 4.we drank the water provided and didn’t get dessert. At150€ even in the Netherlands this would have been a steal.

Excellent end for 2 weeks holiday in Iceland. Main lessons learned in Iceland, all food is expensive. So find the best quality for your buck and realize that seafood is the same price as meat dishes here. Aka seafood is better value than...

7/14 - I am going to update review! My initial experience below still stands true. However, this establishment is truly dedicated to treating their customers right and ensuring a great restaurant experience. The day after leaving this restaurant I was contacted by Salome, who had attempted to find me prior to leaving the restaurant, but wasn't able to before we left. Salome had to find via LinkedIn which I found to be amazing as most places just don't care enough to put in that kind of effort for their patrons. Salome refunded the price of our fish and chips and apologized for the inconvenience.

Original review:

Okay!... pros and cons to this little place.

Pros: Ambiance and atmosphere are great. It's a beautiful space.

The Halibut, once we got it, was amazing, flavorful, and presented nicely.

The appetizer platter was also very good!

The seafood soup was a rockstar and worth dealing with the cons below.

The staff was super friendly, and they did throw in lattes since the fries were overcooked!

Cons: The service rating has less to do with the serving staff and more to do with the kitchen. This place is sllllloooowwwww.....We ordered 2 orders of fish and chips and the halibut, and it took over an hour to get the food after ordering. This leaves lots of time for conversation, but it was a little ridiculous.... I can chat over food. It would have been more understandable if the place was packed, but it wasn't even at half capacity.

The fish and chips... the fish was GREAT!.. the chips... TERRIBLE, I'm not sure who decided to pair the fish and chips with these little overcooked potato wedges, but it is a travesty, they didnt taste good, nor did they compliment the fish. Classic, English style chips would have made...

Mar Seafood Restaurant - A Must-Visit for Seafood Lovers

Mar Seafood Restaurant offers an exceptional dining experience for those who enjoy high-quality fish dishes. The cozy ambiance, excellent acoustics, and attentive Icelandic-speaking staff create a welcoming environment. Stylish tableware and beautifully presented dishes enhance the experience.

The menu is thoughtfully designed, featuring four main courses and eight “fish pans,” ideal for sharing.

Their cocktails are outstanding, including creative non-alcoholic options like a passion fruit mocktail with orchard syrup and blue curaçao, a coconut-lime blend, and a bitter-inspired mocktail.

The starter platter is a must-try, featuring crab claws, lobster with Japanese garlic mayo, tuna with capers, and pan-seared shrimp infused with garlic — a perfect appetizer experience.

The fish pans are exceptional, with highlights like soy-glazed cod cheeks, butter-fried cod collars with vegetables, salted cod in tomato-basil sauce, and halibut in a creamy mushroom sauce.

Desserts include an almond cake with pink frosting and whipped cream, and an apple-rhubarb cake with vanilla ice cream — both delightful endings to a memorable meal.

Mar Seafood Restaurant stands out as one of Iceland's top three seafood dining...