Skál! — Restaurant in Reykjavik

Definitely and without a doubt the best restaurant I went to in Iceland.

At the beginning of my two weeks in Iceland, I kind of randomly stumbled across the food market on Google maps and thought I'd try some of the places. I didn't have too much time and I wanted a light lunch before I had to meet my friends and get on a plane to the West Fjords (where the other restaurant on my top 2 of Iceland is). I asked one of the waiters (the one with the impressive moustache 👌) what he recommended. He said to get the baked cod. O M G

The baked cod.

I don't know what I was expecting, but not that. This was a party to all the senses. Every texture and every flavour have been created to blow your mind. The fish was cooked perfectly. I was so so HAPPY. I must have looked like a weirdo. Sitting there on my own with a backpack bigger than myself, smiling and almost jumping off my seat.

Anyway, I obviously sent pictures and oversold this to my friends. We decided we needed to come at the end of the trip when we were back in Reykjavik for a fancy farewell dinner. I was afraid I over-hyped it too much and created too many expectations. But my friends were not disappointed. I very briefly considered getting food from any of the other restaurants at the market. They all look good and I'm sure the food is great. But. It's not the baked cod. This time I ordered the arctic char main course, and it was as lovely as I'd imagined. It was the best last supper for a perfect trip.

But wait! My friends left that evening and I was flying the following day, so I thought... Why not go for my last lunch there before setting off to the airport? And sure enough I went a third time on my own. It's just that good, ok?? (Luckily different waiters were on shift so there was no one to judge me 😂). I had the other dish that I had been recommended, the roasted beets 😗👌 again, every single bite was designed to impress.

It is an expensive place, but worth every penny (or cent, or whatever the small coins are called in Icelandic). All the waiters I talked to were incredibly friendly, and added to my impression that Icelanders are just too nice. 15/10 I will go back to Iceland just to go...

Tucked down a small flight of steps, Skál occupies a compact space with a trendy, brutalist aesthetic—exposed concrete walls at one end, a glowing red neon Skál sign above the open kitchen to the left, and the bar stretching along the far end.

The seating is tight, with a mix of high tables, bar stools, and some banquette seating squeezed in.

It feels quite cramped, and the constant movement of staff back and forth in the narrow space adds to a sense of restlessness.

The overall layout and atmosphere can feel a little claustrophobic, especially when the restaurant is busy.

Raw Scallops, Redcurrant, Horseradish Cream & Dill Oil: A visually striking dish: the scallops nestled beneath a vivid redcurrant granita, surrounded by a fresh green dill oil. The horseradish cream gave it a welcome punch and really elevated the dish.

Cod Cheeks, Dulse, Garlic Mayo & Grilled Lemon:Unfortunately, the batter was overly thick and heavy, though the cheeks themselves were cooked well. Flavour-wise, it felt a bit flat despite the garnishes.

Ceviche of Ocean Perch, Pickled Rhubarb, Tomato & Lovage: This dish had a clean, fresh quality but lacked boldness. The sour base and pickled rhubarb added some intrigue, but overall the flavours were too subtle and didn’t quite come together.

Lemon Sole on the Bone, Asparagus, Sauce Blanquette & Herbs: Expertly cooked and delicately presented. The sauce blanquette was lovely, and the grilled asparagus added a nice smoky note. Luckily, the bones weren’t an issue thanks to some careful eating.

Staff were friendly but clearly overstretched, rushing around in a way that made the whole environment feel a bit chaotic.

The pacing of the meal was another letdown—four courses took about 90 minutes, which felt too drawn out, and a longer tasting menu would likely test your...

Lovely dinner on a Sunday evening at 930pm. Food was spectacular with each dish offering perfectly balanced flavors. Drinks were superb.

My only reasons for 4 starts instead of 5: 1) Incredibly uncomfortable bar chairs. About half the seating in this small restaurant are at high tops. These chairs had no backs and the ledge to rest your feet was towards the bottom. As a short person (5 ft tall) it was incredibly uncomfortable to sit this way for my 2 hour (expensive) dinner. I heard several other diners discussing the same critique. 2) As mentioned our reservation was for 9:30pm. We asked our server if we should place the order for everything we wanted right away or bit by bit. We were told whatever our preference was fine. At 1005 we tried to order the meat dishes and were told the kitchen had closed at 10! We were shocked and confused but luckily another server was able to accommodate the late order given we weren’t informed. After already being told they didn’t have the first drink I wanted as well as being out of the cured fish dish, this was quite surprising and would have been a huge disappointment if they didn’t make it right. My suggestion particularly with such a late reservation is to inform guests as soon as they sit down in order to avoid this.

I would absolutely recommend the food here but there are some tweaks to the service that could be made to further enhance the...