Tapas barinn — Restaurant in Reykjavik

This review will most likely not be applicable to most visitors because I genuinely believe that they just had a bad night seeing as most people seemed to be satisfied and the reviews are all 5 stars. But we had a dinner reservation at 8 pm, arrived just on time, the waiter told us that they're making the table ready and it will only be a couple of minutes and we could wait at the bar in the meantime. So we ordered a cava and a local pint, which were excellent and the bartenders were great. After about 40 minutes (!), keep in mind we were pretty hungry, our table was ready. They gave us some complimentary olives and shavings of seared lamb filets with a liquorice sauce. The olives were drenched in oil and pretty tasteless, but I guess you can't expect great olives in Iceland. The lamb shavings were amazing. When we got seated we decided to order the 7 course meal "journey in to the unknown" which is basically the chefs choice. I expect 2 different plates since there was 2 of us but got the same plate except for the scallop since I am allergic to shellfish. Instead I got dry, bland battered fried chicken sticks. None of the food was extraordinarily good, perhaps the tuna was to my liking. Keep in mind that it has now been one hour or more since we got there, and as the includes drinks in the "unknown" were two glasses of the same cava we already tasted and ordered it wasn't complementing the taste palette we were being served. After about another 55 min the next course arrived. Panfried quail with chorizo sauce and a pure. The quail was tasty and tender, but by this point we were tired, not hungry anymore and 2 hours gone by sitting and not actually enjoying the place. We ended the menu short and left. The stars given in this review are solely based on the waitress, she was great and it wasn't her fault at all, she did her best. I sadly won't be giving them another chance seeing as it is a short...

For anyone traveling with dietary restrictions - you have to go here! Second trip to Iceland and second trip to Tapas barinn. We took this trip with a different group of friends than our first trip and this was one of our only requirements as to where to eat and it did not disappoint anyone (and we set high expectations for this place). Most important thing for me was how amazing they handled my dietary restriction. I have celiac disease which can make eating out very difficult and I had absolutely no problems and did not feel like I was left out of any part of the dining experience and for those that have dietary restrictions, you know how this is very common. I didn't get sick at all, I was take very seriously, and they explained the protocols they would take. Every time they dropped of a plate they would say "gluten free tapas" so I knew they were handing me the right plate, enough to let me know but not over the top to make me feel uncomfortable. I had the chef's experience (last time I had the Taste of Iceland) along with my husband (who does not have a dietary restriction) and the changes they made to some tapas for me were no big deal at all, we both equally enjoyed our meals. Also, highly recommend the Taste of Iceland experience for first timers but the chef's experience was equally amazing, just think the Taste of Iceland is something everyone should try at least once. The overall atmosphere was amazing, staff could not have been friendly or more knowledgable of the menu. It is slightly pricey but 100% worth it. We did this as our "fancy" date night and we could not have asked for a better experience. Again, must go for anyone with a dietary...

My partner came here for dinner tonight and we had the most wonderful meal! ❤️ We ordered the Tiki Champ and Gin and Goose cocktails, the Icelandic Gourmet Feast, the Bullfighter Tapas main course and the white chocolate “skyr” mousse with passion coulis.

First of all our waiter, Skirnir, was amazing. I told him of my allergies and he made sure to understand what I could and could not eat. He would come back before serving us the dishes to ensure I wouldn't be allergic to them. One of the dishes was even separated for us so my partner and I could still share food but I could avoid the foods I'm allergic to. Skirnir was incredibly attentive to us and his service was excellent.

The food we had was soooooo good. We had to try the Icelandic Gourmet Feast whilst we were in Iceland and it definitely gave us something we would have never had back home in England. The feast came with smoked puffin with blueberry “brennivín” sauce (forgot to take a picture), Icelandic arctic char with candy beets salad, asparagus and elderflower-hollandaise, Lobster tails baked in garlic, pan-fried blue ling with lobster sauce, minke whale with sweet potato mash and malt sauce, grilled Icelandic lamb tenderloin with beer-butterscotch sauce and lastly the white chocolate “skyr” mousse with passion coulis. We also added the Bullfighter Tapas main course dish. The quality and taste of the food was immaculate. The food was always presented well and tasted amazing.

If you want excellent quality Icelandic food with excellent service, I highly recommend...