Icelandic Sweets and Snacks Worth Trying: A Traveller's Guide

What to buy at a petrol station, a bakery or a supermarket in Iceland, what it costs roughly, and which sweets you can happily skip.

Bakery stops in Reykjavík and beyond

Start in a bakery rather than a souvenir shop. In Reykjavík, the long-standing bakeries around Laugavegur and the older streets of 101 make kleinur, the twisted fried doughnuts that Icelanders eat with coffee, usually sold by the bag for a few hundred krónur. Sandholt on Laugavegur is a convenient stop before a Golden Circle drive, and the branches of Brauð & Co in the same district are known for cinnamon snails. Buy kleinur for the car: they keep for days, unlike cream-filled pastries, which do not survive a morning in a hot rental.

Outside the capital the same logic applies. Akureyri, on the north coast, has bakeries near Hafnarstræti where you can pick up skúffukaka, the cocoa-topped chocolate cake that appears at every family gathering, sold by the slice. In Selfoss on Route 1, a bakery stop makes more sense than a supermarket run because you get portions rather than whole cakes. If your itinerary runs the Ring Road clockwise, plan one bakery stop every second day rather than daily — you will otherwise eat pastry for breakfast, lunch and the passenger seat.

The sweets aisle: chocolate, liquorice and the controversial ones

Icelandic chocolate is good value and travels well. Þristur, a bar of caramel and chocolate, and the various Nóa products sold in Bónus and Krónan supermarkets are the everyday choice, with single bars sitting in the low hundreds of krónur. Lakkrís — liquorice — divides visitors sharply. The salted liquorice covered in chocolate is genuinely worth one bar to try; the plain, very salty varieties are an acquired taste, so buy a small bag before committing to a gift box. Supermarket prices run well below airport prices for identical products.

The sweets people either love or leave are the fermented shark-adjacent novelty items and the very salty liquorice pastilles. My advice: skip the souvenir tins shaped like volcanoes and spend the money on a bag of mixed chocolate from a supermarket instead. If you are travelling with children, the liquorice wheels and chocolate-covered raisins are the safest bet. Do not buy chocolate at Keflavík on the way out unless you have forgotten someone — the same bars are cheaper in Reykjavík shops.

Petrol stations, hot dogs and the savoury side

The N1 and ÓB petrol stations along Route 1 are the real roadside snack network. Their hot dog counters, and the standalone hot dog stands in Reykjavík such as the famous one near the harbour, sell the pylsur — lamb sausage with remoulade, crispy onion and brown sauce — for pocket money. This is the snack to build a driving day around. In the west, the settlement at Borgarnes is a sensible lunch stop on the way to Snæfellsnes; further east, Egilsstaðir on the ring road is the last proper stop before the eastern fjords.

For savoury snacking in the car, look for flatbrauð and rúgbrauð — flatbread and dark rye — sold in supermarkets, plus the bags of dried fish that Icelanders eat with butter. The dried fish is better than it sounds and costs less than a sandwich. Skyr, the thick yoghurt-like product, comes in tubs and is sold everywhere, including petrol stations; it is a practical breakfast if your hotel booking does not include one. Buy a spoon at a supermarket and keep it.

Where to stay and how to plan the eating

Reykjavík is where most trips start, and staying in the 101 district or along Laugavegur puts bakeries, supermarkets and hot dog stands within walking distance, which matters if you arrive on an evening flight. Hotels near Hallgrímskirkja are convenient for the old town but parking is tight; properties near the Hlemmur end of Laugavegur are easier for a rental car. For a Ring Road trip, book Akureyri for the north and Höfn for the southeast rather than trying to drive the whole circle from one base.

Use the supermarkets rather than hotel minibars. Bónus is the cheapest chain, Krónan is mid-range, and both are in most towns of any size. If you are planning a summer trip, come in June or early July for the longest days and the widest bakery opening hours; late September is quieter and cheaper but some countryside stops close. Where I would book: a Reykjavík hotel for the first and last nights, then two-night stops along the ring road, because one-night stops turn the trip into a drive rather than a holiday.

Questions, answered

What are the essential Icelandic sweets to try?

Kleinur fried doughnuts, skúffukaka chocolate cake, Þristur chocolate bars and salted liquorice. Buy kleinur and chocolate in supermarkets or bakeries, and try one small bag of liquorice before buying gifts, since the salty versions are divisive.

Where is the cheapest place to buy Icelandic snacks?

Bónus and Krónan supermarkets are the cheapest, with petrol stations slightly higher and airport shops highest. Buy chocolate, dried fish and liquorice in town rather than at Keflavík, and pick up baked goods from local bakeries instead of souvenir shops.

Can I find these snacks outside Reykjavík?

Yes. Bakeries in Akureyri and Selfoss, N1 and ÓB petrol stations along Route 1, and supermarket branches in towns such as Borgarnes and Egilsstaðir all stock the same staples. Outside the capital, opening hours are shorter, especially on Sundays and in winter.

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