The restaurant Icelanders take people they actually like. An appetizer bar in name, a full evening's entertainment in practice — convivial, generously portioned, and priced at a level that allows you to order shamelessly.
8
Food
9
Ambience
9
Value
About Forréttabarinn
Opened in 2011 by chef Róbert Ólafsson — a veteran of hotel and restaurant kitchens across the world since 1994 — Forréttabarinn has become one of Reykjavik's most consistently recommended restaurants. Its name means "appetizer bar," which describes the format but undersells the experience. You come here for small plates and sharing menus and you leave having eaten a substantial, deeply satisfying meal in a room that has maintained exactly the right atmosphere for the better part of fifteen years.
The space itself is striking: a large loft above Reykjavik's old harbour neighbourhood, with exposed beams, light wood tables, white chairs, and coloured pendant lamps that create warm pools of light across the dining room. It is industrial without being cold, hip without being precious. The harbour light through the windows in summer gives the room an almost Mediterranean quality — which suits the kitchen's orientation perfectly.
Ólafsson's cooking draws on Southern European tradition — Iberian, Italian, French — applied to the finest Icelandic produce. The menu changes regularly to track what the island offers, but the approach remains constant: generous portions, confident seasoning, and the kind of bread service that earns its own reputation. Vegetarian options are thoughtfully constructed rather than afterthoughts. The four-course set menu represents outstanding value.
The cocktail program is inventive without being theatrical, the beer selection strong on local Icelandic craft, the wine list European and accessible. The bar itself is a destination for solo visitors — high stools, a clear view of the room, and staff who understand the correct ratio of attention to solitude.
The Occasion Fit
Perfect for a Team Dinner
Forréttabarinn's sharing format makes it a natural team dinner venue. The large loft accommodates groups without forcing them into the acoustic misery of too many conversations competing at once. The set menu structure means decisions are made collectively and simply — no individual negotiating over entrées while half the table is hungry. The pace is relaxed and the portions generous enough that people linger naturally. It is a place where colleagues become something closer to friends across two or three hours, which is exactly what a team dinner should accomplish. The kitchen accommodates group bookings with advance notice and can adjust the sharing format to the size and preferences of your party.
The Experience
Forréttabarinn operates with an efficient warmth. The service team is large enough to handle the dining room without gaps, and the staff's knowledge of the menu is evident — they can answer specific questions about sourcing, preparation, and pairing without the hesitation that suggests a recently memorised answer.
A meal at Forréttabarinn unfolds at whatever pace you choose. The kitchen will send courses at intervals that suggest progression without hurry, but the staff read their tables and will adjust. For groups, the sharing format creates a natural rhythm of passing, tasting, commenting — the social infrastructure of a good communal meal. For couples, ordering widely from the menu in two portions each achieves much the same result.
Located in Reykjavik's Grandi district, close to the old harbour and the Saga Museum, Forréttabarinn sits in the part of the city where creative industries and maritime history overlap. It is a ten-minute walk from the main shopping street and close enough to the harbour that the pre-dinner walk has something worth looking at. The secondary location at Frakkastígur 8a serves the city centre if Nýlendugata is fully booked. Both maintain the same standard.
