RFK Rankings · Reykjavik
Best Restaurants to Impress Clients in Reykjavik (2026)
Impress Clients · Reykjavik · 8 tables ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published June 8, 2026 · Updated June 12, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Iceland has exactly one Michelin star, and it sits above a sushi-free dining room on Laugavegur. That single fact tells you most of what you need for a client dinner in Reykjavik: the city is small, the best rooms are minutes apart, and a guest who could be anywhere is impressed less by spectacle than by the sense that you chose somewhere considered. Reykjavik gives you a starred New Nordic table, an eleven-seat chef's counter hidden behind a curtain, polished grill rooms built for a business conversation, and a harbourside dining room with a water view. These eight, ranked, are the rooms that do the impressing for you.
1.Dill
Iceland's only Michelin star and the name a client repeats by Monday. Reserve weeks ahead for the big account.
Dill is the name that travels, the only Michelin star in Iceland, first awarded in 2017 and retained in the 2026 guide, set above a calm room on Laugavegur 59. Founding chef Gunnar Karl Gislason runs a New Nordic tasting menu built almost entirely from Icelandic produce, around 19,900 ISK for the set courses, and the meal itself becomes the story a client tells back at the office. For impressing a guest it is the safe, strong call: international recognition, a kitchen with a long record, and a table hard enough to get that securing it signals you planned the evening. Reserve two to three weeks ahead and request the counter by the open kitchen for a client who cares about the cooking.
Book Dill direct on Laugavegur; request the kitchen counter.
2.OX
An eleven-seat chef's counter hidden behind a curtain, the room a visiting client never expects. Book it to impress.
OX is the table that surprises a guest, an intimate chef's counter of just eleven seats concealed behind a curtain inside Sumac on Laugavegur 28. Chef Thrainn Freyr Vigfusson cooks a long Icelandic tasting menu an arm's length from the diner, and the format does the impressing on its own: a room that exclusive is rare in Reykjavik, and a client rarely expects it. The wine pairing is serious and the pace is unhurried, which suits a relationship dinner where you want time to talk. Book well ahead, since the single nightly seating fills fast, and take a client who values being let in on something over a name they already know.
Reserve OX direct; there is one seating a night.
3.Grillmarkadurinn
A polished downtown grill from chef Hrefna Saetran, easy to talk business in. Reserve a corner for the client dinner.
Grillmarkadurinn, the Grill Market, is the room a client reads as a serious choice without it feeling like a test. Founded by chef Hrefna Saetran on Laekjargata 2a, the dining room is dressed in Icelandic stone, wood and leather, and the kitchen runs a confident grill menu of langoustine, lamb and aged beef that lands around 9,000 to 14,000 ISK a head. For impressing a client it is the dependable, polished call: a recognised local name, a room calm enough to hold a conversation, and a cellar deep enough to host properly. Reserve a corner table or a quiet banquette, brief the floor that you are hosting a client, and let the kitchen send the langoustine to open.
Book Grillmarkadurinn direct; ask for a quiet corner.
4.Sjavargrillid
A warm seafood-led room just off the main street, generous and easy to host in. Take a client who loves fish.
Sjavargrillid, the Seafood Grill, is the room for a client who would rather eat well than be dazzled, a low-lit timber dining room on Skolavordustigur 14 a few steps above Laugavegur. The kitchen leans into Icelandic seafood, with a langoustine soup and a grilled fish of the day that regulars order without looking at the menu, and a dinner runs around 8,000 to 13,000 ISK a head. For impressing a guest it works through generosity rather than spectacle: a host who feeds a client beautifully looks more in command than one chasing a scene. Take a client who loves fish, book a table away from the door, and let the kitchen send the langoustine soup to start.
Reserve Sjavargrillid direct; order the langoustine soup.
5.Apotek
A handsome high-ceilinged room in Iceland's first pharmacy, central and convivial. Pencil it in for a relaxed business dinner.
Apotek occupies the grand high-ceilinged hall of Iceland's first pharmacy on Austurstraeti 16, in the Reykjavik 1919 hotel, and the room itself does much of the work in a client dinner. The kitchen runs an Icelandic-European menu with an Argentine grill and shareable small plates, comfortable for a guest who would rather not commit to a tasting menu, at around 8,000 to 13,000 ISK a head. For impressing a client it is the easy, central, convivial choice: a handsome room a guest immediately reads as considered, and a format that keeps the conversation moving. Pencil it in for a relaxed business dinner, book a table along the windows, and set the wine with the floor before the guest arrives.
Book Apotek direct; request a window table.
6.Sumac
A buzzing Beirut-inspired room for the client who wants energy over hush. Worth it for a warmer, second-meeting dinner.
Sumac is the lively counterpoint on this list, a Beirut-inspired Levantine grill on Laugavegur 28 from chef Thrainn Freyr Vigfusson, the same kitchen that hides the OX counter behind its curtain. The mezze spreads, charcoal-grilled meats and arak cocktails make it the room for a client you already know rather than a first formal meeting, with dinner around 8,000 to 13,000 ISK a head. For impressing a guest it trades hush for energy: a host who brings a client somewhere this confident and current reads as plugged in. Worth it for a warmer, second-meeting dinner, book the earlier sitting for a quieter table, and order the mezze for the whole table to share.
Reserve Sumac direct; order the mezze to share.
7.Kopar
A harbourside dining room with a working-pier view and a strong seafood kitchen. Book it for a guest who wants the water.
Kopar sits right on the Old Harbour at Geirsgata 3, a copper-toned dining room with a view over the working pier and Mount Esja beyond, and the setting is the reason to choose it for a particular client. The kitchen is seafood-forward, with a langoustine and a catch-of-the-day that change with the boats, around 8,000 to 13,000 ISK a head, and the upstairs room holds a quieter table for a private conversation. For impressing a visiting client the water view gives a sense of place that a downtown room cannot, a Reykjavik a guest will remember. Book it for a guest who wants the harbour, reserve the upstairs corner, and let the kitchen build a seafood progression.
Book Kopar direct; ask for an upstairs harbour table.
8.Fiskfelagid
A characterful stone-cellar seafood room that flatters a guest without the bill of a tasting menu. Try it for an in-the-know client.
Fiskfelagid, the Fish Company, is the confident-but-modest pick, tucked into a converted stone building in the Grofin square at Vesturgata 2a, with a candle-lit cellar room that reads as a Reykjavik insiders know. The kitchen pairs Icelandic seafood with Asian technique, a salt-cod and a tasting of the day around 9,000 to 14,000 ISK a head, and the room runs warm and discreet. For impressing a client it is the lower-key move, the one for a guest who values knowing the right room over the most expensive one. Try it for an in-the-know client, book the cellar corner ahead, and let the kitchen send the seafood tasting.
Reserve Fiskfelagid direct; book the cellar corner.
Avoid for impressing clients in Reykjavik
Baejarins Beztu Pylsur · Tryggvagata
Baejarins Beztu is the most famous food stand in Iceland, a hot-dog window by the harbour that locals and presidents alike have queued at, and it is exactly the wrong signal for a client dinner. A paper-wrapped pylsa eaten standing up tells a guest the host did not plan, however good it tastes at two in the morning. Take a colleague there after the deal closes, never the client you are trying to win.
Bryggjan Brugghus · Grandagardur
Bryggjan Brugghus is a likeable harbour brewpub with its own tanks and a view, and a likeable brewpub is not the message a client dinner needs to send. The room reads as a casual evening out rather than a planned, considered choice, and a tasting flight at the bar is not the table a guest who could be anywhere wants to be brought to. Save it for a relaxed night with someone who already trusts you.
Grillid · Hotel Saga, 8th floor
Grillid has the best skyline view in Reykjavik from the eighth floor of the former Saga hotel, and the view is genuinely worth a drink. For a client dinner, though, the classic special-occasion room can read as a hotel restaurant rather than a considered editorial choice, and the kitchen does not reach the level of Dill or the OX counter. Use it for a celebratory drink before dinner, not the dinner itself.
Reservation strategy for a client dinner in Reykjavik
The whole list sits within a ten-minute walk downtown, so in Reykjavik the reservation is about timing and signal rather than logistics. Book the hardest table you can get and book it early: Dill and the eleven-seat OX counter are the toughest at their level, and securing one tells a client you planned the evening rather than picked a place on the way out. Reserve two to three weeks ahead for a weekend, less for a weekday, call the restaurant directly so you can flag that you are hosting a client, and ask the floor to set a quiet table away from the door.
The second move is to control the wine before the client sits down. Icelandic wine prices run high, so at Dill, Grillmarkadurinn and Apotek talk to the sommelier in advance, set a budget discreetly, and ask them to pour something the guest will recognise without making the spend the centre of the evening. Settle the bill before the meal where you can, through the floor or by leaving a card, so the close is seamless. The third move is to match the room to the client: a starred-name guest belongs at Dill, a guest who values discovery at OX, a fish-loving client at Sjavargrillid or Kopar, and a warmer, second-meeting guest at Sumac. Choose the room that flatters the guest, and the dinner does the rest.
Frequently asked
What is the best restaurant to impress a client in Reykjavik?
Dill on Laugavegur is our top pick. It holds Iceland's only Michelin star, awarded in 2017 to founding chef Gunnar Karl Gislason, and its New Nordic tasting menu, around 19,900 ISK, is the table a client describes back home. Book two to three weeks ahead and request the counter by the open kitchen. For a guest who wants a livelier room, the OX chef's table or Grillmarkadurinn under chef Hrefna Saetran are the strong alternatives.
Where should I take a visiting client in Reykjavik for dinner?
Most of the rooms that impress a client sit within a few minutes of each other downtown, so the choice is about the signal you want to send. Dill and the eleven-seat OX chef's table say you planned a special evening; Grillmarkadurinn and Apotek are the polished, easy-to-talk-in business rooms; Kopar on the Old Harbour adds a water view. Lead with the Michelin name for a first meeting and reserve directly so you can flag the occasion.
Which Reykjavik restaurant gives a client the best story?
OX gives the best story. Hidden behind a curtain inside Sumac, chef Thrainn Freyr Vigfusson serves a long Icelandic tasting menu to just eleven guests at a counter, with the kitchen an arm's length away. A visiting client rarely expects a room that intimate in Reykjavik, and the format becomes the thing they mention afterwards. Book well ahead, since the single nightly seating fills fast.
How much does it cost to impress a client in Reykjavik?
Plan on roughly 16,000 to 25,000 ISK a head before wine at the top rooms. Dill's tasting runs around 19,900 ISK and the OX menu sits higher, while Grillmarkadurinn, Apotek and Kopar work well a la carte for a few thousand kronur less. Icelandic wine prices are high, so set the wine with the sommelier in advance and settle the bill discreetly before the meal where you can.
Should I pick a Michelin-starred restaurant to impress a client in Reykjavik?
For an international client, the star does real work, and Reykjavik has exactly one: Dill, retained in the 2026 Michelin Guide Iceland. Leading with it signals that you chose somewhere considered. For a client who values discovery over prestige, the OX chef's table or a seafood-led room like Sjavargrillid or Fiskfelagid can impress just as much. Match the choice to what the particular guest values.
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