As fish lovers, a trip to Iceland would have felt incomplete without trying the country’s famous seafood. And it’s safe to say that Iceland spoiled us. Of all the yummy Icelandic food that we tried including Skyr, Kleina, Geyser Bread, we loved their sea food. Every place we went to served absolutely fresh-off-the-dock seafood. The dishes themselves were lightly seasoned and cooked to perfection. One of the most memorable restaurants we visited was Humarhöfnin; a seafood joint in Höfn specialising in langoustines (white shellfish closely related to lobsters).
We had reached Höfn late in the evening after a 270 km drive from Vík. Tired from the day’s activities, we checked into Nyibær Guesthouse where we were to spend the night and started figuring out options for dinner. The owner mentioned that there were a few good restaurants within walking distance and specifically recommended that we try the langoustines at Humarhöfnin.
Situated two buildings away from the harbour, the restaurant was lit up with soft yellow lights and had a warm & cozy atmosphere. We eagerly walked in having read up about Höfn’s famous langoustines during our pre-trip research. We were escorted to our table where we ordered wine and started looking through the menu. The meal would cost us 7900 ISK per person; a bit pricey for budget travellers like us. We decided to take the plunge.
Since tails are the part you eat, getting the whole langoustine is kind of redundant (and probably why it is cheaper). The portions were quite generous as you can see. We shared both the dishes and were quite full. The black magic sauce was really yummy. The butter and garlic flavouring was what made the dishes so scrumptious. Bread served along with the dishes was Icelandic geyser bread and complimented the fish well. The salad served with the arctic char was fresh and tasty.
| Taste: |  (5.0 / 5) |
| Ambience: | (5.0 / 5) |
| Service: | (5.0 / 5) |
| Value for Money: |  (4.5 / 5) |
| Average: |  (4.9 / 5) |
Getting there
Opening hours
If you are planning to visit on the weekend, you might want to call on +354 478 1200 and book a table in advance.
They are open from 15 January – February: 12:00 – 21:00 | March – May: 12:00 – 22:00 | June, July, August : 12:00 – 22:00 | September: 12:00 – 22:00 | October and November from 12:00 – 21:00. | December – 14 January: Closed
Very nice blog. Sounds like a wonderful place to eat.
Thanks. It was really was. We would love to go back for round 2.
They look scrumptious, thanks for the recommendation!
Thanks Shona. 🙂
That food looks amazing, thanks for the information and review! #feetdotravel
Thanks Paul and Carole.
Everything looks soooo yummy! thanks for the recommendation!
Thanks Midori.
I love Iceland!! that food looks incredible, not tried langoustines there so will have to try next time we visit, this restaurant looks great, thanks for the review!
The food looks great! I love it when locals are giving you tips on where to eat, those are having usually the most yummy food! Great review!
We agree. The locals seem to know all the hidden hangouts. Plus Icelandic people are so warm and friendly. All the hotel/ bed and breakfast owners were very helpful.
I am drooling!! Lobster is one of my favorite foods & you’re so right about the seafood in Iceland being incredibly fresh. I’m going back to Iceland in early March and this time signed myself up for a food tour in Reykjavik because I just can’t get enough! 😀
That sounds really great. We want to back to Iceland in summer. We would love to read your views on the food tour.
This looks so tasty. While in Iceland we haven’t tried langoustines but we did tried whale, rotted shark and catfish. Thanks for the review.
Thanks Oana. How was the rotten shark? We were not brave enough to try it. Maybe when we visit next we might give it a go.
I don’t eat seafood but you made it quite tempting!
The veggie options were also pretty good. We tried the Icelandic onion soup which did not sound too appealing. But it was really tasty. So was the cream of mushroom soup, especially in the cold winter weather.
I was literally looking for this exact article so thank you so much for sharing!! Going to Iceland soon and this post has made my mouth water!
That’s great. Our other Iceland related posts are here – http://siddharthandshruti.com/category/destinations/europe/iceland/
My family eats so much fish that this sounds like an amazing place for us to go! Great post, thanks for sharing! X
Yes! If you are a fish lover, you will simply love the cuisine 🙂
I never reached Höfn on my visit to Iceland so I will definitely keep this in mind for next time. I did find service in Iceland to be very good and the staff were generally helpful and friendly.
I felt the same way about Alaska. I never had seafood that tasted so good. Unfortunately, can’t do shellfish but I would love to try the fish there!
The food looks colourful. However we would need to look out for the colour “Green”, being vegetarians. What are the options for vegetarians when in Iceland?
They have some amazing hearty soups with freshly made geyser bread. You can always ask them for soup of the day. Once we had their onion soup which does not sound very interesting. But it was really tasty!
This all looks so tasty! I really want to go to Iceland, would DEFINITELY have to add this to my itinerary! <3
I love langoustines! This looks like quite a lovely restaurant to enjoy them. Your rating is excellent!
I been to Iceland but not on the south coast. Hope to get there one day. The food looks truly amazing. 🙂
excellent. Iceland isn’t somewhere I associate with great food, but that smile says it all!
The portions looks very good, and the place sounds very inviting. I have heard from many that Iceland is a pricey in general, so I am glad to hear that in places like this you know that you will get good quality and good food.
I love seafood and your photos of the langoustines have my mouth watering. From the photos, it looks like the portion sizes are very generous. Humarhöfnin looks like the perfect place to splurge on a meal. Iceland has been high on my wishlist for a long time, and now I have another reason to go- the famous seafood!
About to head to Iceland at the end of this month so great timing. Whilst I am not a seafood eater my husband is so I am quite sure this is something he will be trying. Thanks for the tips.
Yum! Your meals look so delicious! We’ve been to Hofn a couple of times, but didn’t make it to Humarhöfnin. We will definitely have to check it out next time–thanks for the suggestion!
I hear so many amazing things about Iceland, but this is the first time I have read about where to eat. Thanks for the suggestion – I will Pin this to my future travel board.
We actually missed out on the food scene in Iceland because we booked apartments with kitchenettes and hit up grocery stores to do our own cooking. But kind of regretting it now! Humarhöfnin sounds incredible, and I’ll absolutely make a point to dine when we head back 🙂
We had a mix of apartments and hotels. Since we were traveling in winter, we booked hotels only in towns/villages where there were 3 or more restaurants that we open in winter. Cooking can really help cut costs.