So you are in Iceland or are planning a trip to Iceland and are curious about where to buy food and what’s available. Look no further… let me explain.
Lack of product variety
One thing you will immediately notice is that product variety is slim in Iceland. You will likely see the same products carried at various grocery stores and the only difference is the price!
Local vs Imported
You will find that many of the meat and dairy products are produced in Iceland but many other products are imported from the big nordic countries – Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. There are some other imports, mostly from the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Germany, and the United States.
BYOB
It’s not what you think it is. This one stands for Bring Your Own Bag. Otherwise, you must carry your stuff out like a caveman or pay for a bag. Bags cost around 49 kr. each (roughly 0.36 cents).
Speaking of Beer
You will notice that you cannot find beer in the grocery stores, yet alone any alcoholic beverage. That’s because alcoholic beverages are only sold at Vínbúðin (literal translation is “the wine shop”) which is the state alcohol and tobacco company of Iceland. Read more about it here.
Pro tip: Alcohol can be cheaper at the tax-free shop at the airport so it’s best to search for the liquor products online to compare the price before you leave the airport.
Self-checkout
Don’t feel like talking to anyone? Not a problem. All grocery stores are equipped with self checkout kiosks. You can change the language to English
Need assistance?
But if you do feel like talking to someone, you’re in trouble. Unlike grocery stores in the US, you will rarely see employees restocking the shelves or walking around to assist shoppers so on the occasion that you do have a question or need assistance, the first thing you should try is resolving the problem on your own. Can’t read the ingredients? Google translate.
Smoke n’ stuff
If you have bad habits and need to fuel your addiction, you may find some nicotine products at a few grocery stores but they’re hidden away in locked cabinets at the cash registers so you will need to ask an employee for assistance. However, if you’re looking for a variety of smoke / vape / tobacco products, you will find them at Drekkin and if you are looking for snus, Svens is another option.
| Bónus Literally “Bonus” | Kronan “The Crown” | Netto | Hagkaup “Bargain” | 10/11 The Icelandic 7-11 | |
| Known for | The cheapest grocery store | Meat selection, Sushi, and hot rotisserie chicken | Variety | Expensive but most variety | Long hours, quick meals |
| Opening Hours | 10:00 – 20:00 | 09:00 – 21:00 | 09:00 – 21:00 | Times vary – many open 24/7 | 10:00 – 11:00 |
| Rotisserie chicken | ✔ | ✔ | |||
| Fresh Sushi | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Smoke / Tobacco | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Baby products | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Variety of Menstrual Products | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Salad bar | ✔ |
Heimkaup
There’s another grocery store with convenient online ordering but they only deliver or allow for customers to pick up so no option for you to browse isles. All orders must be placed and paid for online before pickup.
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