Iceland is not only known for its glaciers (Snæfellsjökull, Vatnajökull), but also for its ice cream. In any season or weather situation, the locals consume large quantities of ice cream of many kinds. The ice cream shop is the only place in Iceland where you’ll find a queue on a Friday night at 22 hours. Below is a brief overview of the best places to eat ice cream in Iceland!
Ísbúð Vesturbæjar, in the district of the same name, is considered by many as the best ice cream shop in Reykjavík. It offers a milk-based ice cream, and you can choose three flavours per ice cream from a vast range such as chocolate, strawberry, banana, kiwi, chocolate-chip, blueberries, to name a few. The result is delicious and is called Þeyttingur. You will also find a selection of more traditional ice creams such as vanilla ice cream surrounded by a chocolate glazed "clown" for children, ice cream with chocolate sauce (hot or cold), ice cream with licorice (licorice another popular treat in Iceland) and so on …
Other Ice cream shops available in Reykjavík are Yoyo, known for its frozen yogurts, and Valdís, known for its original flavours (e.g. peanut flavor).
The Brynja Akureyri ice cream shop, located in the old city, ranks as one of the best in Iceland. But be careful, however, when choosing the size of the Icelandic ice cream; "medium" for an Icelander is considered "huge" for a foreign traveller ... In Akureyri’s city centre, it’s possible to find an ice cream shop on the street, Geislagata, and some cafes that also offer frozen desserts, and ice cream served in a cone (í brauði) or cardboard container (í lassi).
You will find ice cream in all petrol stations or kiosks (sjóppur) around the country. Some farms also make homemade ice creams, such as Holtsel in Eyjafjörður, Erpsstaðir near Snaefellsnes peninsula, Efstidalur near the Golden Circle and Brunhóll near Vatnajökull. Brunhóll calls their ice cream Jöklaís, which translates “glacier ice."
Ísbílinn is a truck that supplies farms in the countryside with all kinds of ice cream treasures, a great invention and treat for anyone living in rural parts of Iceland. In the summer time, ísbílinn ( translates "ice car") also stops in major towns and announces its presence with music playing over its speaker -the international signal for the ice cream van. In winter, the mobile ice cream trucks are confined to small towns and remote valleys.
