Golden Circle Where to Eat: Cafés and Restaurants Stop by Stop (2027)

The best places to eat on the Golden Circle are Friðheimar's greenhouse restaurant at Reykholt, the restaurants and cafés across the road from Geysir, the café at Gullfoss, the lakeside restaurants in Laugarvatn and the farm café at Efstidalur. For dinner, Laugarvatn, Reykholt, Flúðir and Selfoss have places open into the evening. Hours change with the season, and several smaller places close or shorten their hours in winter. Here is where to eat at each stop, checked in October 2026.

Where is the best place to eat on the Golden Circle?

Friðheimar is the most famous, and for good reason: you eat tomato soup with fresh bread inside a working greenhouse, among the tomato plants. For a quick, reliable lunch on the main route, Geysir is the natural stop. For something more local, the farm café at Efstidalur makes ice cream from its own cows' milk.

Where can you eat at Þingvellir?

The café at Þingvellir is in the service centre at Leirar, beside the campsite at the junction of Routes 36, 361 and 52. It is run by Icewear, with a souvenir shop alongside. It opens 09.00–18.00 from April to October and 09.00–17.00 from November to March, with shorter hours over Christmas and New Year.

The Hakið visitor centre at the top of Almannagjá has an exhibition and toilets, but do not count on a full meal there. Þingvellir is the first stop on a clockwise loop, so most people eat later at Laugarvatn or Geysir.

Where can you eat in Laugarvatn?

Laugarvatn, the lakeside village between Þingvellir and Geysir, has the most choice on the northern half of the loop.

• Lindin is a restaurant beside the Fontana baths, open daily from 12.00 to 22.00 all year, with the kitchen closing about half an hour before. It is one of the few places on the loop that serves late.
• Laugarvatn Fontana has a restaurant serving lunch and dinner buffets, and a lighter soup with rye bread baked in the hot ground and trout from the lake. The spa is open 10.00–21.00 in summer and 11.00–21.00 from October to May.

What is Efstidalur, and is it worth a stop?

Yes, especially for ice cream. Efstidalur II is a working dairy farm on Route 37, about ten minutes from Laugarvatn and 15 from Geysir. You eat ice cream made from the farm's milk at a counter with windows looking into the cowshed. The restaurant in a converted barn serves burgers from the farm's own beef, meat soup, lamb and trout.

The published hours vary between sources and by season, so check the farm's own pages before you plan a meal around it. Booking is a good idea in July and August.

Where can you eat at Geysir?

Across Route 35 from the hot springs is a visitor complex with a hotel, cafés, a restaurant, shops and toilets. It is the easiest lunch stop on the loop because you arrive around midday on a clockwise day.

The hotel's Geysir Restaurant serves a lunch buffet from 11.30 to 14.00 daily, with soups, salads, fish, meat, homemade bread and desserts. It also has an à la carte menu and serves rye bread baked for 24 hours in the hot ground. The complex also has quicker cafés with soup, sandwiches, cakes and ice cream.

Where can you eat at Gullfoss?

Gullfosskaffi, the only building at the falls, sits on the rim above the upper viewpoint. It is known for Icelandic meat soup, and also serves sandwiches, cakes and hot drinks. One guide lists it as open daily from 9.30 to 19.00, but opening hours vary by season, so do not count on it late in the evening.

Is Friðheimar worth it, and do you need to book?

Yes, and yes. Friðheimar is a family farm at Reykholt that grows tomatoes all year in geothermally heated greenhouses. The kitchen serves daily from 11.30 to 16.00, and the signature lunch is unlimited tomato soup with fresh bread. Other dishes include tomato ravioli and a green tomato and apple pie, and there is a Bloody Mary bar.

Book a table online. The greenhouse is small, and walk-ins are often turned away between noon and 14.00 in high season. In June to August, book a few days ahead. For a later meal, the farm's wine bar and restaurant, Vínstofa Friðheima, is open 12.00–22.00 with the kitchen closing at 21.00, and needs no booking.

Where can you eat in Reykholt, Flúðir and the south of the loop?

• Mika, Reykholt. A family restaurant that makes its own chocolates and serves pizzas, seafood and steak. Its listed hours are 12.00–16.00 and 17.00–21.00 daily.
• Flúðasveppir Farmers Bistro, Flúðir. A restaurant at a mushroom farm, about 2 km from the Secret Lagoon. Listings give different seasons and hours, so check before you go.
• Minilik, Flúðir. Iceland's first Ethiopian restaurant, open since 2011, serving evenings from Tuesday to Sunday.
• Við Faxa, by Faxi waterfall. A seasonal restaurant with a patio facing the falls. Hours are limited and change through the year.
• The Old Dairy food hall, Selfoss. Mjólkurbúið in Selfoss's new town centre has several food outlets, including a skyr bar, burgers and pizza, plus a beer garden.

The Secret Lagoon has a small bistro with snacks and drinks but no hot meals, so eat before or after your soak.

What should you know about eating on the Golden Circle?

• Book in summer. Friðheimar and the popular evening places fill up with tour groups from June to August.
• Eat before 12.00 or after 14.00. Midday is when the coaches arrive and the cafés at Geysir and Gullfoss are busiest.
• Expect fewer options in winter. Seasonal places like Við Faxa close, and others shorten their hours. Laugarvatn and Selfoss are the safest bets for an evening meal.
• Bring a picnic. Stock up in Reykjavík. It saves time and money on a busy day.

Plan the loop around your lunch with our guide to the best Golden Circle route order, and see the main Golden Circle self-drive guide for the full route. Our guide to extra Golden Circle stops covers Friðheimar, Faxi and the pools in more detail. For the sights, see Geysir and Gullfoss.

Facts checked October 2026. Restaurant hours, menus and seasons on the Golden Circle change often, and several sources disagree; confirm opening times directly before you plan a meal, especially from October to April.