List of supermarkets in Iceland
Bónus is an Icelandic chain of simple supermarkets owned by Hagar. Bónus operates 31 stores in Iceland and seven in the Faroe Islands. It follows a no-frills format with limited hours, simple shelving and a giant fridge instead of walk-in coolers
There are currently 25 stores in Iceland. 20 in the metropolitan area, as well as stores in Akranes, Reydarfjörður, Reykjanesbær, Selfoss, Hvolsvellí and Vestmannaeyjar.
There are 21 supermarkets. They are located in the metropolitan area of Selfoss, Akranes, Fludur, Laugarvatn, Budardal, Firdi in Hafnarfjörður, Holmavik, Keflavik, Inri-Njardvik, Husavik, Reykjalid, Borgarbraut and Biggdavegi in Akureyri.
Krambúðinn are shops that offer fast and quality food even.
Net – lower price – easier to shop
Kjörbúðin stores are located all over Iceland. We strive to offer good selection, low prices and fresh products at every location. Kjörbúðinn enables its customers to buy daily necessities at competitive prices. We offer delicious and varied offers every week, and the selection ranges from dry produce to fresh produce.
An Icelandic chain of hypermarkets owned by the retail company Hagar. Its concept is a wide selection of food and non-food products, including apparel, electronics, entertainment, seasonal products and toys.
Iceland Foods Ltd is a British supermarket chain headquartered in Deeside, Wales. The main focus is on the sale of frozen products, including ready meals and vegetables. They also sell non-frozen grocery items such as fruit, meat, dairy and dry goods, and through a chain of stores under The Food Warehouse brand. The company has an estimated 2.2% share of the UK food market.
In the shops you will find a good selection of homeware, ready meals and food for on-the-go shoppers in Iceland.
There is also a good selection of vegan and healthy options.
Euro Market was created in 2013 with Poles living in Iceland in mind, to make their access to the best Polish products even easier.
With each new shipment of products, the assortment is expanded with the best products, so that our Polish community is not left without their favorite Polish delicacies.
“Extra” stores are grocery stores in Iceland, where the emphasis is on comfort, quality, a wide assortment and long hours of operation.
Where to buy food in Iceland? How are supermarkets in Iceland different?
Iceland is an expensive country, but if you really want to, you can make a trip on a budget, the main thing is to know life hacks that will help you save. Food is a significant item of expenditure, and many, having heard about the high cost of Icelandic food, drag half suitcases of food from home. However, firstly, you can bring a maximum of 3 kg of food into the country and, secondly, it is not necessary to bring your own food – in local supermarkets, the prices of products do not differ much from European ones. However, there is an important nuance: not all stores in Iceland can be called budget. But if you go to the “right” supermarkets, food for two people for three days will cost about €80-100 (which is the average bill for one dinner in a good Icelandic restaurant).
Buying food in supermarkets, you can easily organize not only a cheap breakfast and a snack, but also a full lunch and dinner. This will definitely not be a problem if you stay in a campsite or in a guest house with a kitchen. If there are no full-fledged conditions for cooking, the “hiking kitchen” will come to the rescue. You can bring a burner with you and buy gas cylinders for it on the spot. It is even easier to buy a disposable grill in the supermarket – it is a small foil container with metal legs and grates, already filled with coal. You set it on fire, put the meat on the grill and enjoy your dinner. The device is usually sold in stores that sell marinated meat (you can find it by the inscription “Einnota grill”). Another option that will help you on the road is Icelandic gas stations (many have free access to a kettle and a microwave).
It is not necessary to completely give up going to cafes. In Reykjavík there are quite affordable places where you can have a snack and drink a cup of coffee. There is also delicious street food here (be sure to try the local hot dogs!).
There are many large retail chains in Iceland, which differ in many respects, and above all in prices. The price of goods is affected by the variety of assortment, opening hours (prices are higher in 24-hour stores), level of service, location of the store. In Reykjavík and the suburbs, stores of almost all chains are represented, and therefore it is easy to find the optimal option in terms of prices and assortment. In small towns and villages, there may be no choice, and you will have to go to the only supermarket in the district, which is almost guaranteed to be expensive. Therefore, we strongly advise you to stock up on food in Reykjavík before traveling on the Golden Ring, and to buy only perishable food on the way.
If you are vacationing within Reykjavík, it is still worth thinking about stocking up on products, as the opening hours of inexpensive chains are limited. Many supermarkets do not open before nine in the morning (more often at 10-11 a.m.), and close early — from six to nine in the evening. On major holidays, shops are not open at all.
Budget supermarkets are the best choice:
Bonus . The cheapest network in all of Iceland. The stores are not distinguished by a particularly comfortable environment and perfect service, and the assortment is smaller than in other supermarkets. However, all basic products are the most affordable here. About thirty stores of this chain have been opened in Iceland, most of which are located in Reykjavík and the district and in the Western Fjords. Bonus is very easy to recognize by its bright yellow facade with a big pink piggy bank.
Netto . Prices in supermarkets of this chain are slightly higher than in Bonus, but the assortment is larger and the situation is more pleasant. In addition, if you pay attention to promotions, some Netto products will cost even less than Bonus. In addition to food, various non-food items are sold here (even yarn made from the wool of Icelandic sheep). The chain has stores in Reykjavík (including two 24-hour stores), Akureyri, Western Fjords and Hebna.
Kronan . The store is about the same level as Netto. Among the advantages is the best selection of fresh products (meat and milk, vegetables and fruits), a large department of products for healthy and dietary food. In Iceland, there are about twenty chain stores in the Reykjavik area, in the southwest and east of the island.
When there is no other option – expensive supermarkets:
10-11 . The most expensive (but not the best) retail chain in Iceland. Bright green supermarkets are located mainly in tourist places (including Keflavik airport), work 24 hours a day and are designed, accordingly, for the uninformed people who will come here and buy everything at high prices. The difference in the price of goods in 10-11 and budget stores like Bonus can be up to 50%! And at night, prices rise by another 8%. One conclusion: if possible, do not go shopping at 10-11. It is not difficult, because supermarkets of the chain operate in Reykjavík and the district, where there is a normal alternative (Netto, Bonus, Kronan). Exception: at 10-11 a.m. you should come in if you need to buy a SIM card of local operators Vodafone or Siminn.
Samkaup Strax and Samkaup Urval . The network is quite expensive: some products are only 10-20% more expensive than Bonus, and some are as much as 50% more expensive. You can find unusual, interesting products in stores, but this cannot be considered a special advantage. In Reykjavík, Samkaup is easy to ignore, but outside of the capital, it may be the only supermarket in the area (rather than due to the overpriced prices).
Hagkaup . Quite an expensive chain of supermarkets in Reykjavík and Akureyri. Like Samkaup, you can find things you can’t find in other stores, and in addition, Hagkaup has a large non-food section (cosmetics, household chemicals and even clothes). Many chain stores are open 24 hours a day.
Kjarval . A small chain, there are only stores in the south-west of Iceland. Prices are average to high, but there is usually no alternative cheap option – Kjarval often works where there are no other supermarkets.
In addition to large supermarkets, there are many chain grocery stores in Iceland. Their prices are, as a rule, twice as high as in budget supermarkets. So you should come here only for some unique, specific products, or if there is no other option at all.
What products to buy in supermarkets in Iceland? Estimated prices in Iceland
In Icelandic supermarkets, both local and international brands are represented, so finding, for example, your favorite gas equipment or chips will not be a problem. And yet, we advise you to pay more attention to locally produced goods. Leather, lamb, dried fish, baked goods – many traditional Icelandic products (even exotic ones) can be tasted by going to a regular supermarket.
Meat. Chicken, beef and pork in Iceland are imported and therefore expensive (from 15 euros per kg). Instead of them, you can (and should!) try local lamb. Most supermarkets sell marinated steaks for grilling for 1100-1900 ISK/€7-12. Also on sale are lamb sausages (also for grilling). And lovers of the exotic can take chicken steaks with or without marinade instead of lamb (note that they are not cooked very well). All meat is sold fresh, pickled or frozen. You won’t find canned anywhere, so if you don’t plan your trip without stew, you’ll have to bring it from home (only in factory packaging!).
Fish, seafood. In Iceland and do not eat fish! You can grill salmon or lobster steaks (supermarkets sell already cleaned in vacuum packaging) or buy ready-made cuts of smoked/salted fish for sandwiches. There is also a large selection of canned fish, of which the most Icelandic product is undoubtedly spicy herring. Be sure to buy at least one jar to try – Icelandic herring is special and very tasty. Also, go to the snack section and pick up a few packets of Harðfiskur (unsalted dried fish). It is great for snacking, and the Icelanders themselves eat it with butter. Fish departments often sell hakarl — fermented polar shark meat. It sounds intriguing, but you should think carefully before buying it. It is not cheap (~300 ISK/€2 per 100 grams), and the taste and smell are extremely specific.
Cheese. Icelandic supermarkets sell excellent hard cheeses of high quality. But the main dairy product is a soft sheep’s cheese. Please note: tall glasses with drinking skin and low glasses with thick ones are on sale. It is better to give preference to the second option. This cheese is packaged in a convenient plastic container with a spoon, it can be taken with you and eaten anywhere. Skin with all kinds of sweet fillings is suitable for breakfast or dessert, and plain skin can be spread on sandwiches. The approximate cost is 150-300 ISK/€1-2.
Semi-finished products, ready meals, snacks. In most shops, there are sandwiches on sale for 200-300 ISK/€1.3-2 – the taste is not the best option, so if it is “not hot”, it is better to buy separate ingredients and make a sandwich yourself. There is a wide range of noodles and other quick meals from 40 ISK/€0.3, and for lovers of healthy snacks there is a large selection of breads for 150-200 ISK/€1-1.3. There are also complete ready-made dinners that only need to be heated. Including traditional Icelandic dishes: Plokkfiskur (fish stew), Fiskibollur (fish balls), and even a rather specific snack sviðasulta (shredded boiled sheep’s head in jelly).
Drinks The most affordable plain water in Iceland – you don’t need to buy it at all! Drinking water can be taken literally from any tap – it is clean everywhere. A liter of packaged juice will cost approximately 375 ISK/€2.5, and a bottle of Coca-Cola (1 l) – 290 ISK/€1.9. Alcohol in all supermarkets is expensive (a can of Viking beer is about 380 ISK/€2.5). It is most profitable to buy any alcoholic beverages in Iceland at Duty-free.