I’m often contacted by worried travelers that have read that supermarkets are scarce and difficult to find in Iceland The truth is that there are a lot of supermarkets spread around the country but they are not all created equal. Reykjavík has a pretty good selection of supermarkets in all price ranges (well, cheap isn’t really a price range we are familiar with but cheap for Iceland is a range we know) but once you drive out of the city the options become a bit more limited. This has been getting increasingly better though in recent years.
By the way, you would be surprised how often I’ve been asked whether people should bring fruits and vegetables with them from home since they have read somewhere that Iceland doesn’t have any. In case you are wondering, the entire population of Iceland does not have scurvy. We grow some vegetables and fruits ourselves and the rest we import. We may not have the same selection as your fancy farmers’ markets but we make do.
To help ease your worries, I’ve been compiling a list of all the main supermarkets and convenient stores around the country for a few years now and this is the lasted edition. Of course, this list is not exhaustive but on the map below you’ll find the main chains and a few more. Below the map, you’ll find some more info about each chain.
View Grocery stores in Iceland in a larger map
Bónus
Bónus is probably the best-known budget store in Iceland and it’s usually considered the cheapest. The interiors are quite spartan and the selection not great but it should fulfill your basic food needs. This is where the boyfriend and I usually do our shopping for the home.
Budget brand: Euroshopper
Krónan
Like Bónus, Krónan is a budget store and is usually considered among the cheapest. Krónan is in my opinion much nicer than Bónus although that can depend a bit on the store. The Krónan stores are usually a bit bigger and brighter and have a bigger selection – especially when it comes to fresh meat and fish. They have a considerably big health section that will serve many people with dietary restrictions well (no gluten, no preservatives, etc. ) and store in Grandi, at least, has served the vegan community very well.
Budget brand: First Price and Gestus
Nettó
Nettó is a budget shop that started in Akureyri and has now opened up quite a lot of shops around the country. It’s on the cheaper end of the spectrum and sells all kinds of other stuff like yarn and board games. The stores here in Reykjavík are open 24/7 and they deliver if you order online.
Budget brands: X-tra and Coop
Super1
Super1 is the new kid on the block when it comes to low-cost supermarkets in Reykjavík. In fact, it’s so new that I’ve never actually been into one of their stores. They took over some store space where Bónus closed some of their stores and apparently it’s partly owned by a Danish supermarket chain. From what I hear, it’s simple and cost-effective.
Hagkaup
Hagkaup is kind of an upscale supermarket where you go when you can’t find what you need in all the other stores. I kind of love it because they have all kinds of things we would normally only find abroad and I always walk out with something I absolutely did not need when I go there. It’s also one of the best places to buy lopi if you can’t go to the Álafoss outlet or run out of lopi in the middle of the night since some of their stores are open 24/7. They also have their own clothing section, F&F that offers a range of clothes in all kinds of sizes. Food is expensive-ish – other things are mid-range.
10-11
I want to say that 10-11 is the most expensive store in Iceland but I don’t have anything except my feeling to back it up so I won’t. It’s all over the place, even in Keflavík Airport, and it’s the kind of place where you pick something up if you don’t have time to go somewhere else but you don’t do your shopping there. You will notice when you go in there that the snack shelves take over most of their stores and most of them are open 24/7.
Samkaup Strax
Samkaup Strax is a part of the same company that also owns Nettó, Krambúð and Kjörbúðin and it’s probably somewhere in between in prices. They used to have a lot of stores around the country but most of them have been changed into Krambúð and Kjörbúðin að this point and they only have three locations left. Most people that live in towns that only offer these stores will drive to a bigger supermarket to do their bulk purchase because the prices and selection are much better there.
Kjörbúðin
Kjörbúðin is a chain of grocery stores around the country. It’s not to be found in Reykjavík or other bigger towns, so they seem to focus on small or medium sized towns. The store owners claim to have made a survey for the townspeople all around the Icelandic countryside and, based on the survey, made up this chain to meet the needs and wishes of the customers. I have no idea if they succeeded, but in any case, they get a point for trying.
Krambúð
Those of you who have already visited Iceland might know Krambúð, a small grocery store open 24/7 on Skólavörðustígur close to Hallgrímskirkja. It’s one of the stores that are small and rather expensive but is a lifesaver when you find yourself in need of something after the opening hours of the cheaper stores. Krambúð used to be independently owned but was sold to the Samkaup/Netto chain and they’ve recently expanded the brand and now have a number of Krambúð locations all over the country.
Iceland
Iceland is not just the name of our beloved country, but also a supermarket. Yes, this can be quite confusing, especially when that supermarket is located in Iceland. Iceland – the supermarket – has a few stores. Prices are higher than those in Bónus or Krónan, but cheaper than many others and they are open 24/7. Their main attraction might be the huge pick and mix candy station, with a 50% discount during the weekend. It’s some kind of a cultural experience to witness the wave of candy craved kids (and grown-ups) sweep over these stations on Saturdays (the designated “nammidagur” (candy day) in Iceland).
Kjarval
I have to admit that I’ve never been into a Kjarval store and know very little about them. So little, in fact, that I almost forgot them on this list. They are only in the south of the country and on their website they say they focus on products from the area and keeping the prices down.
Others
Melabúðin, Pétursbúð and Kjötborg are all reminders of a different time when little corner shops were owned by people and not corporations. They all have their unique charm, personal service and above average prices but it doesn’t matter because you feel like you are supporting an endangered species. Somebody made a marvelous little documentary about Kjötborg that you should definitely check out.
Nóatún used to be a chain but now there is only one store left, in Austurver in Reykjavík. It’s like the Rolls Royce of Reykjavík supermarkets when it comes to prices but with a homely corner store feel. They have hot food that you can buy by weight at noon which is surprisingly cheap but the rest is a bit pricey. They also have all kinds of gourmet sauces and spices and a meat-and-fish counter where you can buy fresh meat and fish by the kilo.
Fjarðarkaup is a smallish hypermarket, quite similar to Hagkaup. They sell almost everything! Unlike Hagkaup, this is not a chain, but a single family-owned store in Hafnarfjörður.
This post and map were last updated on June 23rd 2017
This post first appeared on I Heart ReykjavÃk - Iceland Travel, please read the originial post: here
