Why Fish Company matters.
Fish Company is an inventive Icelandic seafood restaurant where Kvosin's historic maritime commerce meets Lárus Gunnar Jónasson's internationally influenced cooking, the preservation of Reykjavík's nineteenth-century architecture and a culinary approach connecting Icelandic ingredients with flavors from around the world.
Set along Vesturgata near Tryggvagata and a short walk from the Old Harbour, the restaurant occupies the historic Zimsen building beside Grófartorg, where preserved timber architecture, stone-paved pedestrian spaces and narrow commercial streets connect Reykjavík's nineteenth-century waterfront with its modern center. A timber bridge crosses the recessed square outside, creating a distinctive approach to the lower-level entrance. Exposed stone walls and substantial wooden beams preserve the character of the building's historic foundations. Designer Leifur Welding developed the interior with owner Lárus Gunnar Jónasson, incorporating contrasting furnishings, unconventional decorative elements and specially conceived tableware into the intimate dining rooms. The result is a restaurant whose historic stone enclosure, carefully considered interiors and position beneath the surrounding streets establish an atmospheric setting for contemporary Icelandic gastronomy.
What defines Fish Company.
Fish Company is best known for Lárus Gunnar Jónasson and restaurateur Guðmundur Hanneson transforming a relocated nineteenth-century merchant building into an internationally influenced seafood restaurant that became one of Reykjavík's enduring fine-dining institutions. The former Zimsen commercial property was constructed at Hafnarstræti 21 in 1884, during a period when Reykjavík's merchants operated beside the developing waterfront. An 1889 enlargement expanded the premises as the capital's commercial economy grew. The property survived successive changes to the surrounding district before redevelopment created an opportunity to preserve it through relocation. In 2006, the building was lifted from its foundations and transported to Grandi for restoration, protecting a surviving example of Reykjavík's nineteenth-century commercial architecture. Its reconstruction formed part of the redevelopment of Grófartorg, where excavation uncovered sections of an earlier harbor wall dating to the middle of the nineteenth century. Architect Hjörleifur Stefánsson incorporated those remains into Flóð og fjara, or The Tides, a public artwork developed with the Minjavernd Heritage Trust. Stone paving, water and a timber crossing recreated elements of the former shoreline, reconnecting the restored merchant building with Reykjavík's maritime past. Hanneson brought considerable restaurant experience to the undertaking through his previous ownership of Lækjarbrekka, another establishment associated with Icelandic dining. Jónasson developed the culinary direction around domestic seafood and meat, combining traditional ingredients with techniques and flavors drawn from international restaurant culture. Fish Company opened in 2008 within the restored building's stone basement, joining architectural preservation with a new chapter in Reykjavík's restaurant development. Its early menus introduced the concept of culinary travel through preparations associated with different countries, establishing a recognizable approach that distinguished the restaurant from conventional seafood establishments. The kitchen developed complementary tasting menus devoted to Icelandic regional ingredients and international culinary traditions. Reykjavík Grapevine recognized Fish Company as the city's best seafood restaurant for eleven consecutive years, demonstrating the sustained reputation achieved by its cooking. The restaurant's fifth anniversary prompted a cookbook devoted to preparations expressing its culinary character and Icelandic ingredients. Fish Company connected the preservation of Reykjavík's historic commercial architecture with the international development of Icelandic seafood gastronomy.
Lárus Gunnar Jónasson's cooking begins with the natural sweetness and delicate texture of Icelandic seafood, developing those qualities through international techniques, aromatic contrasts and carefully controlled acidity. Langoustine provides a particularly expressive foundation, its concentrated shellfish flavor supporting preparations that combine richness with unexpected fruit and spice. A creamy lobster soup incorporates apple and cardamom, allowing fresh acidity and warm aromatics to develop around the crustacean's sweetness. That relationship between familiar ingredients and contrasting flavors extends into the treatment of traditional Icelandic fish cakes. Haddock and langoustine combine with potatoes to produce a soft interior, complemented by caramelized onions and pickled cabbage that introduce sweetness, acidity and texture. A concentrated langoustine sauce reconnects the preparation with its principal seafood ingredient, giving the accompanying elements a clear culinary purpose. Curing introduces another dimension through gravlax, where lovage, Icelandic wasabi and mussel contribute herbal freshness, heat and marine depth. The kitchen develops comparable contrasts through gently cooked fish, concentrated reductions and garnishes selected to emphasize the character of individual ingredients. Icelandic game extends the approach beyond seafood, using the intensity of reindeer as a foundation for fruit, nuts and richer accompaniments. Sherry-marinated reindeer carpaccio brings blueberry compote, hazelnuts, parmesan and foie gras into a composition balancing sweetness, acidity and fat against the meat's concentrated flavor. Traditional dairy products provide continuity through desserts, particularly combinations of skyr, berries and aromatic spices. White chocolate contributes richness to preparations incorporating blueberry and cardamom, connecting Icelandic dairy traditions with contemporary pastry techniques. The Around Iceland tasting menu concentrates these relationships around domestic ingredients, and the broader international menu develops them through culinary influences from other countries. Fish Company's distinctive cooking emerges from this sustained discussion between Icelandic produce and international gastronomy, allowing the natural character of seafood, meat and dairy to support inventive combinations grounded in the country's food heritage.
How Fish Company fits.
Fish Company works as the concluding destination for a walking itinerary connecting Reykjavík's earliest settlement, the development of Icelandic photography and the maritime industries that shaped the capital's economic transformation.
Begin at The Settlement Exhibition, built around the remains of a tenth-century Viking longhouse discovered beneath Central Reykjavík during excavations in 2001. Occupied between 930 and 1000, the dwelling preserves evidence of domestic life during Iceland's earliest Norse settlement. Archaeologists also uncovered an older wall fragment associated with the volcanic ash layer dated to 871 ± 2. The museum opened in 2006, preserving the longhouse in place and incorporating interactive reconstructions developed by Gagarín and Art+Com. A 2022 extension connected the archaeological remains with Aðalstræti 10, expanding the account of Reykjavík's development from a farming settlement into a modern capital. Continue to Reykjavík Museum of Photography, whose collections preserve Icelandic visual history from nineteenth-century portraiture through contemporary art. Established in 1981, the institution acquired important holdings including the archive of Gunnar Rúnar Ólafsson, whose work documented Icelandic industry and rural life. Its collection also includes Magnús Ólafsson, who trained with Peter Elfelt in Copenhagen before opening a Reykjavík studio in 1901. Magnús pioneered stereoscopic photography in Iceland and produced early aerial images of the capital. Municipal ownership followed in 1987, and the museum subsequently moved into Grófarhús on Tryggvagata, preserving generations of Icelandic social and cultural change through photography. Conclude at Reykjavík Maritime Museum, housed within a former fish-freezing plant constructed on Grandagarður in 1947. Reykjavík Municipal Fishing Company acquired the premises in 1959, developing a substantial operation producing frozen redfish fillets. The museum opened in June 2005, converting the industrial building into an institution devoted to Iceland's maritime history. Its collection expanded in 2008 with the former Coast Guard vessel Óðinn, built in Aalborg in 1959 and involved in Iceland's three Cod Wars with Britain. The Fish & Folk exhibition traces 150 years of fisheries development, connecting traditional rowing boats with industrial fleets and modern seafood production. The progression moves from Reykjavík's Viking foundations through the photographic preservation of Icelandic society and culminates in the fishing industries and maritime conflicts that transformed the country's economy.
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