Review: An authentic Taco bar in the centre of Reykjavik

Reykjavik has many things to offer to a foodie, as the variety of restaurants is great. Whether in the mood for raw, new Nordic cuisine, Thai, Spanish or just simple street food, this small city has it all.

One of the places offering street food with a twist is the recently opened Taco barinn (Which translates to English as The Taco Bar). Serving, you guessed it, tacos! There are other items on the menu, such as ceviche and nachos, but the taco is the star of the show.

                Taco barinn is a great addition to the flora of restaurants in Reykjavík as Mexican food is not as common here as in many other cities. There are a few Mexican restaurants, but the authenticity of the food there is questionable. Taco barinn is however a different story. The flavours scream Mexico, everything from their homemade corn tortillas to their very own cilantro hot sauce. The flavours of the tortilla filling could be stronger, giving the food the real Mexican kick. But with a few drops of either of the two homemade hot sauces they offer (one red and one green), and a pinch of salt, the tacos are everything you can wish for.

The most interesting thing about the meal though were the pickled vegetables that we nibbled on while waiting for the tacos. They were delicious, crisp, fresh and had a great bite to them. A starter quite unusual for Icelandic standards.

                The online menu is very simple, the reason being that it changes every day, depending on what ingredients are in season and available. This says a lot about the restaurant, in that the chef does not want to compromise when it comes to the quality of the produce. This is a standard most restaurants/food trucks in the street food business don’t attain, and it's therefore surprising that the price is so moderate. With three tacos at only 1900 ISK there are few places where a meal comes that cheap, and the service was equal to a restaurant with three times the price.

And since the modern age has so many of us troubled by allergies, the tortillas are corn tortillas which means they are gluten and dairy free. The fillings are almost always gluten and dairy free as well. If not, they can be adjusted, or you can have other tacos as there are always three types available!

Taco barinn is located at Hverfisgata, the next street to Laugavegur, the main shopping street of Reykjavík, just across the street from Þjóðleikhúsið (The National Theatre). The place is a bit funky,and reminded me of a greenhouse. The interior and the stone floor making me think of summer and the beach, even though the rain was pouring outside. It was oddly relaxing to watch it pouring down the roof. It is even better to visit on a sunny day, because even though the weather is cold one can sit inside, have a great view of the sun and pretend that the weather is great. All in all, a delightful visit that exceeded my expectations to say the least.

Tacobarinn, Hverfisgata 20, 101 Reykjavik. tel. (+354) 519 7579 www.tacobarinn.is and Facebook HERE.