Reykjavík: 7-Course Teppanyaki Tasting Menu with Fire Show

Fire meets Icelandic flavor here. Reykjavík’s only teppanyaki restaurant pairs a seven-course tasting menu with a lively open-flame cooking show, using ingredients such as langoustine, lamb, salmon, and arctic char. I like the mix of fresh Icelandic produce and Japanese grill technique, and I like that the meal includes a welcome sake cocktail. The main caution is price: at $120 per person, this is a special-night meal, not a casual bite.

The 90-minute format keeps the evening focused, though the cooking show can vary with the chef and the mood of the room. Chef Wilson has earned praise for his friendly presentation and fire skills, while one evening began with a reservation mix-up before the staff made things right.

Key points to know before booking

• Seven courses in 90 minutes: Expect a full tasting meal rather than a single teppanyaki entrée.
• Icelandic ingredients: The sample menu includes beef carpaccio, langoustine, arctic char, lamb, vegetables, rice, and blueberry skyr.
• Open-flame entertainment: The chef cooks in front of you and adds fire tricks, utensil spinning, and theatrical touches.
• A welcome sake cocktail: Your first drink is included, with a similar beverage offered if needed.
• Central Reykjavík setting: Flame Restaurant and Bar is about 200 meters from Höfði House and close to the sea.
• Northern lights possibility: The nearby lighthouse may offer a viewing spot in winter, but the aurora is never guaranteed.

What this Reykjavík dinner actually feels like

This experience is part meal, part performance. You check in at Flame Restaurant and Bar in central Reykjavík, then settle in for a seven-course tasting menu cooked with teppanyaki technique. The chef works on an iron grill in front of you, so the food preparation is part of the evening rather than something hidden in a kitchen.

The meal lasts about 1.5 hours. That is long enough for several courses and a proper presentation, but short enough to fit neatly into a busy Reykjavík schedule. You could place it on an evening when you want one planned activity without giving up the whole night.

The atmosphere is designed to feel lively. The chef uses open flame, utensil tricks, and quick movements while preparing the food. The fire show is not an extra performance after dinner. It is folded into the cooking itself, which gives the meal its main sense of occasion.

The show also depends on the chef working that night. Chef Wilson is singled out for being personal, friendly, and entertaining. On one quiet evening, he spoke with the diners and the sous chef, Kai, also came out for a chat. That kind of interaction can make the meal feel more personal, but you should not expect exactly the same presentation every time.

The welcome cocktail starts the evening

The meal begins with a sake cocktail or a similar drink. This is included in the $120 price, and it gives the dinner a clear opening rather than sending you straight into the first plate.

The cocktail is meant to be part of the experience, not simply a small courtesy drink. It adds a Japanese note before the menu turns toward Icelandic ingredients. One particularly happy diner described both the look and flavor of the cocktail as impressive, and another praised its strong taste alongside the food.

You should check with staff if you prefer a non-sake alternative, since the experience states that a similar beverage may be provided. Additional drinks are not listed as included, so you should budget separately if you want wine, beer, or more cocktails.

Seven courses, from carpaccio to blueberry skyr

The sample menu gives you a good idea of the meal’s progression. It begins with Icelandic beef carpaccio, then moves through seafood, vegetables, rice, lamb, and dessert. Menus can change, so treat these dishes as a guide rather than a fixed promise.

Icelandic beef carpaccio

The carpaccio opens the meal with a cold preparation before the grill takes over. It gives you an early taste of how the restaurant uses Icelandic ingredients without covering everything in flame or sauce.

Because carpaccio is served thinly sliced and uncooked, it may not suit every diner. If you prefer all meat well done, ask the staff about alternatives before the meal begins. The supplied information does not list substitutions, so do not assume they are available.

Tempura langoustine with lava sauce

Icelandic langoustine is one of the meal’s signature ingredients. It is often called Icelandic lobster in tourist menus, though langoustine is the more precise name. Here it appears in tempura with homemade lava sauce, bringing together crisp batter, seafood, and a sauce named for Iceland’s volcanic character.

This course is a good example of the menu’s central idea: local seafood presented with Japanese influence and playful Icelandic references. If you came hoping to try something strongly connected to Iceland, this is one of the more convincing plates.

Premium Japanese rice and fresh vegetables

The rice and mixed vegetables provide a practical break between the richer courses. They also give the chef more material to prepare directly on the hot grill, where the movement, timing, and flame work become part of the entertainment.

Do not mistake these supporting dishes for filler. A seven-course meal needs some balance, especially when it includes tempura, lamb, sauces, and dessert. The vegetables help keep the meal from feeling like one long parade of heavy food.

Arctic char with teriyaki sauce

Arctic char is a particularly fitting choice for Iceland. It is a local fish with a flavor that sits somewhere between salmon and trout, and the sample menu pairs it with teriyaki sauce.

The fish course brings the Japanese side of the meal forward without abandoning the Icelandic theme. If you enjoy salmon-style fish, this will likely be one of the safer choices on the menu. If seafood is not your thing, the menu has several other courses, but seafood plays a clear role in the tasting.

Free-range Icelandic lamb with pepper sauce

The lamb is the heartier main course. It uses free-range Icelandic lamb and comes with pepper sauce, giving the meal a warm, savory finish before dessert.

This is where the teppanyaki method has its biggest visual payoff. The chef cooks the main ingredients inches from the diners, using flame and utensil work while explaining the food and, at times, talking about where the ingredients come from. The performance is fun, but the cooking still matters. Several strong ratings praise both the quality of the food and the chef’s skill.

Blueberry skyr yogurt

The final course is traditional blueberry skyr yogurt. Skyr is an Icelandic cultured dairy product with a thick texture, and blueberry gives it a bright, familiar finish.

After beef, langoustine, fish, lamb, rice, vegetables, and sauces, this is a sensible ending. It is lighter than a rich cake or pastry and keeps the dessert tied to Icelandic food culture.

The fire show is the main event

The meal would still be a tasting menu without the flames, but the fire work is what makes the experience different from a regular restaurant dinner. The chef prepares the food in front of you and uses an open flame as part of the presentation.

You might see quick fire bursts, utensil spinning, and other teppanyaki tricks. The best moments come when the chef combines showmanship with useful information about the ingredients. One highly praised evening included stories about sourcing and plenty of answers to questions.

The entertainment has a social side, too. Staff members have been praised for being friendly and welcoming, and one chef made a special effort to talk with diners when the room was quiet. That matters because teppanyaki works best when you feel involved rather than simply watching from a distance.

There is a small warning here. One evening started poorly because staff could not immediately locate the reservation. The waitress kept trying to help, and the owner apologized and offered complimentary wine while the issue was sorted out. Another account described the chef as slightly nervous at the start, though the meal improved.

Those incidents do not suggest a regular problem, but they are worth keeping in mind. A live cooking show is not a polished stage production every night. The charm comes partly from the human element, and that can include an awkward opening.

Is $120 a fair price?

At $120 per person, this dinner asks you to pay for more than food. The price covers seven courses, the welcome sake cocktail, the chef’s live presentation, and the novelty of eating at Iceland’s only teppanyaki restaurant.

I think the value is strongest for a celebratory evening or for a first visit to Reykjavík when you want a meal you will remember. The menu includes several premium ingredients, especially langoustine, arctic char, and free-range lamb. You also get a complete meal rather than a small tasting of two or three bites.

The value is weaker if you are mainly looking for the least expensive way to eat Icelandic food. Reykjavík is costly, but you can find simpler meals for far less. You are paying a premium here for the combination of food and entertainment.

The 90-minute duration also helps. It gives you a structured dinner without committing an entire night, though a fast or very relaxed eater might find the pacing fixed by the chef’s presentation. Since the menu is served as a sequence, you do not control the speed as much as you would at an ordinary restaurant.

Location near Höfði House and the sea

Flame Restaurant and Bar is in a modern glass-building area in central Reykjavík. It is about 200 meters from historic Höfði House and close to the ocean, with Fosshotel Reykjavík also nearby.

This central setting makes the dinner easy to pair with other city sightseeing. You are not booking a remote countryside restaurant, and transportation is not included, so you will need to make your own way to the meeting point.

The nearby coast adds a useful after-dinner option. In winter, you have the chance to walk toward the lighthouse by the sea and look for the northern lights. That can turn the meal into a longer evening outdoors, but keep your expectations sensible. The aurora is a natural event and cannot be guaranteed.

You should not book this dinner solely as a northern lights activity. Think of the lighthouse as a possible bonus after a guaranteed meal, not as part of the show or a promised sight.

Who will enjoy this most?

I would recommend the experience to you if you want food and entertainment in equal measure. It suits couples marking a special night, families with older children who enjoy a bit of theater, and visitors who like trying local ingredients in a format that feels different from a standard Icelandic restaurant.

It is also a good fit if you want to sample several Icelandic foods without planning a separate order for each one. The menu takes you from beef to langoustine, fish, lamb, and skyr in one sitting.

You may want to choose another dinner if you dislike open flame, seafood, or fixed tasting menus. Seafood appears more than once, and the exact sample menu may change. You should also be cautious if you need a highly predictable, quiet meal. The experience is built around performance, conversation, and chef interaction.

The restaurant is wheelchair accessible, and English is the listed language for the activity and instruction. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the experience, and you can reserve now and pay later, which gives you some flexibility when arranging a Reykjavík schedule.

How the experience compares with an ordinary Icelandic dinner

A regular Icelandic meal lets you focus on the plate. This one asks you to watch the cooking, listen to the chef, and enjoy the timing of each course.

That difference is important when judging the food. The menu is not presented as a formal fine-dining progression with long pauses and silent service. It is a social tasting show. The best parts are the combination of good ingredients and the chef’s hands-on performance.

The strongest praise centers on the full package. The food is repeatedly described as delicious or exceptional, while the show earns equal attention. Staff friendliness also comes up often, with Wilson receiving especially warm approval for his personal style.

The less polished moments are part of the honest picture. A reservation problem affected one evening, and one chef seemed nervous at first. The staff handled the problem with an apology and complimentary wine, but you should still allow yourself a little patience if the evening does not start perfectly.

My verdict: book it for the experience, not just dinner

I would book this if you want a memorable Reykjavík night built around local ingredients, a welcome cocktail, and live fire cooking. The Icelandic langoustine, arctic char, lamb, and blueberry skyr give the meal a clear local identity, while the teppanyaki format keeps it playful.

At $120, it is worth the money when the show matters to you and you are prepared for a special-occasion bill. It is less convincing as a budget meal or as a guaranteed northern lights outing.

The clearest advice is simple: book the Flame Restaurant and Bar experience for the food-and-fire combination, then treat the nearby lighthouse and winter aurora possibility as a free extra. If that sounds like your kind of evening, the strong 4.1 rating and repeated praise for the chefs, food, cocktails, and staff point in the right direction.

FAQ

Where does the teppanyaki experience take place?

You check in with staff at Flame Restaurant and Bar in Reykjavík’s Capital Region. The restaurant is in a modern glass-building area in the city center, about 200 meters from Höfði House and near Fosshotel Reykjavík.

How long does the dinner last?

The experience lasts about 1.5 hours.

What is included in the price?

The price includes a seven-course tasting menu and a welcome sake cocktail or a similar beverage.

How much does the experience cost?

The listed price is $120 per person.

What food is served?

The sample menu includes Icelandic beef carpaccio, tempura Icelandic langoustine with homemade lava sauce, premium Japanese rice, mixed fresh vegetables, Icelandic arctic char with teriyaki sauce, free-range Icelandic lamb with pepper sauce, and blueberry skyr yogurt.

Is transportation included?

No. Transportation is not included, so you must make your own way to Flame Restaurant and Bar.

Can I see the northern lights after dinner?

You may have a chance to see the northern lights at the nearby lighthouse by the sea in winter. The aurora is a natural phenomenon and cannot be guaranteed.

Is the experience wheelchair accessible?

Yes. The activity is listed as wheelchair accessible, and English is the listed language for the experience.