Laugavegur (Main Shopping Street)

Laugavegur is Reykjavik's main commercial street — a colourful corridor of shops, restaurants, bars, and the kind of independent retail that survives in a city small enough (130,000 people) to support local businesses over chains. The street runs from the harbour area east toward Hlemmur bus station and contains virtually everything Reykjavik has to offer in terms of dining, drinking, and the Icelandic design (woolens, ceramics, jewellery) that has become a significant cultural export.

The food scene on and around Laugavegur reflects Iceland's culinary evolution — from the traditional (fermented shark, dried fish, lamb soup) to the contemporary (the seafood restaurants, ramen bars, and the hot dog stands that serve the pylsur that is Iceland's most beloved fast food — a lamb, pork, and beef hot dog served with raw and fried onions, ketchup, sweet mustard, and rémoulade). Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur, a hot dog stand operating since 1937, is the most famous fast food establishment in Iceland.