Sjávarpakkhúsið & Stykkishólmur’s Harbour Restaurants: Where to Eat Breiðafjörður Seafood

A Bay Built for Shellfish

Breiðafjörður is a large, shallow bay stretching roughly 125 kilometers along Iceland’s west coast, scattered with thousands of islands and skerries between the Snæfellsnes peninsula and the Westfjords. That shallow, island-studded water is exactly what shellfish need: it has long supported rich beds of blue mussels (kræklingur) and scallops, alongside a demersal fishery for cod and haddock. Stykkishólmur sits right at the bay’s edge, and its harbour restaurants build their menus almost entirely around what comes off boats a few hundred meters away.

Sjávarpakkhúsið: The Old Warehouse

The name means “the sea packing house,” and that’s literally what the building was — a seafood packing warehouse by the harbour dating back to 1918, now converted into a restaurant with about 30 seats and a low-ceilinged, informal dining room. Blue mussels in white wine are the dish people come back for, along with pan-seared scallops and a fish soup that changes with the day’s catch. The mussels are sometimes unloaded directly in front of the building before they reach the kitchen. In summer, ask about the outdoor tables facing the harbour — on a calm evening it’s the best seat in town for watching boats come in while you eat.

Other Harbour Options

A few minutes’ walk from Sjávarpakkhúsið, Narfeyrarstofa is the town’s oldest operating restaurant, set in a historic house with harbour views. It runs a broader menu than Sjávarpakkhúsið — fish soup, scallops, cod, and local meat dishes alongside vegetarian options — and stays open year-round, which matters if you’re visiting outside the summer season when some smaller places scale back. Between the two, and the handful of cafés and bars clustered around the same few streets, the old harbour quarter covers a full evening without needing a car.

Practical Details

• Where: Sjávarpakkhúsið is at Hafnargata 2, right on the harbour; Narfeyrarstofa is a short walk uphill in the old town center.
• Getting there: Both restaurants are walkable from anywhere in central Stykkishólmur — no car needed once you’re in town.
• Timing: Summer (June–August) is peak season for visitors and for mussel availability; reserve ahead for dinner, especially on weekends.
• What’s local: Blue mussels and scallops from Breiðafjörður, plus cod and haddock — look for menus that name Breiðafjörður directly.
• Dress: Casual is fine at both; bring a layer, harbour evenings cool off quickly even in summer.

Where to Stay

The Stykkishólmur Inn sits in the walkable old town, close enough to the harbour that you can wander down for dinner at Sjávarpakkhúsið or Narfeyrarstofa and back without needing a car or a taxi. Book direct on Ourhotels.is for the best rate.

Photo: Richard Whitaker via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.