Hotel Skógafoss Restaurant (Skógar, Iceland)

The Hotel Skógafoss Restaurant is conveniently close to the famous Skógafoss waterfall. It's also a great respite after some Icelandic backpacking!

Partial view of Skogafoss waterfall from restaurant deck.

The Skógafoss waterfall is one of Iceland's most recognizable landscapes.

It's massive, wild, and beautiful, and for us it marked the end of an epic six days of backpacking on the Laugavegur and Fimmvörðuhals trails.

We'd tested ourselves against cold, rain, wind, and nearly never-ending daylight hours in this transcendent landscape, and now it was time for a breather.

Man and woman standing in front of roaring waterfall. — Skógafoss Waterfall

Fortunately, there's a hotel and restaurant near the Skógafoss waterfall. This might make you think that the area is built up or "touristy," but that's not the case at all. There's a sparse number of buildings, a camping area, and a path to the waterfall.

Wooden deck and exterior of Hotel Skogafoss restaurant.

We didn’t stay at the hotel (the bus to Reykjavik would arrive soon), but we made tracks for the restaurant and got to enjoy a delicious meal. It was perfection.

How Do I Get to Hotel Skógafoss if I'm Not Backpacking?

Skógafoss is about two hours southeast of Reykjavik if you're traveling by car.

There are also buses. The hotel is just across the parking lot from the Straeto bus stop.

If you happen to be driving Iceland's Ring Road (an 800-mile trip!), know that most people drive the north side of it first, and that Skógafoss will be towards the end of that multi-day route.

The hotel and restaurant are located within an easy walk from the waterfall.

Deck with outdoor seating and partial view of Skogafoss waterfall.

In fact, you can see the waterfall from both the outdoor seating area and through the glass wall inside.

Chairs and tables at inside dining area of Hotel Skogafoss restaurant. — Dining Area with Windows Facing Waterfall

Food + Drink Options

The bistro bar offers both a restaurant menu and a coffee bar. There's a breakfast buffet in the morning.

While there, we enjoyed two beers on draft, and ordered the Arctic Char and the Smoked Haddock Barley Risotto. (I know I’d just been hiking for days, but I swear it was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.)

Light colored beer served in Gull branded glasses.

Smoked Haddock Barley Risotto at Hotel Skogafoss restaurant. — Smoked Haddock Barley Risotto

You can view the menu online. It includes a good selection of soups, salads, and entrées, many of which are traditional to Iceland.

Arctic Char served on turnip puree. — Arctic Char

After our meal, we had coffee and a Skyr (Icelandic yogurt) cheesecake, which was divine.

Since we were waiting on the Straeto bus, we also ordered a latte and a Swiss mocha and drank those in the sitting area with a couple other backpackers who were also waiting on the bus.