Reykjavik for The Food Pilgrims: a Friday-to-Monday weekend

Start with the hot dog 'with everything' at the harbour stand, lamb in the sausage and crunchy fried onions on top; it is a snack, so dinner is still coming.

Fishing boats and whale-watching boats at the quays, with the fish-processing sheds now converted to cafés and shops; the evening light on Esja is the free dessert.

The Sea Baron's harbour shed: lobster soup from a pot, fish skewers grilled to order at long communal tables, and a bottle of brennivín if you dare.

Weekends only: a hall of second-hand books and wool sweaters, plus a food corner with dried fish, rye bread and fermented shark; try the shark with a nip of brennivín.

Soup served in a hollowed-out loaf, lamb or vegetarian, at a basement café; light enough to leave room for the brewery and the big dinner later.

A flight of the house ales in a harbourside brewpub; Iceland lifted its beer ban only in 1989, which is worth remembering before the second glass.

The Grill Market: Icelandic lamb and langoustine cooked over charcoal and lava stone in a room of basalt and wood; the serious dinner, so book.

Lunch inside a working tomato greenhouse heated by geothermal water: bread, tomato soup and green-tomato ice cream. Booking is essential, and it is about ninety minutes from Reykjavik.

Watch rye bread dug out of hot black sand where it baked for a day, then eat it warm with butter; the geothermal baths are next door if you want them.

Nordic small plates from a chef-led kitchen, mostly vegetables, fish and ferments; sit at the counter and ask the kitchen what is best that night.

Single-origin filter coffee and a cinnamon bun at the roasters' home counter just below Hallgrímskirkja; the beans are roasted in the city, a few days old at most.

The rainbow street running down from the church, lined with chocolate makers, wool shops and small galleries; a pleasant browse before lunch and a few light purchases.

A plate of traditional Icelandic food opposite the church: rye bread with smoked trout, lamb soup and the rye-bread ice cream, a last tasting before the airport.