Gonna get really specific here, for anyone who has details, but if you have generalities I'll take those too. Thanx in advance!
What kind of pre-packaged food can we expect to find at Bonus stores? Sandwiches, salads, pasta salads? And if you've been there recently, can you provide examples of thing and what they cost?
It was a long time ago, but I remember buying some good spreadable cheese (I think with mushrooms) at the airport as I changed planes in Reykjavik. I bet something in that category would be available at any market of size--plus hard cheeses. Hard cheese keep better than cheese spreads if you don't have access to a refrigerator.
Sandwiches for sure. Some might also have a few salads. It really depends on the location and size of the bonus.
However, the convenience stores have a larger selection on pre-packaged foods. But their prices are higher as well.
In many of the Bonus' you will find the prepared foods in the refrigerator section with dairy, meats, and so on like everywhere else. The difference is you actually walk into the refrigerated room to get what you need. It's just on shelves and you take what you want.
I remember posting after my trip that Bonus was the bottom store and that 2 others are better, looking it up now. They are Kronan and Netto, I used them first, Bonus was the last choice.
Normally I bought a baguette and used sliced meat and cheese, pretty much premade. Note that salad dressing is unavailable on supermarket shelves.
Groceries are virtually the same cost as they are in US supermarkets, this was a big surprise. There's also a Costco outside Reykjavik.
We go to Iceland often, with our most recent trip this July/August. We mostly shop at Bonus. You can find prepackaged, just heat and serve, plokkfiskur, lamb stew, lamb curry etc. We bought a handful of these and they are in the meat section and come in small round containers. I don’t remember the cost because mostly we didn’t pay attention 😉 We never found prepackaged salads like here at home, so we bought the separate lettuce, tomatoes etc to make ourselves. There is salad dressing in bottles as well. The gas stations as well as the 10-11 mini marts in Reykjavik have lots of premade sandwiches. We also found some precooked potatoes that were already seasoned and we just heated those up. If you want to cook a bit more you will find plenty of pre marinaded lamb in a variety of sauces so that was easy for cooking as we didn’t need any spices etc.
It has been a few years so I don't have current prices, but I recall primarily sandwich type items. I also bought skyr (yogurt), chips, nuts. I don't recall salads or fruit or pasta salad but I'm sure you could have bought the components. Also, FYI you can only buy low alcohol beer in groceries, you have to go to a liquor store for anything stronger, including wine.
There is salad dressing in bottles as well.
Looked and looked at the very large Kronan by the pier in central Reykjavik, finally asked someone who assured us salad dressing is always homemade in Iceland and not available in bottles. Wonder how that miscommunication happened. We never did see salad dressing for sale and shopped in grocery stores pretty much every day.
I wonder whether they thought you mean mayonnaise rather than the pourable stuff.
I wonder whether they thought you mean mayonnaise rather than the pourable stuff.
No, because Bonus carries Hellman's Mayonnaise.
American style salad dressings are not as popular in Europe. For many, simple oil and vinegar is used to dress salads.
Tom--Well we bought it at Bonus near the airport. It was in the produce department, near the salad greens. A whole end cap display of various bottles of dressing. That was in July, but I know when we did our ring road trip back in 2021, we bought it as well. I just don't remember where on that trip. We had 5 of us then, so we split up in the grocery stores and each took a different area, but we did have bottled dressing then too.
