A small culinary institution.

Our raison d'être

In 2015, French couple Arnaud-Pierre Fourtané and Didier Fitan moved to Reykjavík. Both were passionate food lovers and connoisseurs, used to a wide range of high-quality ingredients that simply weren't available in Iceland. Frustrated by the status quo, they decided to do something about it.

Arnaud-Pierre and Didier founded Hyalin in 2017, originally located on the corner of Hverfisgata and Klapparstígur, across from the antique bookstore Bókin. It's been over nine years since then — many waters have flowed under the bridge, and a lot has changed: the location, the products, even the owners. The new owners are an Icelandic couple, Karl Ólafur and Védís Eva, who are both passionate about the same kind of thoughtful, well-sourced food that Hyalin has always championed.

In late 2024, the original owners announced that they would be selling the business and moving back to France. In January 2025, Icelandic couple Karl Ólafur and Védís Eva took over the reins. They had long been regulars at the shop, and are both passionate about the same kind of thoughtful, well-sourced food that Hyalin has always championed. They are committed to preserving and reinforcing the essence of Hyalin: an unyielding focus on quality ingredients, a welcoming and domestic atmosphere, excellent service, and of course, great taste.

Though many things have changed, the heart of Hyalin still beats to the same steady, tripartite rhythm: a commitment to all that is delicious, hard-to-find, and beautiful.

The standard

We don't buy by category. We buy by producer. If we can't tell you where it was made, who made it, and why it's worth eating, it doesn't come in.

It's important to us that our products don't contain a laundry list of unpronouncable ultra-processed additives, that they're produced in a traditional, time-tested manner, and that they taste good and are simple enough to let the ingredients shine. We want to be able to tell our customers everything they want to know about a product — where it comes from, how it was made, why we chose to stock it, and of course how to use it, how it tastes, and what it pairs well with.

If you're looking for something specific and don't see it in the shop, you're always welcome to reach out and ask about it. We have a wide and varied network of producers and suppliers in France, Italy, Spain, Greece and beyond, so there's always the possibility of adding something new to the range.