A Few Favorite Hangouts, Cafés and Restaurants in Reykjavik

I published a great article by Stacey Katz the other day where she told us about a few places in Reykjavik and surroundings that she recommends. That inspires me to tell you about few of my own hangouts and restaurants in Reykjavik.

Best beer in Reykjavik

I have already mentioned Skúli Craft Bar which is in my opinion the best bar in Reykjavik. It is popular and crowded but I somehow always manage to get a table there. The selection of craft beers is great and the place is frequented by an eclectic mix of rockers, a lot of people that work for tech companies and celebrities. So yes, if you like beer and great conversation Skúli is the place for you.

Getting lost in old books

I love getting lost in old books so I sometimes go to the vintage book store called Bókin (see location here). It has this same musty smell of old books that I remember from my grandfather. Like my grandfather´s library it a total mess which I totally love. The guys running the place have zero business sense so all the books there are really cheap. Most of the titles are in Icelandic but they do have a decent collection of books in English. Occasionally I go in there, turn off my smartphone and sit for one or two hours, reading from a random old gem.

Cafés in Reykjavik

I am a big fan of Café Haiti but there are a couple of other cafés that are really worth hanging out at. I first want to recommend a café on Laugavegur called Tíu dropar (see location here). It offers great pastries (including Icelandic pancakes) and on weekends it turns itself into a hipster friendly wine bar. I feel like I am trespassing when I pick up my Samsung Android smartphone there. Apple devices are so dominant among the people there. I also want to recommend Stofan on Vesturgata (see location here), it has really comfortable sofas and relaxed atmosphere. Also, if you want to get work done, they have the tables for that and of course free WiFi.

Great Value Restaurants

Reykjavik is of course packed full of restaurants and for really fine dining with an Icelandic theme I recommend Matur og drykkur. I want to recommend a few great places that serve great food, have great atmosphere and offer great value for money. Íslenski barinn on Ingólfsstræti (see location here)  is one of those places, it has great burgers but I am really hooked on their hot dogs. You can choose to out either to put langoustine, pork or lamb on your hot dog bun. It is just delicious stuff.

I also recommend is the Indian place Austurlandahraðlestin on Lækjargata (See location). It is not so pricey, has great and satisfying food and who doesn´t love Cobra beer?

I recommend the Syrian place Mandi in Veltusund (See location here)  They make awesome Kebab and their fries with spicy sauce are deliciously sinful.

For quick, delicious and guilt ridden doze of burger and fries go to Hamborgarabúllan (or Burger joint – See location here) that offers great value for their fantastic burgers with their “Offer of the Century.”

The classic alternative to all of this is Bæjarins Bestu hot dog stand, no matter how crappy the weather is, there is always a line there 🙂