Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [66]
Café Konditori Copenhagen (Map; 588 1550; www.konditori.is; Suðurlandsbraut 4a; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat & Sun) For pure cake porn, head to this cafe near the City Hostel – Danish-influenced delicacies flaunt glazed strawberries, curls of chocolate and dribbled cream. It also does more prosaic sandwiches and good coffee, which you can consume from supercomfy leather seats. There’s a branch at the Kringlan shopping centre.
Café Garðurinn (Map; 561 2345; Klapparstígur 37; soup/mains Ikr800/1350; 11am-5pm Mon-Fri, noon-5pm Sat, closed Aug) This tiny but tasteful vegie cafe is based around seven tables and the hum of civilised conversation. Choice is limited, but the daily soup and main are always delicious and unusual (we can vouch for the weird-sounding Catalonian tofu balls!). Half portions are available.
Kaffitár (Map; 511 4540; www.kaffitar.is; Bankastræti 8; 7.30am-6pm Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm Sun; ) A Starbucks-style cafe, Kaffitár has opted for barristas, flavoured syrups, merchandised mugs and Italian biscuits by the till. The service is personal and there’s even a small play area for toddlers. There’s a branch at the Kringlan shopping centre.
Kaffi Hljómalind (Map; 517 1980; Laugavegur 23; www.kaffihljomalind.org; snacks Ikr890-1250; 9am-10pm Mon-Fri, 11am-10pm Sat, 11am-6pm Sun; ) This commendable organic and Fair Trade cafe is run on a not-for-profit basis and serves as a meeting-place for Reykjavík’s radicals. The interior has been cobbled together in retro style, with wooden floors, 1970s orange-flowered wallpaper, sofas and armchairs, chintzy lampshades and a battered piano. The short menu is composed of burritos, lasagne, soup, bagels, and toast with hummus, and service is entirely erratic; you’ll either get this place or you won’t!
Nýlenduvöruverslun Hemma & Valda (Map; 551 64 64; Laugavegur 21; 10am-11pm Sun-Thu, to 1am Fri & Sat) Hemmi and Valdi’s Colonial Store is another mismatched, beat-up, heavy-on-the-irony cafe. This relaxed place was set up by a couple of young dads to sell coffee, beer and, erm, baby clothes. There are huge windows perfect for street-gaping, comforting pottery mugs, a warm welcome for kids and a short menu of coffees and cakes. At night, this transmutes into a great little bar selling some of the cheapest booze in Reykjavík.
Svarta Kaffið (Map; 551 2999; Laugavegur 54; snacks & light meals Ikr900-1750; 11am-1am Sun-Thu, to 3am Fri & Sat) Order the thick homemade soup (one meat and one veg option daily for Ikr1290) at this quirky cavelike cafe – it’s served piping hot in fantastic bread bowls. Other light lunches include nachos, burritos, toasted sarnies and lasagne. It’s also a whimsical nightspot, with African masks and dim lighting adding a certain frisson.
Vegamót (Map; 511 3040; www.vegamot.is; Vegamótastígur 4; light meals Ikr1300-2500; 11am-1am Mon-Thu, 11am-5am Fri & Sat, noon-1am Sun) A long-running cafe-bar-club, but still a voguish place to eat, drink, see and be seen. There’s a startling choice on the ‘global’ menu, including Mexican salad, seafood quesadilla, sesame-fried monkfish and blackened chicken, and the kitchen stays open until 11.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays. The attached takeaway charges 10% less.
b5 (Map; 552 9600; www.b5.is; Bankastræti 5; light meals Ikr1500-2000; 11am-midnight Sun-Wed, to 1am Thu, to 2am Fri & Sat; ) With its barely-there name and super-sleek interior, this bistro-bar flirts with pretentiousness but is actually a very mellow place. Pop in for the comfy seating, light Scandinavian-style bistro meals, games consoles for the kids to borrow and funky tunes on Friday and Saturday nights.
Kaffi Sólon (Map; 562 3232; www.solon.is; Bankastræti 7a; snacks/light meals Ikr950-3000; 11am-1am Mon-Thu, to 5am Fri & Sat, noon-midnight Sun; ) Decked out with white-leather seats and oversized artwork, this ultracool bistro (and nightspot) offers tasty