Cafes in Reykjavik
· Updated · BootsnAll
For a small city, Reykjavik has more than its share of cafes, and most of them are within a few blocks of each other downtown. Plenty turn into bars on weekend nights, but during the day they're where you sit with a coffee, read, and watch the street, which in winter is a big part of the appeal. These are the ones I'd send a friend to.
What's changed
A few places from the original version of this list are gone. Kaffitár, which used to be the Icelandic answer to Starbucks with branches all over town, closed its last two cafes on 31 May 2026 after 31 years. The company still roasts coffee, so you'll see Kaffitár beans in supermarkets. Café Paris on Austurstræti is gone too, and its old web address now points to a different restaurant.
The old-timers
Mokka
Mokka, at Skólavörðustígur 3a, has served espresso and hung art on its walls since 1958. Don't come for trendy music or a hip crowd. On my early trips it played no music at all, and the draw was good coffee and a quiet room. I also went back again and again for the hot chocolate. It's open every day from 9:00 to 18:00.
Prikið
Prikið, at Bankastræti 12, has been open since 1951 and calls itself the oldest cafe in Reykjavik. By day it's a coffee bar; late at night it turns into a packed club with a big following in the local hip-hop and underground music scene. Hours are 9:00 to 23:00 Monday to Wednesday, until 1:00 on Thursday, 10:00 to 2:00 on Friday and Saturday, and 10:00 to 23:00 on Sunday. On my early trips, the morning after a runtur called for its "hangover killer": a big sandwich and a "Bruce Willis shake" with a shot of Jack Daniels in it.
Kaffibarinn
Kaffibarinn is the small red house at Bergstaðastræti 1, open since 1993. It's a cafe during the day and a crowded DJ bar at night, and the Reykjavík Grapevine named it the best bar to end the night in its Best of Reykjavík 2026 awards. People have said for years that Blur's Damon Albarn owns a piece of it. It's a scene, but the coffee earns the buzz. It opens at 15:00 on weekdays and at noon from Friday to Sunday, and an espresso is 600 ISK and a cappuccino 750 ISK (as of 2026).
Coffee people
Reykjavík Roasters
If you care about how your coffee is roasted, start with Reykjavík Roasters. The original cafe at Kárastígur 1, a few minutes' walk from Hallgrímskirkja, opened in late 2008 as Kaffismiðja Íslands and took its current name in 2013. The building dates from 1929 and was once a dairy shop that sold skyr and milk by weight. There are two more branches: Brautarholt 2, and inside the Ásmundarsalur gallery at Freyjugata 41, opened in 2018. Kárastígur and Brautarholt are open 8:00 to 17:00 every day, and the gallery cafe has shorter weekday hours.
Bakeries that double as cafes
Sandholt
Sandholt, at Laugavegur 36, is a bakery with tables on the main shopping street. It's open daily from 7:30 to 18:00, which makes it an easy early breakfast before a day tour pickup.
Brauð & Co.
Brauð & Co. opened its first bakery in spring 2016 in the graffiti-painted house at Frakkastígur 16, and the shelves were emptied so fast that first year that it kept closing early. It's mostly takeaway, so grab something and walk up the hill to the church. Frakkastígur opens at 6:30 and closes at 17:00. There are several other branches around the city.
For traditional food with your coffee
Kaffi Loki
Kaffi Loki, at Lokastígur 28 across the street from Hallgrímskirkja, serves home-style Icelandic food: rye bread with plokkfiskur, meat soup, flatbread with smoked lamb, and its rye bread ice cream (1,600 ISK on the current menu). It's open daily from 8:00 to 22:00, and it doesn't take reservations.
A few tips
- Tipping isn't expected. See Tipping in Iceland.
- Many cafes turn into bars after dark, so a quiet afternoon spot can be loud by 23:00 on a Friday.
- For more places to eat, see Where to Eat in Reykjavik and Dining on a Budget in Reykjavik.