Café
Reykjavik Roasters Kárastígur
Small specialty coffee café of Reykjavik Roasters near Hallgrímskirkja, serving coffee from beans the company imports green and roasts itself, open every day from 08:00.
Neighbourhood café and bistro in the residential Laugarnes district, serving brunch and dinner, a short walk from the Laugardalur pool and park.
Good to know
Kaffi Laugalækur is a neighbourhood café and bistro in Laugarnes, a residential district east of the city centre close to the Laugardalur valley. It offers a different side of Reykjavik from the busy cafés of Laugavegur, and visitors staying in this part of the city will find it a convenient local base.
The café serves two main menus, a brunch menu and a dinner menu, both published on its website as PDFs, so you can check the current dishes before you go. It is open from mid-morning into the evening every day, making it a flexible stop for a late breakfast, a coffee and cake in the afternoon or an informal dinner. Opening times are listed on the café's website; as they vary slightly through the week, check before a late visit.
Tables can be booked through Dineout, which is a good idea for weekend brunch, the café's busiest time. Otherwise you can usually walk in. The café also runs a mailing list and posts news and specials on Instagram and Facebook.
Kaffi Laugalækur suits travellers staying in the Laugardalur or Laugarnes area, families, and visitors who want to see an everyday Reykjavik neighbourhood rather than the tourist centre. It is a comfortable place to rest before or after a swim, as the large public pool at Laugardalur, the Reykjavik Botanic Garden and the Family Park and Zoo are all in the same part of the city.
Prices are typical of Reykjavik cafés and generally lower than in the most touristy streets of the centre. For visitors with a car, parking is usually easier in residential districts like this than in the old town. If you are relying on public transport, check the Strætó bus routes before you set out, as services to residential districts run less often in the evenings.
Laugarnesvegur is around 30 to 40 minutes' walk from the centre, or a short bus or taxi ride, and the surrounding streets are quiet and residential. Combine a visit with a walk in Laugardalur, a swim in the geothermal pool or a trip to Ásmundarsafn, the sculpture museum of the Reykjavik Art Museum, which is also in Laugardalur. If you are coming for dinner, book ahead and check the evening menu online.
The café is at Laugarnesvegur 74a, 105 Reykjavik, in the Laugarnes district.
It has a brunch menu and a dinner menu, both available as PDFs on its website.
Yes. Tables can be booked online through Dineout.
Yes. The café is open into the evening and serves a dinner menu.
Yes. It is in the same part of the city as Laugardalur, with its pool, park and botanic garden.
Yes. You can sign up on the website, and news is also posted on Instagram and Facebook.
It is around 30 to 40 minutes' walk or a short bus or taxi ride from the city centre.
Call +354 537 6556 or email [email protected].
Restaurant
Pioneering New Nordic restaurant on Laugavegur, opened in 2009 by Gunnar Karl Gíslason and the first restaurant in Iceland to win a Michelin star.
Tour operator
Family-run whale-watching company sailing from Reykjavik's Old Harbour, also offering puffin trips, northern lights cruises, sea angling and the ferry to Viðey island.
Attraction
Reykjavik's landmark Lutheran church on Skólavörðuholt hill, designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, with a lift up the tower for views across the city and bay.
Bar
Laugavegur beer bar pouring the Icelandic Kaldi house beers alongside 12 taps, with a daily happy hour, a big gin list and an award-winning atmosphere.