The best bars and cafés Iceland

Breakfast or coffee break, or even brunch if you prefer, all in the centre of Akureyri. Every day of the week they serve a special of the day. They also offer vegan options. Good, cosy and relaxed atmosphere with a very soft and friendly background music. Ideal stopover point on your morning or afternoon stroll through town. In the summer, the owner Sveinn opens the terrace at the back, sheltered from the wind, which allows you to enjoy this very nice inner courtyard even more.

The Big Lebowski is not just a film, it has now become a lifestyle! After passing the door, guarded by men in military uniforms, you will enter a completely different world organized in several areas. There are no bowling trails but you will find a dance track, an American bar where to ask for the speciality of the house (White Russian for only 1 200 kr) and a zone to recover!

Housed in a beautiful green house dating from 1915, this café offers hot drinks, homemade cakes and delicious waffles with jam. You will enjoy taking a break here, in a warm and cosy atmosphere. Decorated walls, a few books and newspapers available to customers, beautiful storage furniture... everything is there to make you feel even better than at home! The lovely owner also organizes horseback riding in the area and rents bikes to discover the area.

The Danish Pub's eye-catching facade starts with a wooden sign and pillars painted in Scandinavian colors. When you enter, you'll discover a very pleasant pub that offers live music almost every night of the week, and especially at weekends, which the locals accompany with lots of beer. Monday is board game night. The atmosphere is relaxed, but also conducive to a change of scenery - you'll almost forget where you are!

Fancy a drink in one of the capital's legendary bars? Popular with Icelanders, the Dillon is a local institution, renowned for its weekend concerts, with a strong emphasis on rock and has launched many bands and young talents in recent years. There is a motley atmosphere with all kinds of clientele, from the tattooed rocker to the nerdy student. The decor is pleasant, all in brick in an old house in the city centre. In the summer, a small garden allows you to enjoy the midnight sun.

Located in the city centre, if the address is rather quiet in the afternoon and early evening, the place quickly turns into a crowded place in the evening. The atmosphere rises quickly and you can see people dancing on the tables, an atmosphere that will not leave you indifferent. Moviegoers will recognize this as the setting for the book and film 101 Reykjavík. Kaffibarinn is one of the oldest bars in the Icelandic capital, and as such, will offer you memorable evenings... a place to try on occasion.

A very popular café with all age groups who gather around the best hot chocolate in town and delicious cream cakes. The interior is decorated with bistro tables and dark mahogany chairs contrasting with the white wooden walls. The large picture windows provide a prime location to watch the ever-busy street. To make matters worse, the service is courteous and smiling. All in all, an ideal place to take a warm break and rub shoulders with locals in a very local atmosphere.

A multi-purpose place just the way we like it! In this busy little center, you'll find a warm and friendly restaurant run by a local who returned to the country after several experiences in Denmark, Spain and France. On the menu, local dishes with fresh ingredients, for a cuisine that's both accessible and gourmet. There's also an art gallery upstairs and a library on site, where you'll find a wide range of books on art. A great place to treat yourself!

Popular with tourists and locals alike, this address has been enthusiastically received by Iceland's youth ever since it opened! You can enjoy a wide variety of beers accompanied by pub-style dishes (burgers, salads, etc.), all at a very reasonable price. The service is always friendly and welcoming, the atmosphere top-notch, and you can even enjoy a DJ happy hour between 4 and 7 p.m. every evening. For music fans, follow their networks to keep up to date with occasional concerts.

After a brief closure due to inflation, The Laundromat Café is back in Reykjavík to the delight of locals and backpackers alike! Need to do some laundry? The café will be happy to welcome you to wash your clothes and keep you busy with coffee, tea, pastries or a meal to tide you over. You can even borrow a book or a game! With music from the 1990s and vintage-style posters, travellers will particularly appreciate the place, which is full of maps, globes and other invitations to escape.

Here's a lovely café with a maritime decor, complete with charts and rudders, and a view over the little port. There's something here for every taste, and especially for smaller budgets, with excellent value for money. The lobster soup is divine, a real must-try, as is the ragoût (fish, potato and cheese soup), or the tartines. And don't miss the delicious homemade cakes! Clearly an address worth trying out, concerts are also regularly held on site.

At Kattakaffihusid, everyone looks for their cat... and finds it! In a quiet street adjacent to Laugavegur, you can discover this cat bar, the first in Iceland to open in 2018. In a colorful, slightly rococo decor, meet charming furballs waiting to be adopted. Out of respect for their well-being, owners Gígja and Ragnheidur limit themselves to 5 cats at any one time. A point that will appeal to animal lovers who want to support a good initiative while enjoying a slice of cake or a sandwich.

Need some fresh air and a tasty treat at the same time? Le Sky is a great place to enjoy a drink and one of the capital's finest views of the harbor and Harpa. Treat yourself here to one of the many cocktails on the menu, and take advantage of happy hour to discover new flavors. For a snack, you can choose from the à la carte menu: cheese, Serrano ham, chips, crackers... Good to know: this is also where you'll have breakfast if you're staying at the CenterHotel Arnarhvoll.

In a pleasant room with beautiful exposed beams, you can sample the delicious beverages brewed on site by the Beljandi brewery! Charming and authentic, the place evokes a timeless and completely exotic address. The beers are excellent, in particular their IPA, which is unanimously acclaimed, but you can also try brown or sourbeers... It's advisable to try several to make up your own mind and enjoy a charming evening in contact with the locals who love the place.

Located on the first floor of the welcoming Blómasetrið guesthouse, this coffee shop is also a souvenir store and florist. You'll be greeted with a warm welcome, and the tea room is very cosy, especially when decorated for the festive season. On the premises, you can enjoy a hot drink at a reasonable price, or sample pastries, salads, sandwiches and more, all with vegan options. We particularly recommend the delicious waffles! More than just a stopover, a truly relaxing moment.

Here, you'll probably taste some of the best hot chocolate in town, no less! The owner, Fríða, is a warm-hearted woman who will be delighted to treat you in her café, which blends her taste for chocolate with artistic creation. Sit back, warm up and enjoy, or leave with a box of chocolates, chocolate bars, tea and other treats. Good to know: opening times may vary, so check out their Facebook page or website.

A cozy house on the main street, where you can enjoy a relaxed, artistic atmosphere. Choose to stop off in the café-bar lounge (there's nothing like a good lamb soup on the way back from a hike) or in the store, where the creations of one of Iceland's finest potters (Thor Sveinsson) are on display. You can also spend the night in the guesthouse upstairs, with its bright, comfortable rooms. The fish & chips and homemade cakes are excellent.

If you're a fan of the Cohen brothers' film, this is the place to go. This American diner-bowling/bar is a direct reference to the eponymous film. There's even the famous White Russian cocktail to sample! All that's missing is an appearance by Jeff Bridges in a bathrobe to make it more real than real! In addition to being atypical and convivial, the Lebowski Bar's dishes are delicious. On the menu, you'll find almost a dozen hamburgers on a burger-fries-drinks menu at a bargain price, and a varied selection of milkshakes at a single price of 1,450 Kr.