Cafés of Reykjavik

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Iceland on an EF Ultimate Break tour. I chose this tour company because I like the fact that it's exclusive to people in my age group (young adults). Iceland, the land of ice and fire, is a beautiful country inhabited by friendly and caring people. I can't wait to go back one day! In this article, I talk about some of my favorite cafés in Reykjavik!

Arrival

Note: I am using the Hallgrimskirkja as a travel point for the places I mention because A. this was my personal experience, and B. it's the easiest way to relay distance information.

Besides a slight departure delay, I had an easy flight. Icelandicair is a friendly airline with decent enough food. My hotel, located in Reykjavik, was an easy 10 minute walk from the Hallgrimskirkja.

Cafés

Reykjavik Roasters

Snaked around the corner from where I was staying was a lovely cafe called Reykjavik Roasters. This dandy little place had the most delicious and creamy cream cheese and bagel combo, as well as a comforting spiced chai latte. The atmosphere inside was warm and inviting and the nice workers were extremely polite and patient, especially with my lack of understanding of the currency. My tour guide warned us at first that this shop was pricy, however, we had very different definitions of what that meant. Reykjavik Roasters sold yummy drinks for about 6 Icelandic Krona and the opportunity for free refills! Six American dollars at a Starbucks would only guarantee you a small drink if you're lucky with definitely no room for free refills! This is why Reykjavik Roasters is such a delight to visit, and with three locations within Iceland, what are you waiting for?!

Café Babalū

Another café that I stumbled into was called Café Babalū. This funky café is located right down the street from the Hallgrimskirkja. The colorful exterior leads to an equally colorful and exciting interior that is filled to the brim with wall decorations and posters. This café has a "clutter-core" aesthetic to it that definitely makes it stand out (especially when compared to a more clean-cut café like Reykjavik Roasters). I shared a slice of chocolate cake with my boyfriend along with another spiced chai latte. I loved this café because every room felt like a unique experience. We sat in a cozy corner with old furniture while another room had a bunch of different currency hanging from the ceiling. My descriptions of this café don't do it any justice, so I highly recommend that you either research it yourself, or visit it in person (and you're probably working from home so you might as well take your work abroad for a few days)!

The third and final café was by far my favorite! Located only a seven minute walk from the Hallgrimskirkja, Kattakaffihúsið is Iceland's only cat café! This unique drink shop sits comfortably on a corner near the heart of Reykjavik. Kattakaffihúsið opened in 2008 with the goal of providing cats a comfortable place to live with the hopes of being adopted. When I visited, there were two cats that I saw, however, it's possible that more were hiding in the back room. The atmosphere of Kattakaffihúsið is polite and their mission to helping cats is admirable. Another note to add about this furry café would have to be the interesting pink walls with cat-like art painted on. One of my favorite parts was probably the cinnamon shaped paw print design in my drink (yet another chai latte) that I enjoyed while sitting right next to an unbothered tabby. It's small details like this that really help to round out the experience.

Believe it or not, Iceland doesn't have any popular coffee shops that other countries might have. You can't find a Starbucks or a Dunkin' Donuts anywhere in this country, but that's actually a good thing! The lack of these familiar brands help us to better immerse ourselves in Iceland's culture. A popular chain that's on every street corner will only allow you to taste the same flavors and blends, but different cafés in Iceland will allow you to try new combinations. If you're in a new country, you should want to step outside of your comfort zone and truly experience it how locals do.