Breakfast in Reykjavik: Best restaurants for early eats!

THE MORNING REYKJAVIK FOOD WALK

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First things first ... 

Of course I will have to being this blog of my best breakfast recommendations with my #1 best recommendation for breakfast! This April we began to host for the first time our brand new "morning version" of our Reykjavik Food Walk!

Turn your most quiet time of the day into the highlight of your trip. Beginning at 10am and you will explore all the best of Reykjavik, meet new friend, visit 5-6 amazing local restaurants and enjoy the best of the Icelandic cuisine!  

You can find more information on our tours and secure your spot here!

BEST RESTAURANTS FOR BREAKFAST IN REYKJAVIK:

Please note that the restaurants are in no particular order!

BRAUÐ & CO.

Beautiful photo by Reykjavik Grapevine

For any serious foodie: Brauð & co. should definitely be a culinary desitnation in your trip to Iceland. And that is why I'll begin my list with this dangerously delicious bakery!

Bread & co. is a recently opened bakery that has taken Reykjavik by storm. All you need to know is that they open very early ... and they close when they are out of bread. On the menu you will find tons of bread (obviously) but their signature is sour dough bread and amazingly fresh pastries.

My personal favourite are their Danish cinnamon rolls!

Look for a super colourful building as the house if completely covered in graffiti. The location is Frakkastígur 16, right in the heart of Reykjavik - On a small side street from Laugavegur main shopping street.

KAFFIVAGNINN 

For our next restaurant we will visit to the old harbour in Reykjavik ...

Kaffivagninn (the coffee wagon in English) is a super local restaurant that has been around since 1935 - feeding Icelandic fishermen and hungry people in general!

The location is perfect as the restaurant is lying right on the harbour and the interior is simple and beautiful. Kaffivagninn has a good selection of pastries, sandwiches and soups but my recommendations would always be their fresh fish.

Kaffivagninn opens at 7.30 on weekdays (9.30 on weekends) and the address is Grandagarður 10.

BERGSON MATHÚS

In the absolute heart of down town Reykjavik you will find this great restaurant.

Bergson Mathús is a light cuisine restaurant, focusing on great home baked bread, sandwiches and healthy cuisines. There is a good selection of breakfast / brunch plates and they are very vegetarian / vegan friendly.

Bergson opens at Templarasund 3 (right between the Reykjavik pond and the Parliament of Iceland) and they open every single morning at 7am!

​JÚLÍA JÚLÍA

Cakes at Júlía Júlía, photo by Reykjavik.com

So, just to get it out of the way right in the beginning ... maybe this restaurant isn't exactly perfect for breakfast as they don't open until 10am. But I simply had to include this in my list of best recommended restaurants!

Júlía Júlía is a brand new and SUPER exciting café / bakery / bar ... mix! It's in a really beautiful and historical building that used to house our National Library not too many years ago and the restaurant itself is really photogenic as well.

The owners are two brilliant young business women (both named Júlía!) and their concept is to mix a fantastic bakery where everything is freshly baked in house and a bar with a good selection of wine and bubbly! How delicious does that sound?

Even though they don't open until 10am - I really, really recommend a visit to see the beautiful building at Hverfisgata 15 and enjoy the amazing pastries!

PS. Visit Júlía Júlía in our foodie tour as it's the first stop in our delicious morning food tour! 

GRÁI KÖTTURINN

Grai Kotturinn. Photo byr Half Girl on Flickr.

Grái Köturinn (the Grey Cat in English) is another cosy little restaurant in down town Reykjavik. The interior is exceptionally simple but interesting and will make you feel like you went 30 years back in time!

the Grey Cat is strictly a breakfast + brunch restaurant as they open 7.30 (8.30 on weekends) and close at 3pm every day. Their menu is also very simple but a classic. Mostly consisting of different egg, bacon and pancake platters!

Not a bad deal after a fun night out in Reykjavik right?

You will find Grái Köturinn, almost hidden in the ground at Hverfisgata 16a.

SANDHOLT BAKERY

Sandholt bakery has for a long time been one of the most popular breakfast venues in Reykjavik. It is a fancy looking bakery that has been running for over 5 generations of bakers and serves still today, a large selection of freshly made sandwiches, pastries, chocolates and drinks!

You will find Sandholt right in the middle of our main shopping street Laugavegur in a big white building and their exact address is Laugavegur 36. 

And Sandholt is a true breakfast restaurant as they open their doors at 6.30 every day of the week although they stay open until 9pm!

LAUNDROMAT CAFÉ

​Another big hit in Reykjavik! Laundromat Café has been forever popular since 2011 when they opened up at Austurstræti 9 in down town Reykjavik.

The whole concept is that you should be able to eat, read, drink and browse the internet ... all while you do your laundry in the basement! ... Yup, it's a real laundromat. 

Their menu is large, a lot more complex than most of the restaurants above on this list. And it consists of meat and seafood, cakes, milkshakes, coffee and a selection of beers.

And yes, Laundromat has over 6000 books that you can choose from AND a selection of board games if you are not in a hurry! 

Laundromat is open from 8am and 9am on weekends.

TO WRAP IT UP ...

Alrighty!
I really, really hope that my top 8 breakfast recommendations in Reykjavik have solved your big "What to eat for breakfast in Reykjavik" mystery!

There are SO many restaurants in Reykjavik that I am absolutely sure that you will find something delicious to dine, wether it will be a cosy restaurant or our Reykjavik Food walk. And lastly, if you have any questions for me or the foodie team feel free to get in touch but other than that, I hope found my blog helpful and I wish you HAPPY EATING!