Kaffibrennslan

Kaffibrennslan takes its name from the Icelandic word for coffee roaster, set inside a longstanding building on Laugavegur, the main shopping street running through downtown Reykjavík. Spread across two floors with a glass roofed courtyard tucked behind the main room, it runs long hours by local standards, open past midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

By day it functions as a relaxed cafe pouring espresso drinks and tea alongside sandwiches and pastries, the carrot cake and an Irish coffee coming up often as regulars' orders. As evening sets in, the room eases into a cozier bar mode with wine and cocktails joining the menu, and the upstairs seating by the windows stays a favorite spot for watching the street below.