Updated 10 April 2018
It might sound strange, but Reykjavik is one of the most vegetarian (and vegan) friendly cities in Europe. Well, there are not so many restaurants that specializes only in vegetarian/ vegan cuisine However, almost all of them offer at least one veggie friendly dish, and here we are talking about a real meal – not just a small bowl of green salad.
To make it easier for you while selecting where to dine we have hand-picked restaurants & coffee houses that offer vegetarian or vegan type of meals.
Kaffi Vinyl
Very casual and artsy vegan coffee house that offers small, but good selection of vegan dishes and desserts.
Opening hours: Mon. to Fri. 10 AM – 11 PM, Sat. & Sun. 11 AM – 11PM
Location: Hverfisgata 76
Website: Facebook page
Gló
It is healthy food chain that that runs restaurants at four different locations. The one that is located in the heart of Reykjavik’s Old town is now vegan. At other two locations in Fákafen 11 and Heiðasmári 6 they have different daily menu that includes vegetarian, raw food and sometimes gluten-free options. Raw desserts are delightful!
Opening hours: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Location: Laugavegur 20b
Website: www.glo.is
Kaffi Garðurinn
Little, bright coffee house run by Sri Chimnoy followers that serves simple but very delicious vegetarian and vegan food. Day-to-day menu can be previewed on their website.
Opening hours: Mon. – Fri. 11 AM – 6.30 PM, Sat. 11 AM – 5 PM
Location: Klappastígur 37
Website: www.heart-garden.is
Súpubarinn
Soup bar place that offers six different soups everyday: Tex Mex, Tomato & Basil, Malaysia, French Lentil and Kenya Soup, in addition to the soup of the day. All the soups are gluten and meat free.
Opening hours: Mon. – Sat. 12 PM – 8 PM, Sun. Closed
Location: Bergstaðarstræti 4
Website: www.facebook.com/supubarinn
Café Babalú
In the beginning, it was just a small coffee house that only served coffee and pastries. The owner soon recognized that people love to hang out there for a longer period of times so the menu was expanded and now they house on two levels. Current menu includes light meals such as a soup, grilled sandwiches and lasagna.
Several vegan and vegetarian meal options. Their carrot cake is vegan as well.
Take a note of the background music and to check the restroom on the first floor is must (thank me later).
Opening hours: 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Location: Skólavörðustigur 22a
Website: none
Eldsmiðjan Pizzeria
Offer both vegetarian and vegan version pizzas in a company with regular, meat based options.
They run two places in downtown, one is located at Bragagata 38a, and the other one is situated on the corner of Laugavegur and Barónstigur.
Opening hours: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Location: Bragagata 38a and Laugavegur 81
Website: www.edlsmidjan.is
AALTO Bistro – The Nordic House
Located in Nordic House culture house, 10min. (by foot) away from the city center. It is Scandivian style restaurant that has a vegan dish of the day at the lunch time and delicous pumpkin burger at the evening.
Opening hours: Sun. – Tue. 11:30 PM- 5:00 PM, Wed.- Sat. 11:30 AM – 9:30 PM
Location: Sturlugata 5
Website: www.aalto.is
Hraðlestin
It is an Indian restaurant that has an excellent selection of vegetarian dishes. My personal favourite is Vegetarian Thali that includes small portions of several dishes.
Every month their chefs create three new vegan courses which are on offer on Wednesdays. These creations are available as main courses or in a special combination Vegan Wednesday Thali.
Opening hours:
- Monday – Thursday: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
- Friday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM
- Saturday: 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM
- Sunday: 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Location: Lækjargata 8
Website: www.hradlestin.is
Burro
Latin American style tapas restaurant that has several vegetarian and vegan options like tapas, ceviche and tequenos.
Opening hours: Mon. – Fim. 5 PM – 11 PM, Fri. – Sun. 5 PM – 11 PM
Location: Veltusund 1
Website: www.burro.is
Local
Yup, Local is the name of the salat bar restaurant. You choose your salad ingredients, staff helps you out to mix it together. Simple as that. For a protein part you can add quinoa and veggie patty. This place is 10-15min. away from the city center.
Opening hours:
- Monday – Friday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Saturday: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Sunday: 12:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Location: Borgartún 25
Website: www.localsalad.is
Nostra
One of the few places in Reykjavik where you can get a complete course menu specially designed for vegetarians and vegans. There are 6 and 8 course menus that you can choose from.
Opening hours: Wed. – Sat. 6 PM – 10 PM
Location: Laugavegur 59
Website: www.nostrarestaurant.is
Núðluskálin
If you like noodle soups, this is the must place to go. They offer good selection of tomato, coconut and vegetable broth soups that comes with egg based or rice noodles. All soups can be made as vegetarian or vegan. Everything is freshly prepared for each person. If you feel like there’s something missing, there’s selection of seasoning at the bar which you can use to enhance your personal flavor needs.
Opening hours: Mon. – Fri. 11:30 AM – 9 PM, Sat. 12 PM – 8 PM, Sun. Closed
Location: Skólavörðustígur 8
Wesbite: www.nudluskalin.com
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