What Can Vegans Eat in Reykjavík? (Answer: lots of amazing food)

Vegan Reykjavík? Absolutely. The charming capital of Iceland has a plethora of plant-based eateries, cafés, groceries, and more. Reykjavík is a delightful destination that’s full surprises, not the least of which is that it’s a vegan paradise. Let’s explore all the amazing food that vegans can eat in this charming northern capital.

This isn’t going to be roundup of restaurants, because these tend to date themselves every few years. Eateries close and move, while new ones pop up. But knowing what kind of food to look for is an evergreen subject.

While I do link to some specific places, it’s always best to look them up for location, hours, and menu.

Is eating out expensive in Reykjavik? Eating out isn’t exactly cheap, but as someone who lives not far from New York City, I can’t say that the prices aren’t out of line with those of almost any major city. 

I’ve rarely spent more than $20 USD for a meal out (non-alcoholic beverage included), and if you play it smart, it can be less. Eating vegan in Reykjavík can be a way to eat well at a reasonable cost. And there’s no tax or tipping!

Buying groceries and eating in, if your accommodations have a basic kitchen, is also a fun and delicious thing to do, and we’ll get to that later in this post.

Soups & Stews

Vegan soups are the #1 thing you should look for in Reykjavik. While there are many nice sunny days in the summer, it rarely gets over 60 degrees F (15.5 C), so a warm-up is always welcome. Every vegan establishment offers a soup or two (or in some cases more), and I’ve never had a single one that wasn’t filling and delicious.

Soups and hearty stews are a specialty at Mama (on the corner of Laugavegur and Skolavordustigur, aka “Rainbow Road”). The bowls are huge and  come with a slice of fresh sourdough bread. Mama is a completely vegan eatery. The one on the left is a creamy potato leek soup, and the one on the right is a stew-like curry.

The plant-based pho from Loving Hut not only looks beautiful but tastes incredible — filled with mushrooms, plant proteins, and rice noodles. It’s always tough to choose from the all-vegan menu, so plan more than one meal here if you have the chance. This worldwide eatery overlaps with our next category of Asian and Pan-Asian cuisine. 

If you’re visiting Nordic House, a fascinating cultural institution close to the University of Iceland, Sono Café has a fresh vegan soup every day that they’re open. Garðurinn, an established vegetarian restaurant in the center, pretty much always has a vegan soup of the day.

Chickpea nearly always has a soup of the day; this vegetarian/vegan casual eatery has all kinds of delicious wraps, bowls, and other lunchtime fare, too.

Asian and Pan-Asian Cuisine

Reykjavik is replete with Asian and Pan-Asian restaurants. Loving Hut, noted just above, is one of them. In what seems to be the largest category of world cuisine in Reykjavik, you’ll find Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese Sushi, Dim Sum, and Korean eateries across the city. Ask your smart phone for the nearest location of whatever you’re craving.

Loving Hut, above, and Vegan World Peace, just below, are the only all vegan Pan-Asian eateries, but every type has an array of plant-based options.

Vegan World Peace is my favorite restaurant on earth. I’m not going to add “so far,” because I’m not sure I’ll find another place that speaks to my taste buds like this pan-Asian restaurant does. Read my complete review of Vegan World Peace here. Oh, and they have plenty of soups as well.

This is what I had at an Asian stand in the Kringlan shopping mall food court. Yes, this is mall food. I believe this is from Rikki Chan, though I can’t swear to it. Look at this … tofu, dark soba noodles, broccoli, baby corn, and coconut shavings in a delicious sauce. I’ve never seen anything remotely like this in any American mall.

As mentioned, Vietnamese food seems to be quite popular in Reykjavik. There’s usually a designated vegan section on menus. This meal is one from Pho Vietnam, but caution, since we last visited they had a negative rating after an inspection. Look them up before you go; there are others.

One of my favorite discoveries is DragonDim Sum, adjacent to the Old Harbor. Combine Dim Sum with happy hour for a fantastic end to a beautiful day in Reykjavik. Plenty of plant-based choices on the menu!

Vegan Pizza 

Pizza and Italian aren’t huge sectors in Reykjavik, but if that’s what you’re craving, you’ll find them. Food halls, or as they’re called, Mathölls, are popular in Iceland. We found this vegan pizza in Grandi Mathöll, and seriously, it was incredibly delicious — almost like a pizza and a salad at once. Pizza Popolare and Flatey have pizza with vegan cheese options as well.

The Icelandic Hotdog Goes Vegan!

A really big thing among tourists is the Icelandic hotdog, or pylsur. People line up in a busy spot downtown just to get what’s basically — a hotdog. If you’re a vegan, you really don’t want that.

You’ll find the vegan alternative at Lemmy, a kind of punk bar in the heart of downtown. The hotdog is more like a vegan sausage, but it’s covered with a yummy slaw and has a creamy plant-based sauce. On nice days, there’s a lovely courtyard for sitting outside in the back.Other options around Reykjavik; search for “vegan hotdog near me”! If you’re traveling up north to Aykureri, I hear rumor that there’s a great vegan pylsur up there!

Coffee, lots of coffee (with something sweet)

Coffee culture is big in Reykjavik. And I could be wrong about this but it seems like oat milk is the default, instead of dairy milk. One of my favorite places to have coffee is in the top floor café at the Austurstræti location of Penninn Eymundsson, Iceland’s oldest bookstore chain. Here’s an oat milk latte and vegan brownie. There is almost always some kind of vegan sweet to accompany your coffee and books.

Don’t miss Reykjavik’s premier cat café, Kattakaffihúsið (Bergstadastræti 10a), which always has an array of lovely vegan sweets and savories to go with your coffee, while at the same time admiring the adorable cats in your midst.

Coffee places come and go and change locations (as has Kaffitar, another popular spot), so it’s best to consult a current for hours, locations, and if they’re still open. Here’s a recent rundown of Reykjavik’s popular cafés.

Sourdough bread

The sourdough bread in Iceland is beyond description. I’ve never had anything like it anywhere. 

Sourdough breakfast: On our last trip to Reykjavik, we stayed fairly close to Hygge bakery on Seljavegur, so breakfast would often be a loaf of fresh bread, a sourdough vegan Danish, and soft vegan cheese from the supermarket. Hygge is great for eating in or taking home.

Bakeri Sandholt is a popular Icelandic sourdough bakery. I stopped here a handful of times and always got the bread of the day with jam — even though I’m not generally a jam person, I loved the contrast of the sweet with the vigorous texture and flavor of the bread. This bakery-café also offers some vegan options among their sourdough sandwiches, salads, and pastries and is centrally located on Laugavegur.

Braud & Co. has several locations, and also supplies many local restaurants and cafés with their crusty, earthy loaves. I’m pretty sure that many of my beloved soup-and-bread combos featured Braud slices. Their most central location is at Frakkastígur 16.

This photo from the now-closed Jói Fel bakery, which I’m quite surprised no longer exists. But you can get similar, deeply-crusted breads like this from Braud, mentioned above, and Baka-Baka, in the heart of downtown. Incidentally, this popular spot also serves vegan soups and has a vegan pizza option as well.

Ice cream & smoothies

Valdis is an established ice cream brand, and has two locations — in the Grandi district and in the heart of downtown. There are usually four fruit-based options, all deliciously refreshing even on a less-than-warm day. 

A reliable spot for good vegan smoothies (and fresh juices, of course) is Joe and the Juice, found in various locations.

Shopping the supermarkets

Reykjavík’s three main supermarkets are Bonus, Kronnen, and Netto. Bonus is probably the most economical, if the least interesting; Netto has more of a natural foods store vibe and is the priciest; Kronan is kind of in between, and for many, may be just right.

Maybe there isn’t as huge an array of fresh produce as we’re used to in the U.S. but it’s plentiful and fresh. And considering the fact that most of the produce is indeed imported, the prices are quite reasonable. All this leads me to …

Vegan cheeses

There are soooooo many plant-based cheese options — blocks, shreds, and spreads! Many are imported from various European countries. I see a couple of familiar brands like Violife, just more varieties of it than I see at home.

There are far many vegan cheese choices here than in the supermarkets in my home town in New York State, and I’m very jealous. See the prices? These would be around $3.00 – 3.50 in USD — far less expensive than what I typically pay for plant-based cheese here in NY state.

Plant-based proteins

Like with the cheeses, it seems like there are more, and better plant-based proteins of the “meaty” variety than I see in my local supermarkets. They come from various European countries and are superior to what we find here as far as flavor and texture, at least IMHO. Not necessarily that they taste more like meat, they’re just tastier. A good foundation for a simple meal made in your lodging if you have a basic kitchen.

If you like plant protein that’s less “meaty,” there are plenty of vegetable-based burgers that are delicious as well. for a light meal, sometimes I would just enjoy a salad and pop a couple of these on top. 

More vegan food in the outposts

Vegan options aren’t limited to Reyjavík. While I didn’t get to travel as widely as I would have liked, I did take a few day excursions. My favorite stop was Gullfoss Falls, pictured above, on the Golden Circle tour. A great feminist history behind the preservation and protection of these spectacular falls makes for an almost mystical experience.

Most of the popular scenic areas have facilities for tourists with gift and food. Everywhere I went, there were vegan options galore, including this banana cake at Gullfoss Falls.

A place whose name I’ve already forgotten, but which looked like we were on a different planet, catered to tourists with an eatery offering delicious vegan burgers. In other words … it was no problem to find excellent vegan options just about everywhere, even outside of Reykjavik.