Vietnamese$$101Daily 11:00-22:00
Mama Kitchen on Laugavegur cooks the Vietnamese classics in generous bowls, a fragrant pho and crisp spring rolls that draw a loyal crowd to the main.
Signature: Pho, Spring rolls
Order: A bowl of beef pho, or the spring rolls if you want something light alongside.
Tip: Open every day from 11:00-22:00. Portions are large for the price, value beats the downtown average.
Sandwich$$101Mon-Thu 10:00-02:00; Fri-Sun 10:00-05:30
Hlollabatar has built hot Icelandic-style subs since 1986, a local sandwich chain whose loaded baguettes are a Reykjavik late-night and lunch standby.
Signature: Hot subs
Order: A loaded hot sub; the New York filling is the house favourite.
Tip: Branches dot the city and some open late. The original recipe has barely changed since the 1980s.
Icelandic Gastropub$$$101Daily 11:30-23:00
Saeta Svinid, the Sweet Pig, on Hafnarstraeti is a casual Reykjavik gastropub of burgers, lamb and small plates at fair prices, with a long daily happy hour.
Signature: Burgers, Icelandic small plates
Order: A juicy lamb or beef burger, or a couple of the Icelandic small plates.
Tip: Happy hour runs 15:00-18:00 daily, and karaoke and bingo nights keep it lively.
Icelandic-european$$$101Mon-Thu 11:30-23:00; Fri 11:30-00:00; Sat 12:00-00:00; Sun 12:00-23:30
Apotek on Austurstraeti pairs an all-day Icelandic-European menu with one of downtown Reykjavik's best happy hours, set in the old first-pharmacy building.
Signature: Argentine-grill plates
Order: Small plates off the Argentine grill, ideally during happy hour.
Tip: Open from 11:30 for lunch, with a long bar that fills early for the discounted hour.
Food Hall, Mixed Cuisine$$101-grandiDaily 11:00-21:00
Grandi Matholl on Grandagardur is a 2018 food hall in an old fish factory at the Old Harbour in Reykjavik, with seven counters of Icelandic seafood.
Signature: Mixed plates from multiple counters, Fresh seafood
Order: Sample plates across several counters, with seafood from Frystihusid for the local catch.
Tip: Casual harbour-side eating with industrial windows over the fishing fleet. Open daily 11:00-21:00.
British gastropub$$$101-grandiDaily 11:30-23:00 (kitchen until 21:00)
Bryggjan Brugghus is a harbourside brewpub and bistro on Grandagardur, brewing its own beer in Reykjavik and pairing it with mussels and hearty bistro plates.
Signature: Mussels, Beer-paired plates
Order: A pot of mussels with a house-brewed beer alongside.
Tip: Live jazz some evenings and big windows onto the harbour. Brewery tours run on request.