Devito's Pizza has sold no-frills pies near Hlemmur on Laugavegur since 1994, a Reykjavik late-night staple for cheap, fast slices after the bars close.
Signature: Late-night pizza
Order: A simple pepperoni; this is fuel pizza, not an artisan project.
Tip: Open late and beloved by the after-hours crowd. Order at the counter; do not expect a sit-down meal.
Ban Thai has cooked from a tiny Laugavegur room in Reykjavik for over two decades, repeatedly named Iceland's best Thai, with hot curries and big portions.
Signature: Curries, Pad thai
Order: A proper Thai curry, ordered as spicy as you can stand.
Tip: Small and popular, so reserve or get takeaway. Voted Iceland's best Thai by local press for years.
The Brautarholt branch of Reykjavik Roasters doubles as the roastery, a larger, brighter Reykjavik room where you can watch beans roast over a pour-over.
Signature drink: Pour-over
Tip: Less touristy than the Karastigur original and with more table room. Whole beans for sale at the bar.
Brikk on Hateigsvegur near Hlemmur reinvents the Icelandic snudur in a Reykjavik bakery, with salt-caramel and Nutella versions plus sourdough sandwiches.
Order: A salt-caramel snudur, the bun that built the bakery's reputation.
Tip: Started in Hafnarfjordur in 2017 and grew from there. The over-the-top snudur are the signature.
Worth the queue: Salt-caramel snudur
The Braud and Co branch at Hlemmur on Laugavegur brings the bakery's cinnamon rolls and sourdough to the food-hall end of a busy Reykjavik street.
Tip: A shorter wait than the Frakkastigur original, beside the Hlemmur food hall. Same recipes throughout.
Worth the queue: Sourdough loaf
Kaffitar is one of Iceland's pioneering coffee roasters, a Reykjavik chain whose Hofdatorg branch on Borgartun pours its house roast at the office-district crossroads.
Tip: Several Capital Region branches. The Hofdatorg cafe is the easy in-and-out for whole-bean retail.
Sources from: Colombia, Brazil, Ethiopia
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Banh Mi at the Hlemmur food hall on Laugavegur 107 stuffs crisp baguettes with marinated proteins, pickled veg and herbs, a fast Vietnamese street counter in Reykjavik.
Try: Vietnamese banh mi sandwich
Order: A pork banh mi with extra chilli, eaten standing at the food-hall tables.
Tip: Inside Hlemmur Matholl, the old bus terminal turned food hall. Quick, cheap, takeaway-friendly.
Hamborgarafabrikkan, the Hamburger Factory, on Katrinartun is an Icelandic gourmet-burger chain whose fish and chips and burgers feed Reykjavik families.
Try: Gourmet burgers and fish and chips
Order: A loaded gourmet burger, or the fish and chips if you want a break from beef.
Tip: Family-friendly and roomy, in the Turninn tower north of the centre. Larger groups fit easily here.
Hallo Xin Chao at Hlemmur Matholl on Laugavegur cooks Vietnamese street food and pho from a counter in the old bus terminal, a fast Reykjavik stop near the Hlemmur transit hub.
Try: Vietnamese street food and pho
Order: A bowl of pho or a banh mi, the two house counters that locals queue for.
Tip: Inside Hlemmur Matholl food hall, so plenty of shared seating around. Open daily until 21:00.
RVK Brewing Co pours its own beer from a former cinema on Skipholt, one of Reykjavik's first independent craft breweries with 22 taps and house ales.
Tip: The taproom opened in 2024 in the old Tonabio cinema. Closed Sunday to Tuesday, busiest on weekend evenings.
Hlemmur Matholl on Laugavegur was Reykjavik's first food hall, opened in 2017 in an old bus station, with stalls from Icelandic lamb to Flatey pizza and Skal.
Tip: A good rainy-day option to graze across cuisines under one roof. Braud and Co bakes at one end.
Salt Eldhus has run hands-on Icelandic cooking classes since 2012, and its three-hour Cook and Dine class has you plate a three-course meal of fish, lamb and skyr with a chef.
Devito's Pizza near Hlemmur on Laugavegur sells cheap, fast pies late into the night, a Reykjavik after-bar fixture for nightlife regulars since 1994.
Try: Pizza slices
Order: A simple pepperoni slice, the fuel pizza a late night demands.
Tip: Order at the counter and eat on the move. Beloved by the after-hours crowd around Hlemmur.