Café Loki

Great location, just in front of the church. The food was definitely overpriced for what it was. We’ve tried the shark but it wasn’t good at all, however it’s a personal taste. The bagel was alright, too smoky for my taste. The desert was delicious, the service was good and the atmosphere was great.

Christmas Day I saw this restaurant as we came into Reykjavik and immediately knew I had to try it. We decided to give it a go on Christmas Day as our tour got cancelled due to bad weather. This restaurant doesn’t take bookings and was worried that we would have a long wait but luckily we got a table straight away. Of course we tried the fermented shark and it was very tasty! A real surprise!! The Christmas set menu was fantastic! Smoked herring on rye and smoked lamb tartare on rye with a smoked pork main and a rye ice cream and coffee to end! The food was delicious! The pork was perfect! Service was excellent and wonderful how friendly they were given they were working on Christmas! Really chuffed with it all honestly! Price was excellent IMO.

Good food, nicely prepared and presented. Friendly staff and nice atmosphere! Great view of the cathedral across the street. Eclectic music, too. Recommended.

Stopped in early after a long flight. One of few restaurants open at that hour. Had a great dining experience. Our server Jorge was phenomenal. We asked for suggestions and he came through! We sampled an assortment of Icelandic dishes. I highly recommend the Loki plate which allowed us to taste the shark. My son had the holiday meal which included all kinds of goodies including coffee and dessert at the end. Wife had the vegetarian plate was super flavorful - the chickpea / quinoa salad was my favorite part of that dish. Our other three family members had so many other delicious food choices I lost track of their orders. Beyond the food, Cafe Loki offers what looks to be a full bar and espresso machine - their coffee is aromatic and satisfying. The cafe is right across the street from the big church - and it’s yellow so you can’t miss it. Cafe Loki made a great first impression of Iceland. Hope you like it as much as we did.

The first thing I did when I arrived in Reykjavik was go to this cafe to try traditional Icelandic meals and platters, however, as you can see by my photo, I decided to just try an appetizer of fish on rye bread and a healthy vegan cake. The food was great, the service was great as well and the direct view of the church was beautiful. I didn’t come to Iceland for the food so my hopes weren’t too high, still the food was tasty. I feel like the price was just standard for Iceland. No complaints at all, I will return and try a platter next time.

We honestly just stopped by here to try the fermented shark, which was a cool experience! I do recommend trying it, you might like it, you might hate it, but it’s a must-do. However, we did feel service was a little… strange. It was the only time we had somewhat rude service in Reykjavík. And this is coming from someone that is very supportive of all service industry workers and understand that sometimes there are off days. Not sure if it’s because we spoke English with a bit of an accent (we are and look Hispanic) but it did take a long time for someone to take our order, even though the restaurant was deserted and there were only a couple of other customers. A non-POC customer that arrived about 10 minutes after us was approached first, and even got her order before us even though our order was smaller (hot chocolate, pancakes, rye ice cream, fermented shark.) Our order was alright, pretty expensive for what it was. The fish smell was very strong in the restaurant but that’s to be expected. I wouldn’t recommend it for a meal, but if you want to try the fermented shark do stop by, or try it at another restaurant.

Ignore the unassuming appearance, this informal cafe is a true gem. Comprised of 2 floors for seated dining, Loki is right by the cathedral and offers a great view of the square. I had a few Icelandic lamb stews throughout my stay, and this one was THE best by far, I wish I'd had time to go back! The small bowl portion was generous enough to be filling, and came with rye bread and butter. The people at the table beside me had one of the selection platters and also seemed to enjoy every part. The staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming, quite happy to let people sit and relax without any pressure to rush away after your meal. This meant a few stayed much longer than you might usually, enjoying coffees and drinks instead of being hurried away. Without a doubt the tastiest and most affordable meal of my visit, and a place not to be missed if you're looking to try some delicious local dishes.

We chose this cafe based on a recommendation from our guest house. My selection of food was poor - I tried to be adventurous... Or, more so, I didn't read the descriptions. The bread was phenomenal, as was the shot. The fermented shark and dried fish not so much (my husband tried the fermented shark and loved it) My husband chose the lamb soup, and it was really yummy.... a traditional dish in Iceland