Restaurants:
Aldin
Austurstræti 22
A newly-opened salad bar and delicatessen in a historic location. Coffee, homemade pastries and delicious salads made on location. A great place for a healthy meal, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner
→ 10% discount off food for HI members.
Forréttabarinn
Nýlendugata 14 (entrance from Mýrargata)
Forréttabarinn, or “The Starters Bar,” specializes in starters of all kinds and is a great new addition to the hipster hot spots of Reykjavík. Good food, reasonable prices and a comfortable atmosphere.
→ 3 small starters for the price of 2 for HI members.
Frú Berglaug
Laugavegur 12
A classic restaurant with a theme of old Reykjavik in the early 20th century. They serve fine dining mixed with traditional Icelandic home cooking at a very good price. The service is also excellent.
→ Free sampler platter of traditional Icelandic food with every meal for HI members.
Gamla Smiðjan
Lækjargata 8
According to their own slogan, Gamla Smiðjan “puts all its effort in creating perfect pizzas”. With their stone baked pizzas and creative menu, they come pretty close to doing just that.
→ 15% discount off pizzas for HI members.
Hamborgarabúlla Tómasar
Geirsgata 1 & Bankastræti 5
A classic burger joint in all it’s glory. Their burgers actually taste like beef and we highly recommend the bernaise sauce. They have two downtown locations, one on the harbor and the other hidden in the back of the popular B5 bar.
→ 15% discount for HI members.
Icelandic Fish & Chips
Tryggvagata 8
Icelandic Fish & Chips is an organic bistro where greasy food is made healthy. They serve fish in barley and spelt batter with oven roasted potato wedges, as well as some great soups and salads.
→ 10% discount off food for HI members.
Sushismiðjan
Geirsgata 3
Situated down on the old harbor, Sushismiðjan is a small family-run sushi restaurant that makes great, fresh sushi with the best ingredients available. Aside from their cosy sitting area and outdoor patio, they also offer a good variety of take-away platters.
→ 30% discount off menu for HI members.
The Sea Baron
Geirsgata 8
A restaurant down by Reykjavík’s old harbor that offers a variety of fresh barbequed seafood on skewers, as well as their speciality, the ”world’s greatest lobster soup.” This lovely place is about as Icelandic as they get.
→ 15% discount off food for HI members.
Tapashúsið
Ægisgarður 2
An Icelandic seafood restaurant by the Old Harbor. They offer a good variety of small dishes that you can mix and match and are situated in a cool location with a great view of the harbor. We especially recommend their Sangría.
→ 15% discount off food for HI members.
Vegamót
Vegamótastígur 4
A bistro-bar that offer excellent food at very reasonable prices. Their menu is impressively long, so everyone should find something to their liking. On sunny days, their outdoor dining area is one of the best in town.
→ 10% discount off food for HI members.
Café's and bars
Café Haiti
Geirsgata 7b
Café Haiti specialises in quality coffee, which they roast on the premises every morning. They also serve light meals, good-value local fish dishes and a nice selection of sweet treats with your coffee.
→ 10% discount off coffee for HI members.
Faktorý
Smiðjustígur 6
One of Reykjavík’s top venues for live music, Faktorý is an excellent place to visit for events or just to have a drink with your friends. They have three different rooms which host some of the city’s best DJ’s on the weekends, and offer free Jazz nights on Sunday evenings.
→ Beer for 600 ISK or a beer+shot for 1000 ISK for HI members
Hemmi & Valdi
Laugavegur 21
Hemmi&Valdi is a friendly coffeehouse and bar with a laid back, cozy atmosphere. During the day excellent coffee and buns are on offer, and beer and wine in the evenings. It often plays host to small concerts and events, and is a great place to start out your evening.
→ 25% discount off coffee and food, beer for 550 ISK and wine for 600 ISK for HI members
Ísbúðin Laugalæk
Laugalækur 8
Ísbúðin Laugalæk is a family-run ice cream place that offers all kinds of ice cream, as well as freshly baked waffles, hot chocolate and coffee. The surprising twist on the menu is their delicious german sausage (Bratwurst)with Krautsalat. Worth a try.
→ 10% discount for HI members
The Laundromat Café
Austurstræti 9
The Laundromat Café, as the name suggests, is a café combined with a laundromat where you can multitask in comfortable and original surroundings; eat, drink, read, do your laundry or surf the Internet. They also offer games like Yatzy, Backgammon and Chess to pass the time with your friends.
→ 2 for 1 off draft beers for HI members.
Prikið
Bankastræti 12
Reykjavík’s oldest café and diner, and one of the most versatile spots in town. They serve breakfast all day (which is quite possibly the best breakfast in town), and have a wide variety of dishes for a good price. On weekend nights, Prikið also moonlights as one of the town’s most buzzing drinking establishments.
→ Free nachos and a cup of coffee with every meal for HI members
Tíu Dropar
Laugavegur 27
One of the oldest cafés in Reykjavik, hidden away in a basement locale on Laugavegur. ‘Grandma-style’ interior and traditional cakes and other delicacies. In the evening, it morphs into a French style candlelit wine bar, with an excellent selection of beer and wine.
→ 20% discount off food and drink for HI members
The English Pub
Austurstræti 12
A very popular place for all kinds of people, the English pub is a merry establishment, which offers a good selection of beers and whiskey. It’s also one of the better places in town to watch sports, and they have a spinning wheel if you want to try your luck.
→ 20% discount off food and drink until 11pm for HI members
Lebowski Bar
Laugavegur 20a
Whether you’ve got a craving for a juicy burger and shake from the Diner or just want to get drunk to music from the golden era of the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, Lebowski Bar is the place to go. They also have a vintage jukebox and a truly impressive White Russian Menu.
→ 20% discount off food for HI members
Shops
12 Tónar
Skólavörðustígur 15 and Austurbakki 2 (Inside Harpa Concert Hall)
The ultimate place to buy Icelandic music, 12 Tónar is known as a friendly shop where you can sit down, listen to a wide selection of music, enjoy free espresso or tea, read magazines and relax.
→ 10% discount for HI members
Frú Lauga
Laugalækur 6
Frú Lauga is a charming neighborhood farmers market that offers fresh produce from farmers all over Iceland, as well as imported delicacies. They specialise in quality foods from trustworthy sources.
→ 5% discount for HI members
Netagerðin
Nýlendugata 14
Netagerdin is a workspace and shop born from the collaboration of three design firms; BBOLLA, STÁSS, VOLKI and one independent music label KONGÓ. Located by the Old Harbor, Netagerðin is a great place to buy Icelandic music and design, or to catch a glimpse of Icelandic creativity at work.
→ 10% discount for HI members
Entertainment
Elding Whale Watching
Ægisgarður 7
Elding Whale Watching, located on Reykjavík’s Old Harbor, is the largest whale watching operator in Iceland. They operate daily Whale Watching tours, and each tour includes free admission to their information centre and exhibition, which features a multimedia presentation about whales, seabirds and other marine life.
→ Free hot drink and refreshment with every Whale Watching tour for HI members
Special Tours
Geirsgata
Special tours is a fairly new addition to the flora of whale watching companies. They conduct their whale watching tours from a brand-new, safe and luxurious boat which is quite a fast cruiser, so it takes less time to reach the whale watching zone.
→ 10% discount off Whale Watching for HI members
Volcano House
Tryggvagata 11
A volcano cinema, cafè, and geology exhibit all in one, the Volcano House is a truly cosy place to get aquainted with Iceland’s fascinating geology. It screens two excellent films on Icelandic eruptions, has a realistic earthquake simulator and features a geology exhibit where many of the most beautiful and rare stones found in Iceland are displayed.
→ 15% discount off Volcano Cinema for HI members