Cafe Loki (Reykjavik, Iceland)

Cafe Loki is a petite eatery near some popular tourist destinations in Reykjavik, with many traditional Icelandic options.

Bright yellow building with sign for Café Loki, traditional Icelandic food.

Cafe Loki is a small restaurant in downtown Reykjavik, very close to the famous Hallgrímskirkja church and the statue of Leif Erickson, if you’re interested in checking those out.

This is a restaurant specializing in traditional Icelandic foods, so if you have your heart set on some local cuisine during your trip, you'll definitely find it here.

If you want to try a bite or two of Hákarl (fermented Greenland shark), it's on the menu. Make sure to try a shot of Brennevin, Iceland’s signature distilled spirit. (It’s also called “Black Death,” so go in with lowered expectations and then if you like it, awesome!)

Can I Make Reservations?

It’s a very small café, and they only take reservations for larger groups, so arrive early or have a backup plan for somewhere else to eat.

They're open every day all day, so consider going mid-week or mid-afternoon for a potentially smaller crowd.

Vase with pink carnations set on wooden table.

Menu Selections at Cafe Loki

Cafe Loki offers traditional Icelandic foods. Check out the options and pricing online.

We ordered two of their combination platters to try a variety of things.
We had the Loki plate, with fermented shark, Brennevin, rye bread with mashed fish and rye bread with smoked lamb.

Loki plate, with fermented shark, Brennevin, rye bread with mashed fish and rye bread with smoked lamb. — Loki Plate

We also tried the Freya plate, which included a trout tart layered with rye bread, a fresh salad and rye bread ice cream.

Freya plate, with a trout tart layered with rye bread, a fresh salad and rye bread ice cream. — Freya Plate

Speaking of rye bread, one of our favorite Iceland experiences was visiting the Laugarvatn Fontana bakery, where bread is baked geothermally every day and offered to visitors for a tasting.

Everything was interesting, and I’m glad we tried it all! I do admit I was somewhat jealously eyeing the warm stew that the table next to us ordered. It was a cold, rainy day (on par for Iceland) and stew just sounded a lot more appealing.

If you want to check it out, I recommend ordering one tasting platter and one of something that sounds fantastic so that you can try both.

Cafe Loki is definitely worth a visit if you’re in Reykjavik and want to try traditional foods!