A Guide to the Best Bakeries in Reykjavík

The best way to start a day traveling around Reykjavík? With trip to a bakery for a kleina, snúður, or flatkaka of course! Bakeries are a great way to get to know a city, as the nuances of a baking culture reveal magnitudes about the people it feeds. And in Reykjavík, it’s all about sourdoughs and finding ample use for skyr.

To fully appreciate Icelandic baking, take a tour of our guide to the best bakeries in Reykjavík:

Brauð & Co

The cinnamon rolls at Brauð & Co are town legends. They are super soft, full of spices and always fresh. Brauð & Co has five Reykjavík locations; the smallest on Frakkastígur has an impressive storefront with colorful murals.

If you would like to eat in, go to Hlemmur Mathöll, an old bus terminal turned into a trendy food hall, where you can try Icelandic delicacies for starters and grab a cinnamon roll for dessert.

Brikk

Close to Reykjavík harbor and Grandi, a district once known for its booming fish industry but is now home to museums, galleries, and restaurants, Brikk appears almost as a lighthouse as it guides hungry wanderers to the safety of baked goods.

Icelandic classics like sjónvarpskaka, a coconut cake with a crunchy top, and hjónabandsæla or “blissful marriage cake”, an oat and raspberry pie, are all on the menu.

Brikk is also a great spot for lunch, as they serve sandwiches made in either sourdough or rye and generously stuffed with a filling of your choosing.

Deig

Deig is a straightforward bakery that focuses on diner-like offerings: donuts, bagels, and sugar-coated pastries.

Their products do not aim to be healthy, as they specify themselves: “We use butter, cream, potatoes, and bake everything from scratch.”

Highlights include kleinur, a deep-fried Icelandic donut, and swirl muffins dripping with caramel. The space is playfully decorated with references to comics and full of board games to play while you digest over endless coffee refills.

Sandholt

Continental trends meet Europe’s northernmost capital in this family-owned bakery. Sandholt has a wide variety of artisan bread, pastries, cakes, and savory pies. Traditional recipes are given a modern twist and finessed with some polishing touches.

Expect to see beautiful arrangements of exotic fruit, berry compote, marinated figs, and pistachio, contrasted with Icelandic favorites like black licorice or lava salt. The bakery also sells its own jam in tiny jars: cute as a button and a perfect souvenir.

Bernhoftsbakari

Open since 1834, Bernhoftsbakari is Iceland’s oldest bakery. It’s steeped in history and sells some really traditional delicacies, including kransakökur, a tour cake that’s often served at weddings.

Located close to the Harpa concert hall, which can be reached via a walk along the beachfront, it’s an idyllic way to enjoy Iceland’s history and modern architecture.

Hannesarholt

Alright, it’s not technically a bakery, but you still can enjoy a range of baked goods at this 20th Century home – the first concrete family home in the country – and its history is too good to miss. The property belonged to an early 20th Century poet and first prime minister Hannes Hafstein, a beloved figure who was crucial in advancing the women’s suffrage movement in 1930s Iceland.

Now restored to its former charm, it houses a non-profit organization and a Very Nice café indeed that serves traditional Icelandic baked goods.

Looking for the best bakeries elsewhere? Find the best bakeries in Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, and all the London Scandi bakeries your heart desires.