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66°North started in 1926 as a workshop making oilskins for fishermen in Suðureyri, and it still builds clothing for weather that doesn't cooperate. The company took its current name in 1977 and now runs stores across Iceland, including Laugavegur in central Reykjavik, Akureyri, Kópavogur, Garðabær and Keflavík Airport. Outerwear is what it's known for: shells, insulated parkas and wool layers built for wind and rain rather than fashion weeks. The range also covers everyday clothing, bags and accessories. Prices are high, which is what you'd expect from garments made to last years of Icelandic winters rather than a single season. The Laugavegur store is the easiest one to reach on foot if you're staying downtown and realise you've underpacked.

Kol Restaurant is on Skólavörðustígur in central Reykjavík and it's built around an open charcoal grill, which is where the name comes from. The kitchen runs a modern Icelandic menu with a strong grill section: lamb, beef, catch of the day and vegetables cooked over coals, alongside a raw bar and a well-regarded cocktail programme. The dining room is dark, wood and leather, and it works for a proper dinner rather than a quick meal. Lunch service is cheaper and quieter than dinner. Open daily from late morning through to late evening, and booking ahead matters at weekends. Google reviewers rate it 4.5 across more than 1,600 ratings, and it sits among the better mid-to-high end options downtown.

Enjoy 15% off the whole bill, food and drinks, at a seafood restaurant by Reykjavik's Old Harbor

Monkeys Food + Wine is on Klapparstígur in central Reykjavík, a small-plates restaurant with a long natural wine list, and it's built for grazing rather than a three-course sit-down. The menu changes with what's available and leans on Icelandic ingredients handled simply, with the wine pairing doing much of the work; staff will run you through the list if you ask. The room is narrow and fills quickly, so book. It's closed at the start of the week and opens evenings for the rest, later at weekends. Google reviewers rate it 4.4 across more than 500 ratings. Kokteilbarinn is in the same building, which makes an obvious sequence for an evening out.

Prikið on Bankastræti is the oldest café in Reykjavík, open since 1951, and it runs as two different places depending on the hour: a diner serving coffee, brunch and the hangover breakfast most of the city swears by during the day, then a hip-hop bar late at night with a queue outside at weekends. The interior has barely changed, which is part of why people are fond of it. It opens early, closes late, and stays open into the small hours on Friday and Saturday. It's at the bottom of Bankastræti where Laugavegur begins, so it's hard to miss, and prices are moderate for the location.

22 Bar reopened on Laugavegur in 2024 after nearly two decades dark, and locals treated it as a small event. The bar spreads over two floors, with a calmer ground floor for talking and drinking and a livelier room upstairs. It's queer-friendly and the crowd skews local rather than tourist, which is rare on a street this central. The drinks list runs from Icelandic beer on draft to classic cocktails, including the Cosmo 22, a fruitier take on a cosmopolitan that the bar named after itself. Prices sit at the affordable end for downtown Reykjavik. Doors open at midday every day and stay open until 2am on Friday and Saturday, so it works as an afternoon stop or a late one.

Blue Lagoon Skin Science is the skincare line built from the Blue Lagoon's own geothermal seawater, and this shop on Laugavegur is the easiest place to buy it without driving to Reykjanes. The research behind it started in the early 1980s, when people bathing in the lagoon reported that their psoriasis and eczema improved; scientists analysed the water in 1987 and found high concentrations of silica and mineral salts along with two types of algae unique to the lagoon. Those three ingredients are the basis of the range, which runs from masks and moisturisers to treatments developed specifically for skin conditions. Staff will explain which products contain lagoon-sourced material and which do not, which is a fair question to ask. The shop opens daily until seven.

BIOEFFECT is an Icelandic biotech skincare company whose flagship store sits on Hafnarstræti in central Reykjavik. The science behind it is genuinely local: researchers at a plant biotechnology company in Reykjanes worked out how to grow a human growth factor inside barley in geothermally heated greenhouses, which avoids the animal and human cell cultures the industry had used until then. The resulting EGF Serum launched in 2010 with a very short ingredient list and became the company's signature product; in 2024 WWD included it in a list of the hundred greatest skincare products of all time, chosen by industry insiders. Products now sell in more than 20 countries. The store is small and the staff will explain the barley process, which is more interesting than most retail pitches.

Iurie Fine Art is a photography gallery on Skólavörðustígur, the street running up to Hallgrímskirkja, showing large-format landscape work by Iurie Belegurschi, a Moldovan-born photographer who has worked in Iceland for years and runs workshops here. The prints are the point: aurora, glacier ice, highland rivers from the air and the volcanic eruptions on Reykjanes, printed large enough that the gallery works as a viewing space rather than a shop counter. Staff will talk through locations and conditions, which makes it useful reconnaissance if you're planning your own shooting. It's open daily with long hours, free to walk into, and it sits among the better galleries and design shops on the same street.

The Story of Icelanders is a free interactive history show on Laugavegur in central Reykjavík, running through the settlement, the sagas, the centuries under Danish rule and the road to independence in a compressed format aimed at visitors who want the outline before they start driving. It's free, which is unusual on that street, and it takes under an hour. Because it's free and short, treat it as an orientation rather than a substitute for the National Museum. Open daily with long hours, in the same building as a souvenir shop, so expect a retail element. Google reviewers rate it 5.0 off a small base.

Made in Iceland Souvenirs on Laugavegur sells Icelandic-made goods rather than the imported puffin keyrings that fill much of the street, which is the distinction worth paying for. Stock covers wool from Icelandic sheep, ceramics, skincare from Icelandic ingredients, prints and food products, with the makers named. Prices are higher than the tourist-tat shops and lower than the design boutiques on Skólavörðustígur. If you want a genuinely local gift and don't have time to hunt, this is a reasonable single stop. It opens early and closes late, daily, which is useful since most Reykjavík shops keep short hours. Note that tax-free refund forms are available for purchases above the threshold if you're leaving the EEA.

Lemmy is a rock bar on Austurstræti in central Reykjavík, named after the Motörhead frontman and decorated accordingly: black walls, band posters, a wall of vinyl and a stage that gets used. Live music runs several nights a week, mostly local rock and metal acts, and there's no cover most of the time. The kitchen does burgers and bar food from late morning, and the happy hour is one of the longer ones downtown, which is a real consideration in Reykjavík. It's open every day into the small hours, later at weekends. Google reviewers rate it 4.7 across more than 700 ratings, and it draws a mixed crowd of locals and visitors rather than one or the other.

Kiki is Reykjavík's queer bar, on Laugavegur in the middle of the city, and it's been the main LGBT nightlife venue in Iceland for over a decade. Two floors, pop and dance downstairs and up, drag nights, karaoke, and a crowd that stays mixed rather than tribal, which is what most people mention about it. It opens Thursday through Sunday and stays shut earlier in the week, and it fills late: Icelandic nights out start around midnight, so arriving at ten means an empty room. Reykjavík Pride in August centres on it. The bar is small and the queue on Saturday can be long, but the door policy is friendly and the drinks are priced like everywhere else on that street.

Space Odyssey is a small vintage and second-hand clothing shop on Bergstaðastræti in central Reykjavík, off the main shopping streets, and it's the kind of place people find by wandering rather than searching. Stock is curated rather than bulk second-hand: jackets, knitwear, jeans and accessories across decades, with a slant towards the 70s and 80s. Sizes and stock turn over constantly, which is the nature of it. Prices are reasonable by Reykjavík standards. It opens weekday afternoons and Saturday with limited hours, so check before making a trip of it. Skólavörðustígur's design shops and the Laugavegur second-hand shops are a couple of minutes away for comparison.

Ellý is a cocktail bar partway up Laugavegur in central Reykjavik, and it is one of the more design-conscious rooms on a street that has plenty of competition. The decor runs to velvet, brass and deliberately odd details, and the cocktail list changes with what the bar is working on rather than sticking to classics, with staff who will build something to order if you tell them what you like. Beer and wine are on hand for anyone who does not want a project. Prices sit mid-range for the street. It opens at midday every day and runs to two in the morning on Friday and Saturday, and it works better for a drink before dinner or a late one than for a big group.

Iðnó is a green timber theatre house on the shore of Tjörnin in central Reykjavík, built in 1897 by the craftsmen's association and the oldest purpose-built theatre in the country. The Reykjavík Theatre Company worked here for most of the 20th century, and Halldór Laxness and Jóhann Sigurjónsson had premieres in the hall. It now runs as a venue and restaurant: concerts, plays, comedy, weddings and a bar with a view over the pond to the city hall. The building was restored in the 1990s after decades of decline and near-demolition. It's a two-minute walk from Austurvöllur and the Parliament, and opening hours follow the programme, so check what's on before turning up.

ÆGIR 101 is the Reykjavik taproom of Ægir Brugghús, which started brewing in 2017 and opened this bar at the bottom of Laugavegur in October 2022. The taps pour the brewery's own pilsners, IPAs and stouts, and the shelves carry Icelandic spirits, sodas and liquor alongside them, so it covers most of what you'd want to try from local producers in one stop. The room is warm and wood-heavy, and it fills up in the evening without turning into a nightclub. Prices are mid-range for the street it sits on. It opens at midday every day of the week and runs to 1am on Friday and Saturday, which makes it a reasonable first stop or a last one.

ÆGIR 220 is Ægir Brugghús's taproom in Hafnarfjörður, a short walk from the old harbour and named after the town's postcode. It pours the brewery's full lineup, from pilsners to stouts, with Icelandic spirits behind the bar and live music on some nights. The room is smaller and quieter than the Reykjavik taproom, and the crowd is mostly people who live in the town. It keeps short hours, opening in the late afternoon from Thursday to Saturday, so check before making the trip out from the capital. Hafnarfjörður is about fifteen minutes by car from central Reykjavik and the bus runs there too, which makes this a workable detour if you're already exploring the harbour and the lava-field streets above it.

Daddi's Pizza is a family-run pizzeria at Vogar by Lake Mývatn, and it has become the default dinner stop for anyone spending a night in the area. The pizzas are hand-tossed and the signature ones are named after North Iceland's volcanic landmarks, which is a bit of fun that happens to come with genuinely good bases and generous toppings. The dining room is small and wooden and fills quickly in summer, so arriving early or expecting a wait is sensible. It sits just over two kilometres off the Ring Road, which makes it an easy detour rather than a diversion. Note that the Reykjavik branch on Skipholt closed in 2026, so the Mývatn restaurant is the one to plan around.

Liveproject is a Reykjavík creative collective and production outfit that puts on concerts, club nights and cultural events around the city rather than operating a single venue. It works with Icelandic and visiting artists and is involved in some of the larger recurring nights on the Reykjavík music calendar. Because there's no fixed address to turn up at, the practical approach is to check what they have programmed during your dates and buy tickets for the specific event; venues vary from downtown clubs to larger halls. This is worth knowing if you want to hear Icelandic music live beyond the bar circuit on Laugavegur, particularly outside the Iceland Airwaves festival week in November.

Lebowski Bar sits on Laugavegur in central Reykjavík and commits fully to the theme: bowling-alley fittings, a diner counter, film quotes on the walls and a menu of around twenty variations on the White Russian. Food is American: burgers, wings and shakes, served from late morning through the evening. It's loud, it's not subtle, and it works as a place to eat cheaply by Reykjavík standards before the night gets going. Happy hour runs in the late afternoon and there's a DJ and dancing at weekends until very late. Google reviewers rate it 4.5 across more than 3,600 ratings, which makes it one of the most-reviewed venues in the city.

Jörgensen Kitchen + Bar sits in the Exeter Hotel on Laugavegur in central Reykjavík and serves a Nordic menu built around local fish, lamb and seasonal vegetables, with a raw bar and a long cocktail list. The room is the reason people photograph it: exposed concrete and brick in a converted building on the edge of the Old Harbour quarter, with the bar running the length of one wall. It's a hotel restaurant that works as a destination, which is not always the case in Reykjavík, and the set lunch is among the better value dinners-out downtown. Open daily from late morning through to late evening. Booking ahead is sensible on weekends, and the bar takes walk-ins.

Brons is one of the busier places to eat and drink in Keflavík, which makes it useful given how many travellers spend a night on the Reykjanes peninsula before an early flight. The menu is casual: burgers, wings, nachos and shareable plates rather than anything ambitious, priced in the middle of the range. What fills the room is everything around the food, with darts, late-night karaoke and sport on several screens, so it works better as a night out than a quiet dinner. It sits on Sólvallagata in the older part of Keflavík, walking distance from most of the town's hotels and about five minutes by car from the airport. Note that it is closed Monday to Wednesday, which catches people out.

Bullseye is a darts and karaoke bar on Snorrabraut, set inside the old Austurbæjarbíó cinema building, which gives it far more room than most Reykjavik bars and a slightly odd, high-ceilinged character. Several oches are set up for darts, with electronic scoring, and you book a board by the hour rather than queuing for one. Karaoke rooms run alongside, and the kitchen does bar food built for sharing while you play. It draws groups rather than solo drinkers, and the atmosphere is closer to a night out with an activity attached than a place to sit and talk. It is a ten-minute walk east of the bottom of Laugavegur, and it opens from the afternoon on weekdays and midday at weekends.