What are the Icelandic cafes famous for Icelandic coffee culture?

I read a lot of travel notes before going to Iceland, saying that compared with nature, Icelandic cities are very boring. Perhaps it is this preconceived prejudice that surprises me everywhere in Reykjavik, the capital, and Akureyri, the northern capital.

As a severe coffee addict, you usually have to drink at least one or two cups of coffee a day in Paris, while when you travel to different cities, you must go to local cafes. Some charismatic friends of professional baristas mentioned that Northern Europe is one of the regions with the highest development of coffee roasting technology. When you come to Iceland this time, you can't miss the experience of Icelandic coffee culture.

The two shopping streets of Reykjavik are full of cafes, and my favorite one is T í u Dropar, the underground cafe on Laugavegur Shopping Street. As one of the oldest cafes in Iceland, the decoration of T í u Dropar has not changed much since the 1950s, with little interior space, nostalgic furniture and small and exquisite antique lighting to create a warm and comfortable atmosphere. Because it is only a few steps from my place, we come here every day for a cup of coffee and brunch before going out. In addition to the rich and authentic coffee, sandwiches and carrot cakes are also my must-order meals. The cafe mainly serves light meals and grandmother-style hand-made cakes during the day, turns into a French-style bar at night, and sometimes invites resident singers to do a piece of French folk songs.

Coffee and sunshine are probably two favorite things for Icelanders.

On the street opposite the Hallgrimskirkja church, there is Mokka, a cafe that has been open since 1958. The area of the cafe is small and the interior style is simple and modern. As early as the beginning of the opening, Mokka is the place where Icelandic cultural people communicate with each other. Artists and intellectuals also like to gather here and hold some cultural activities spontaneously from time to time. This habit continues to this day. Every three or four weeks, Mokka displays the works of different artists in turn to support local culture and art. The signature mocha here is memorable, and I heard that the waffles they make are also quite good.

In Iceland, there are many youth hostels with accommodation, bars, cafes and restaurants in one, and KEX is one of the best. KEX, once a factory for making Mj ó lkurkex cookies, which is popular in Iceland, was later converted into a compound youth hostel. As a staunch fan of vintage industrial style, KEX's interior decoration completely hit my heart. The lighting from Pittsburgh, the desks and stools of East German schools, plus a variety of second-hand furniture and recycled items, through the skillful hands of Icelandic interior stylist Halfdan Pedersen, created an unaffected beauty. Many locals like to take a walk to KEX, sit on the outdoor terrace for a drink, or have a light meal facing the sea view in the restaurant. There is a retro barber next door to the restaurant and bar, and if you are lucky enough to run into it, you can also ask the barber to shave and get a retro hairstyle.

Another room that I like very much is the Laundromat Caf é, which is highly recommended by the locals. Since its opening in March 2011, it has been the best family restaurant in Iceland for four consecutive years, not to mention the high quality of food and coffee, as well as the coin laundry and children's interactive space on the negative floor. The cafe is not far from the Harpa Concert Hall, and there are Photography Museum and Reykjavik Art Museum (Reykjavik Art Museum) on the next street. Contemporary art lovers should not miss this area.

Across the street from Laundromat Caf é, Stofan Cafe is a two-story single-family villa stuffed with old tables and chairs, vintage leather sofas and handmade knitted armchairs. Personally, I prefer the free and loose atmosphere of open-air seats to indoors.

In addition to the cafes on the commercial streets, there are also many cafes of different styles in the alleys.

As for the local coffee shop chain Te & Kaffi, which was founded in 1984, it can probably be compared to the Icelandic version of Starbucks, with many branches. In addition to Laugavegur Shopping Street, you can also find it in Austurstr?ti Street and L?kjartorg Square, while a few years ago, Te & Kaffi also moved into the Icelandic bookstore chain Eymundsson. Compared with small and medium-sized family-style cafes, Te & Kaffi is more commercialized and its overall style is simple and easy to identify.

Finally, if you are going to Akrelli, the capital of northern Iceland, and are interested in architecture, Cafe Laut is definitely a coffee shop worth visiting. Walk up the hill along the church to the municipal botanical garden Botanical Gardens, and you can easily find the cafe by following the sign. Cafe Laut's design is very unique, the whole is made of branch structure and glass splicing, from afar, the indoor lights flicker on and off, especially romantic in the setting sun.

(the article comes from the blog)