CLOSED: Graenn Kostur

I just assume that I will be eating Thai and Japanese food when I visit most places around the globe. Though Reykjavik has decent offerings of both, I was happily surprised to absolutely fall in love with the food here!

I have my favourites, but really, they can do no wrong. I love everything from the the generous portions to the generous sides, to even the generous selections of infused waters.

The location is central, and it's cozy but comfy inside.

I sort of feel transported back to my adopted hometown of Seattle (the crunchier, past version) as soon as I enter.

Each year I return to Reykjavik for vacation, and each trip I stop by at least once to have a meal.

They pack many flavours in their breads, mains, and salads. It's amazing just how much comes out of the small kitchen.

I also love the friendly atmosphere, and willingness to allow you to sample things before you buy them.

Honourable mention is the fast wifi that is also free of charge.

Love it! Takk!

Best vegan friendly place in Reykjavik. 2-3 of the daily specials were vegan, as well as both soups. The specials are displayed with a salad and side, and can be ordered as a full plate or a la carte. We had an excellent vegan pesto lasagna and ridiculously good wild mushroom soup, along with bread, salads, and a couple sides all for under $40. Cozy atmosphere and perfect after a long day of circling the Golden Circle.

I can write a lot about this place but I will keep it short and simple.

The food is good, the place is not expensive and the people were very friendly. Located in the centre.

Tasty and (by Reykjavik prices) not too expensive. Food is offered by a couple of daily specials rather than a set menu.

My Lasagne were not really warm, but a bit overcooked. But all in all, this is a very good place...

Firstly- LOCATION!
Walk down the main shopping street from the church, Skolavordustigur. Keep going- eventually on the LEFT side of the street, there will be a turning called 'Bergstadastraeti' with a shop called 'Lundinn the Puffin'.
Walk BEHIND the puffin store- it is tucked away there =).
If you reach the end of the road and meet Laugavegur- you've gone just a bit too far!

Given the lack of vegetarians/vegans in Iceland, it is great that they have this place! We are vegan but we loved the food here and were happy to have another option in the city. There is always a vegan option- both times we visited there were two options, so we had one of each.
I had a vegan spinach lasagne which was great (and healthy!) and also had a curry platter, loved both meals. Expensive (but everywhere in Iceland is) but the portions were great for the price in my view. They did also have a vegan treat/cake of some sort on offer, but I don't think I tried these. Lovely staff, highly recommend stopping here- plus it was always busy with locals, surely a good sign!?

Graenn Kostur was indeed a little bit difficult to find. If we hadn't known the house number, we would have missed it (We found the green footprints on the ground afterwards...).

So much for the bad part.
Though there are few dishes they always have a vegan one which is clearly labeled. We took the curry and were quite overwhelmed. We got the curry itself, a kind of naan bread, rice, lettuce and a salad made of blood orange and beetroot (if I'm not totally mistaken), also vegan yogurt sauce/basil mint dressing.

We went there a second time and took the same meal, but this time we got another bread an hummus, since the original naan bread was out.

Staff spoke English and one of them also German.

Prices were reasonable for Iceland.

They also have (vegan) dessert, but we didn't taste it.

An excellent small veggie cafe in the city centre. Had a special on each day, which seems to be the only main meal although I had an excellent samsosa plus salad the second time. A wee bit tricky to find although just off the main drag but round the back on the shops. nice and clean and nice staff too.

We loved this place so much we ended up there three times in as many days. The vegan and gluten free-vegetarian options were really good, and the cakes were fantastic. It's rather a take-out/ lunchroom than a restaurant though. Highly recommended!

Excellent food and very convenient location in the heart of Reykjavik, lots of options for vegans and vegetarians, including choice of vegetable lasagna with dairy or vegan cheese. Most/all entrees include a side salad. Small cafe atmosphere. Rotating menu. Not cheap, but few places in Reykjavík are.

The service is just great however this is more buffet/fast food rather than restaurant. The food is good however there is nothing memorable about it. I am very glad there is an option in Reykjavik for vegetarians. Give it a try and decide if you will come back.

The food was tasty, well-spiced, and hearty, but there were only two vegan options the day we went and no vegan dessert. I really liked the soup and bread and the basil dressing was a great combo of flavors. I also like that they have the ingredients listed for most menu items. I would definitely go back!

Great meal (even for vegans!) and a great choice of raw vegan cakes, which was unexpected.
A little pricey, but average compared to Iceland's prices. The place is a bit tiny but cozy.

For a veggie restaurant I expected more. They only had one vegan option which was some kinda carrot veggie stir fry. The portion was large and tasted ok but was too spicy for my liking.

Good place - we went on a Sunday evening. It wasn't too late but they had run out of a couple of the dishes already so I guess it had been a busy day. Slightly pricier than the other veggie places in Reykjavik, but about on a par with other restaurants in the city, and the portions are a decent size (you can choose small or large). Also sells cakes, plus cereal/energy bars (the ones I saw on offer were from the Nakd range).

The place is a little tricky to find. Food is not bad (decent) but I felt it was too pricey for what it is. To get a plate of food it was a little over $12 usd (1490 isk). But this may actually be cheaper than a regular restaurant in Iceland I'm not sure.

Small cafe eatery not far from the cathedral. Good choice of main courses at a reasonable price.
Tucked away at the back of the shops on the main street but advertising board pointed the way.
Interior very basic but clean.

After several days of eating bread and side salads, I was ecstatic to find this place. Tucked away with a rear entrance in a parking area, you might miss it altogether, but try not to. Walk in, step up to the counter, and let them know what you are interested in. Several entrees are available as well as desserts and beverages. I wouldn't hesitate to go back -- it was that good!

I really enjoyed this place. They had several vegan options. I had a spinach, potato dish that I really enjoyed. It came with bread and salad. Prices were reasonable and the portions were big. I was too full to try dessert but they looked pretty amazing.

I went to this place three times in one week! Usually has about 5 different set plates to choose from, usually two are vegan. Just tell them you're vegan and they'll help you out. They give you two salads, some bread, and then a main, like a spinach pie or curry and rice. I loved my meals here. The slads were always great, the balsamic dressings to die for. Large enough portions for me to make two meals out of it. Apparently they also have some sort of menu but I'm not sure if that's just at lunch or not. Get the loyalty card there if you will be there for a while! They also have some desserts and chocolate available, only sometimes vegan though.

One of the best meals I have had in a while. The menu changes daily and the atmosphere is laid back. I had the moussaka which filled the plate with two different salads, rice and homemade bread. My girlfriend had the vegan mushroom soup made with coconut milk that had more mushrooms than a large pizza. We took home a piece of the spinach pie, that was staring us down, for the next day. Can't wait to go back for the spinach lasagna with red pesto that is locally famous even amongst the meat eaters.

My husband and I ate here twice in Reykjavik as it was the only vegetarian restaurant out of the three we saw down town that was open at the time (April 2012). The restaurant had about 4/5 different dishes served over a counter - the dishes we had were very tasty and wholesome. On the first visit, we had an African style curry and a chickpea burger. On the second visit we has the curry again (as it was very nice!) and a spinach pie. Each dish was served with some salads and home-made bread. The staff were very friendly and the price was reasonable.

I visited Graenn Kostur in March 2012. It is a small cafe right in the center of town. Luckily they had a sandwich board pointing the direction to the cafe on the corner. It was a bit difficult to find, situated across from parking lot. The food was amazing and everything was clearly labeled in English vegan or not vegan. There were raw choices and many vegan options. My plate was full! I had a nut loaf with some sort of green sauce, green salad and a Waldorf salad. I also had a Thai curry soup that was fantastic! Sadly, I did not have room for desert.

Strange location (upstairs behind shops in the car park) but very well worth a visit. Plenty of choice, original recipes, everything was very tasty and fresh with good portions.

Most foods contained both egg and cheese. The vegan soups are good, but the bread that comes with it has yogurt. I asked about the spinach lasagna and there was a vegan option that day. So ask and you may be surprised. They did have two desserts that are vegan and they were delicious!

This unassuming micro cafeteria ended up being the best vegan spot in Iceland due to the fact that you can custom make your own plate with ultra amazing vegan side dishes. The vegan options are slim (soup), but when you take into account, the brown rice, salads (two or three veggie based), bread, hummus, etc it becomes an amazing place! 750 for a LARGE place of all sides :)

Great slices of hearty savory pies with spinach or potato bases. The fruit-infused water options were a special detail that we enjoyed. Mostly Indian-inspired cuisine. Seating was informal and not that comfortable. No view but a parking lot. No table-side service. Really yummy!

This restaurant/cafe has a counter service with pre-prepared meals. There seemed to be one vegan option available each time. The eating area was unusual in that it consisted of high stools which were not conducive to a leisurely meal. There was a better seating area outside with proper chairs and tables, but with the Icelandic climate, again, probably not conducive to a leisurely meal.

Apart from entering from a parking lot, we found the atmosphere very nice. The food was very tasty and the bread was hearty and delicious. We actually came back here for a second night and enjoyed it then as well. The food is counter service, making for a quick meal, but the prices were pretty reasonable for iceland and everything was tasty. The food was all pre-made, so I'm not sure how able they are to cope with special food needs.

I ate here 3 times. The first meal was amazing- vegan lasagna with salad and a broccoli side, and my companion's non-vegan meal was incredible for her as well. We also shared the 2 vegan desserts offered that night- delicious chocolate pie & banana fruit pie. The rolls that come with the meal are very good.

The next 2 times i ate here on my own there was only one vegan selection, and each time it was not as delectable as I would have liked- one meal was a spicy cauliflower mix, and the other was possibly a tart. After that I asked what the vegan selections were each day before deciding whether to stay, and always went elsewhere.

The staff were always very helpful, patient & knowledgeable in explaining the vegan options. A person working at the hostel I stayed in recommended this restaurant over others, and reported to eat here every day! The price was very good.

I wish every day offered the kind of meal i enjoyed on the first visit here! It's definitely worth a try.

If I were not vegan, my rating would be much higher for this restaurant.

Non-vegan soya cheese in dishes marked as vegan, and the staff made us feel like we were freaks for not accepting 'it's only a bit of milk'.

This is a small vegetarian cafe/restaurant just off the main street. It had a selection of vegan food but the bread that comes with the dishes contains milk and there is no discount if you do not take the bread. Iceland is expensive compared to most places (even London) and although the food is good you do feel that you have not had enough. The staff were friendly and helpfull.