The East of Iceland is, geographically, one of the oldest areas of the country, and the furthest from the capital. The mountains slump diagonally into the sea, creating a beautiful and distinctive landscape. Many of the winding fjords are cut off from Route One, which runs inland, but for the relatively few tourists who make it, they contain interesting little towns and tucked-away villages with many interesting and eccentric bars and shops. These are the best cafés.
Best Café
Fjóshornið
Egilsstaðir 1, Egilsstaðir
When you have high coffee standards, sometimes you desire more than the basic drip variety, which is often the only option in the East. But at Fjóshornið, they know how to make the good stuff. The atmosphere is more than welcoming, you can sit either inside in a cosy “living room” or on the sunny terrace. The selection of homemade cakes is great, and the place is also a dairy farm, so you can take home some fresh skyr, cheese or meat.
Runner-Up:
Klausturkaffi
Fljotsdalsvegur, Skriðuklaustur
This curious little café is worth a stop because of their cake buffet. You can eat as much of the delicious homemade cake and freshly fried kleinur as you please from the buffet table, and there are savoury delicacies on offer, too. The lunch buffet will fill you up for the rest of your road trip.
Runner-Up:
Havarí
Berufjörður
Havari is a farmstead run by the singer of Prins Póló Svavar Pétur Eysteinsson and his wife Berglind Hasler. Their fun spirit runs through Havarí, which is a hostel, working farm, music venue, and fantastic little café with snacks, cakes and soups. Sleep there, party there, eat there—the decision is yours.
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You can buy a copy of the full Best Of Iceland 2019 magazine—an essential guide to having fun in Iceland, from the Best Café in East Iceland and beyond—here, posted worldwide. We also have a Special Offer double-pack that also includes our Best Of Reykjavík magazine, about places to eat, see, swim, visit, and shop in the country’s capital city, here.
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