Kaffi Sólon is an ideal stop for downtown working bees during the 30-minute lunch break (obviously, hungry pedestrians fit right in as well), featuring a new and extensive bistro menu focusing on quick and healthy dishes, with space for groups available on the upper level. Orders are processed in a timely manner, the selection is plentiful, and best of all, the price is right.
The main menu is a based on typical quick bistro offerings, such as tapas, bagels, paninis, sandwiches, pasta or hamburgers, with a solid, if not spectacular, wine selection. The kicker is the special lunch menu, featuring health-conscious selections at a very reasonable price, with most dishes coming in at around 1,500 ISK. According to our waiter, the healthy lunch specials menu is changed every two-weeks. In addition, Kaffi Sólon offers soup de jour, and fish of the day, during this particular day, a vegetable soup, and tusk fish, respectively.
After agonising over my selection, being torn between a tapas selection of deep fried monk fish and dill cured salmon with mustard sauce, I finally decided to live dangerously while selecting from the health menu and opted for the pan-fried seafood mix (scallops, mussels and shrimp) in garlic, basilica, white wine and butter. It was an excellent dish by any standards, rich in taste and the serving was more than plentiful. For the price of 1,350 ISK, I believe you would be hard pressed to find a better lunch offer in town. My companion chose creamy pasta with bacon, chicken, and spinach, not the most adventurous selection, but always reliable. Again, the pasta was good, and the serving could easily accommodate two people. For a little icing on the cake, so to speak, I ordered a café and French chocolate cake from the dessert menu. Despite being served cold, the chocolate cake was a solid eight on a ten-point scale.
The only drawback to Kaffi Sólon is that the non-smoking area is badly separated from the smoking section, although that will probably be fixed by June; and as often happens with busy lunch restaurants, the service can be a little impersonal. Overall, between the plentiful servings, accommodating price and good food, Kaffi Sólon is an excellent choice for lunching out in downtown Reykjavík.
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