It’s Friday, 2:52 in the morning, you’re stumbling out of Hafnarhús after dancing your ass off to The Knife’s last show, and that means you have worked up a crazy appetite. But you’re in Reykjavík: where shops open at 11:00, the liquor store closes at 18:00 and the fastest food you’ll get takes at least ten minutes to serve. Regardless, you need some salty greasy goodness in your belly before you get to bed, or tomorrow is going to be rough! These Airwaves-venue-adjacent eateries should help you hit the spot.
The Deli
Bankastræti 14
Open until 2:00 on Thursday, 6:00 on Friday and Saturday
Some quick Italian food is where we begin. Going with pizza is always a safe bet in these scenarios, but here you can get a slice with slightly fancier toppings than the average fare. Things like feta, spinach and nuts are par for the course. You can also just get some good-ass pasta—we’re talking a huge, packed container of fresh Bolognese with garlic bread, kind of thing. If you just really wanna get crammed, stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey, here’s where you go.
Subway
Bankastræti 14
Open until 22:00 on Thursday, 5:00 on Friday and Saturday
Yeah, there’s a Subway downtown. We all know what Subway is. We all know that smell is an air freshener that they spray around the place so you walk in there and you’re like “Hmm, I must be in a Subway. I remember Jared. Eat fresh!” So nothing else needs to be said. But it’s there and now you know.
Pizza Royal
Hafnarstræti 18
Open until 2:00 on Thursday, 7:00 on Friday and Saturday
Who doesn’t love pizza? That’s a rhetorical question, obviously. We ALL love pizza. It is to food what cats are to the internet. The internet also loves pizza. And this pizza place will give you the pizza of your dreams in mere minutes, or you can get just a standard slice of cheese with a coke for about the same price as a beer. Let’s not kid ourselves and say this place is high culinary art, but it sure is tasty and it does the good name of pizza proud.
Nonnabiti
Hafnarstræti 9
Open until 2:00 on Thursday, 5:30 on Friday and Saturday
Here’s why you should consider not going to Subway: Nonnabiti makes actual grilled subs right in front of your face and they are bigger and tastier and the service is nice. There are usually a lot of super drunk jabronis in there ready to have a laugh with you while you wait for your food, all ridiculing how gross you feel buying one of these, that it’s really the low point. But it’s really not. These are like the John Cougar Mellencamp of late night eats: big, meaty and they hurt so good.
Mandi
Veltusund 3b
Open until 2:00 on Thursday, 6:00 on Friday and Saturday
Sometimes it’s not grease you need to get through the night, it’s some spice and some zest. Mandi’s kebabs are plentiful and flavourful and generally just a nice switch-up from the mostly burger-pizza-sub grub. A good shish-taouk wrap at three in the morning is pretty incomparable, and vegans are advised to hit this spot for their falafel and fries.
Food trucks at Lækjartorg
Lækjartorg
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, catch as catch can!
If you’re walking through downtown from, oh, say, Iðnó to Harpa, and suddenly you’re hit with the overwhelming waft of sweet fried dough but also grilled meat, you’re approaching the waffle wagon and burger truck that are weekend staples of this fine city’s partyscape. They are two separate entities but really, without each other they are nothing. Have yourself a sweet and a meat on the cheap!
10-11
Austurstræti 17, Barónsstígur 4
Open everyday 24 hours
If all else fails, this highly overpriced convenience mart will help you cure hanger and drunk cravings. Sometimes all you really want is a Styrofoam burger. Or at very least, you can pick up some bananas, coffee and bread to help you start out your next day.
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