John’s Favourite Spots
John is an Englishman who first joined the grapevine as a music writer, later graduating to Managing Editor. A constant traveller and a lover of art, culture, food and nightlife, he edits the "Best of Reykjavík" AND the "Best of Iceland" magazines.\
John’s Pick: Einar Jónsson Museum
I live close to this downtown sculpture museum, and when the sun comes out I'll often head over there to catch some sun. Einar's sculptures are a bit grandiose—he was dealing with high-minded things like order vs. chaos and hedonism vs. morality and so forth, so it's all very serious—but who cares, when you can sit in the quiet walled garden in the shade of a tree, listen to the birds, read your book, and doze for a while. You have to enjoy the brief window of non-winter for all it's worth around these parts. Ásmundursalur, right across the street, is a good spot to go for a coffee afterwards.
John’s Pick: Reykjavík Roasters, Kárastígur
This on-point coffee shop has long been one my favourite haunts. It has become a bit of a victim of its own success in recent years, with a queue out of the door at peak times, but I still love it. The oatmilk latté is the single best cup of coffee I’ve tried anywhere. They have a nice record collection and you can pick out records yourself (pro tip: don’t play ‘Rumours,’ the sweet and friendly staff are really sick of it). If you can finagle yourself a window seat, you can take in the street life, read a book—or write one—and listen to the crackling vinyl and daydream the afternoon away.
John’s Pick: Pallett, Hafnarfjörður
This cosy and comfortable café is my absolute favourite in town. However, there’s one hitch: it’s in Hafnarfjörður, which—for a pedestrian—means it’s too far away to go every day. So, if a friend with a car says “Let’s meet up!” it’s the first place I pick. The main reason I love it so much is that cook is from England, and he makes amazing flaky pastry pasties and veggie sausage rolls, which are hard to come by around here. So it’s a taste of home. The coffee is also excellent, and they have loads of interesting books. Pallett is just the best.
