Kaffi Vinyl

Kaffi Vinyl is permanently closed. It closed its doors in December 2019, and its absence left a gap in Reykjavik's cultural landscape that has not been adequately filled. What follows is for the record and for the many people who still search for it.

What It Was

Kaffi Vinyl was something rare: a venue that genuinely combined multiple identities without any of them feeling like an afterthought. It was a vegan cafe serving entirely plant-based food. It was a vinyl record shop selling a curated selection of indie rock, electronic, classic, and modern albums. It was a bar. It was a live music venue hosting DJs and performers. And somehow, in a compact space on Hverfisgata with rustic floors and recycled furniture, all of these functions coexisted naturally.

The vegan menu was taken seriously -- not a limited selection of token options, but a full menu of well-prepared dishes that attracted non-vegans as readily as committed plant-based eaters. The record shop element meant there was always something to browse while waiting for food, and the evening transformation into a live music venue gave the space a different energy entirely.

Why It Mattered

Kaffi Vinyl represented something important about Reykjavik's independent culture: the willingness to combine ideas that might seem incompatible and make them work through sheer conviction and creativity. It was a community space where artists, musicians, vegans, record collectors, and casual visitors all felt equally at home. The atmosphere was deliberately counter-cultural without being exclusionary.

Its closure in late 2019 was met with genuine sadness from regulars and the broader Reykjavik cultural community. It was one of several independent venues lost during a period of rising rents and economic pressure.

The Legacy

The spirit of Kaffi Vinyl lives on in Reykjavik's continued enthusiasm for independent, multi-purpose venues. Vinyl Bistro carried some of the concept forward at a different location, though it is a separate operation. The vegan dining scene has grown significantly since Kaffi Vinyl's heyday, with Loving Hut and others filling the culinary gap.

Where to Go Instead

For vegan dining, Loving Hut on Laugavegur offers the best value. For the record-shop-meets-cafe atmosphere, Lucky Records on Raudararstigur combines music retail with a social space. For live music in an intimate setting, several small Reykjavik venues continue the tradition that Kaffi Vinyl helped establish.