Kasbah Cafe

After a week of eating your way through Iceland's excellent but somewhat narrow culinary landscape — fish, lamb, more fish, more lamb — Kasbah Cafe arrives like an oasis. Tucked along the upper stretch of Laugavegur, this Moroccan-inspired cafe brings the warmth, spice, and generosity of North African cooking to a city more commonly associated with fermented shark and hot dogs.

The Food

The menu draws from Moroccan and broader Middle Eastern traditions. Tagines are the centrepiece — slow-cooked stews of lamb, chicken, or vegetables, richly spiced and served with couscous or bread. The lamb tagine, fragrant with cumin, cinnamon, and preserved lemon, is the dish that regulars return for. It is deeply warming, generous in portion, and seasoned with the kind of confidence that suggests the kitchen knows its way around a spice rack.

The meze options — hummus, falafel, baba ganoush — are reliable and well-prepared. For vegetarians and vegans, Kasbah is a genuine relief. Where many Icelandic restaurants offer a single vegetarian option as an afterthought, Kasbah's plant-based dishes are central to the menu and treated with equal care.

Couscous dishes round out the offering, and the daily specials are worth asking about. The portions are satisfying without being overwhelming, and the pricing is fair for central Reykjavik.

The Setting

The interior is a deliberate contrast to the Scandinavian minimalism that dominates most Reykjavik restaurants. Colourful tiles, Moroccan lanterns, and warm textiles create an atmosphere that feels genuinely transported from a different part of the world. It is cosy rather than spacious, intimate rather than grand, and on a cold Reykjavik evening the warmth — both literal and aesthetic — is exactly what you want.

Why It Works

Reykjavik's dining scene has diversified enormously in recent years, but genuine Middle Eastern and North African cooking remains underrepresented. Kasbah fills this gap with conviction. The food is authentic in spirit, the flavours are bold, and the experience of sitting in a Moroccan-decorated cafe while sleet hammers the windows outside has a surreal charm that is uniquely Reykjavik.

Practical Tips

Lunchtime offers the best value, with specials that deliver substantial food at prices below the evening menu. The restaurant is on the eastern end of Laugavegur, near Hlemmur, so it combines well with a walk along the full length of the main street. Takeaway is available and practical. No reservations are essential for lunch, but calling ahead for weekend dinners is sensible. The cafe is small, and when it fills up, it fills up quickly.