Handing my key over to the front desk, I was in search of an affordable breakfast in Reykjavik.  Not wanting to do the hotel continental breakfast buffet for $25 (no ala-carte), I wanted to find a local cafe to enjoy a quiet breakfast before my day of adventure.  The front desk told me of a bakery nearby called Bergsson Mathus.  As my weakness is bread, breakfast at a bakery seemed heavenly. Crossing the deserted street and walking through the empty square felt somewhat wrong as it was still very dark outside – the midnight kind of dark and yet it was 8 a.m. on a Saturday.  Walking past the church and City Hall, I quickly found the light in my day at Bergsson Mathus.  The cafe’s light warmly welcomed me in and the smell of freshly baked bread enticed me to stay.

Bergsson Mathus English Menu

With a blackboard menu in English (their website is not), there are two big breakfast choices (breakfast $13.40 or brunch $15.70) a smaller option (bread plate $7.85) and ala carte options (yogurt, juice, etc.).  Having read that food is expensive in Reykjavik (and Iceland overall), I was pleasantly surprised to find that Bergsson Mathus was reasonably priced, shattering the expense myth.  “Breakfast” consisted of yogurt, a soft-boiled egg, ham, cheese, juice and bread while “Brunch” included all of “breakfast” with the addition of bacon and potatoes.  I started with “Brunch” on Day 1.

The Dining Room at Bergsson Mathus

While I waited, I found a table  (I was the only guest so had the place, which consists of two rooms and three sections to myself) facing the door  with a view of the cafe. The music that played each morning was captivating, I couldn’t place the origin but it made for great sound in the cafe. Given the darkness outside, the candlelit tables were magical and with the music it was just perfect and yet so surreal seeing the darkness outside. There is a self-service station for water and another for utensils, napkins and bread accompaniments such as butter, jam or peanut butter (nice touch).

My Breakfast Options

My food was delivered and the portions were perfect but there was a lot of food on Day 1.  The bread looked delicious and with only one bite into the warm, soft sourdough bread, I was addicted.  This is the kind of bread that my gluten-free sister would cheat with (and risk getting sick) because it is that good. It was with that one bite that I knew I’d be back here every morning during my stay as I was under its spell.

On Day 2, I skipped the bacon and potatoes, opting for just “breakfast”, which was still a lot of food so I asked for a takeaway bag to wrap up a snack for the South Coast tour and was given more bread to make a full sandwich (a very tasty treat, I wished I had taken all that was offered!)

The Bread Plate would be my Day 3 option as I pared down to the good stuff (I forgot to say no cheese – dreaded lactose intolerance!)

By Day 4 I had the perfect combo – bread plate minus cheese, add chocolate croissant (ala-carte extra charge).  The chocolate croissant was bits of buttery, flaky, chocolate filled happiness in a pastry.  Why hadn’t I added the croissant on Day 1?

This lovely cafe has outdoor seating, serves lunch and dinner as well as coffee and wine. As I was leaving each day, it started filling with locals on their way to work or just passing through for a coffee.  It was a fantastic breakfast suggestion from the front desk at Hotel Borg proving affordable breakfast in Reykjavik can be found and it’s tasty, fresh and plentiful.