Brauð & Co has several bakeries across Reykjavík, but this review starts at the Frakkastígur original because it shows the brand at its most distinctive. The painted little house sits in central 101, just off Laugavegur and a short walk from Hallgrímskirkja, with racks of bread, trays of snúðar, laminated pastry, two seats if you are lucky, and bakers working close enough for the room to feel more workshop than lounge.
This is a grab-and-go recommendation with coffee attached. Come early, order decisively, and carry something warm back into the city. The Frakkastígur room is too small to promise a slow sit-down breakfast, but that limitation gives the visit its shape: fast, fragrant, and over before you have talked yourself into a second pastry.
Coffee style
Coffee is the supporting act, but not an afterthought. The strongest version is simple: filter coffee or a basic espresso drink beside a cinnamon roll, croissant, or slice of sourdough. Do not read this as a specialist brew-bar page; read it as the bakery stop where coffee makes the pastry route complete.
Pastry
Pastry and bread are the reason Brauð & Co belongs in the Reykjavík guide. The counter is built around freshly baked sourdough, croissants, snúðar, and other baked goods made with organic flour, Icelandic butter, and sea salt. The cinnamon roll is the headline, but the wider case is stronger than one item: laminated pastry, sourdough loaves, pretzels, and a steady sense that the counter is being refilled rather than staged.
The feel
The original is atmospheric because it is small, visible, and busy. The painted exterior catches the eye; the inside is more production line than lounge. Service needs to move quickly, and the best visit respects that pace. If the Frakkastígur queue is heavy or you want more seating, Laugavegur 180 is the practical fallback inside the same Reykjavík map.
Why Brauð & Co is shortlisted by Filter Notes
Brauð & Co is shortlisted because it gives Reykjavík a bakery-led coffee stop with real local weight: sourdough, snúðar, croissants, an open-bakery feel, early hours, and a room whose constraints shape the visit. Cross town for the pastry, the original Frakkastígur atmosphere, and the first-hour rhythm; know before going that seating is scarce and the coffee should stay in a supporting role.