New in Town – December 2018

Let us tell you about Reykjavík’s newest restaurants, bars, hangouts, and more. This month: Benedorm, CNTMP, Perlan Planetarium, and Hi Noodle.

Pretend to be in a warm country and order yourself a glass of sangria with a side of cheddar jalapenos at Benedorm Reykjavík. This fancy fast food bar on Pósthússtræti has lots of tasty snacks like burgers, chicken wings, dumplings, onion rings, corn balls, and macarons on offer. Next to this, they have summery cocktails on the menu like a frozen mojito, raspberry daquiri, and Bright ‘n’ Sunny, plus a selection of beers, and several kinds of fries. As they say themselves, they offer good food for good prices, just like you can get in Spain.

CNTMP is a new street fashion store on Iceland’s most popular shopping street, Laugavegur. The store opened December 2018 after two weeks of renovating the space, and is owned by Hlynur James, Arnar Leo and Konráð Logi, who you might know from the brand Reykjavík Roses. The name CNTMP is short for “contemporary,” and they house famous streetwear brands mixed in with designer brands. Follow them on Instagram.com/cntmpstore for regular updates and weekly editorials.

Perlan recently opened their brand-new Planetarium inside one of its water tanks. It’s part of the Wonders of Iceland exhibition. The first show of the Planetarium will be all about Icelandic nature, while you take a virtual journey around Iceland. In February 2019, a new show will be introduced where visitors will fly through the solar system. Northern lights will be shown all around with the science behind them will be explained. Also included in the Wonders of Iceland exhibition are the Glaciers and Ice Cave exhibition (with an actual ice cave), and Perlan View, a large observation deck on the fourth floor of Perlan.

There can’t be enough ramen places and Hi Noodle is a welcome addition to the Reykjavík ramen scene. You will find this cosy eatery on Frakkastígur, one of the streets leading up to Hallgrímskirkja church. They offer four kinds of ramen: tonkotsu, miso tonkotsu, dan dan, and miso vegan. You can choose from three extras, extra chicken or pork, extra egg, or extra noodles. Even though they just opened, people already say they serve the best ramen soup in Reykjavík. Worth checking out!