Eiriksson Brasserie

A Former Bank, a Working Cellar, and Reykjavik's Most Committed Wine List

Laugavegur is Reykjavik's main commercial artery — the street that locals walk in all weathers, past wool shops and coffee counters and the occasional tourist trap. At number 77, Eiriksson Brasserie occupies a building with a different past: a former bank, whose vault architecture hasn't been erased so much as repurposed. The cellar that once held deposits now holds bottles, and that structural inheritance shapes everything about the experience here. Walking in, you're aware of the weight of the space before you've looked at the menu.

In most Icelandic cities, the default conversation about wine is a short one. Iceland has no domestic wine production to speak of, which means every serious wine program here is, by necessity, a curation exercise. The question is who is doing the curating and what point of view guides it. At Eiriksson Brasserie, the answer is Old World-focused and depth-oriented, with a list that covers special vintages and multiple bottle formats rather than simply presenting a rotating selection of current-release labels.

The Wine Program: Old World Orientation and Format Depth

Reykjavik's restaurant scene has matured considerably over the past decade, with venues like DILL in Reykjavík and Moss in Grindavík building international recognition for New Nordic cooking. The wine programs at those tasting-menu counters tend toward natural and biodynamic selections, often sourced from small producers working in France, Austria, or the Jura. Eiriksson Brasserie operates in a different register. The focus on Old World producers and special vintages positions it closer to the European brasserie tradition, where the wine list is treated as a serious document rather than a supporting element.

What distinguishes the program here is bottle format range. Many wine lists in this price tier offer standard 750ml bottles across the board, with perhaps a handful of half-bottles for solo diners. A list that extends meaningfully to different formats — halves, magnums, larger formats for the table , signals a cellar that has been built for the long term, with diverse drinking occasions in mind. That variety matters practically: a magnum ages differently than a standard bottle, and for collectors or group diners who want to drink a wine at a particular moment in its development, format access is a genuine differentiator.

For the subset of wine drinkers who approach a list the way others approach a reference library , reading it carefully, cross-referencing producers, looking for verticals or older vintages , this is a rare opportunity in Reykjavik. The brasserie format allows for the kind of extended, exploratory dining that a tasting-menu counter does not.

Brasserie as Format: What It Means in Practice

The brasserie model has a specific logic. Unlike a tasting-menu restaurant, which controls the pace and sequence of the evening, a brasserie asks the guest to drive the experience. You order what you want, at the pace you want, and the wine list is there to be worked through accordingly. In European cities with deep brasserie cultures , Paris, Brussels, Lyon , this format has produced some of the great wine-drinking environments precisely because the lack of a fixed menu structure allows for extended bottle exploration.

Applying that model in Reykjavik requires a certain confidence. The city's dining scene, while growing, still skews toward the casual end for everyday meals and toward the high-concept tasting menu for special occasions. The middle ground , a serious, wine-forward brasserie with cellar depth and a commitment to Old World labels , is less populated. Eiriksson Brasserie occupies that position, which makes it a useful address for visitors who want to drink well without committing to a fixed multi-course format.

Other Reykjavik restaurants worth knowing for different dining registers include Amma Don, Bon Restaurant, Hjá Jóni, Kröst, and Monkeys. For a broader mapping of the city's dining options, our full Reykjavik restaurants guide covers the range from neighbourhood spots to destination counters. If you're building an itinerary that includes accommodation and evenings out, our full Reykjavik hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide fill out the picture. There is also a Reykjavik wineries guide for those whose interest extends beyond the glass.

For global reference points on wine-serious restaurant programs, Le Bernardin in New York City, Alain Ducasse at Louis XV in Monte Carlo, and 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong represent the upper tier of what a European-influenced wine and food program looks like at full development. At the other end of the format spectrum, venues like Alinea in Chicago, Lazy Bear in San Francisco, and Emeril's in New Orleans show how different a food-forward program can look when wine plays a secondary role.

Planning a Visit

Eiriksson Brasserie is at Laugavegur 77, 101 Reykjavik, in the central stretch of the city's main pedestrian-friendly street, which makes it easy to reach on foot from most central accommodation. For current hours, reservation policies, and menu information, direct contact with the venue or a check of current booking platforms is the most reliable approach, as operating hours in Reykjavik's hospitality sector shift seasonally. Iceland's short winter days and long summer nights affect dining rhythms across the city, with later service and longer sittings common in summer when light doesn't fade until well past midnight.