LYST — Restaurant in Akureyrarbær

The Place The café itself is very nice, modern, and cozy in the middle of Akureyri botanic garden. However, the tables are often dirty, with crumbs from cakes or cookies and spots of coffee or hot chocolate left by previous guests. It’s disappointing that no one seems to care about cleaning them, which should not be acceptable for such a pleasant place.

Service It’s rare to see a smile or any sign of good mood from the staff when ordering or being served at the table. If there is a mistake with an order, such as food or drinks being brought to the wrong table (which can happen to anyone), the only response you get from the waitress is a confused look with no explanation or correction.

Food The cookies and cakes are good, though not the best I’ve ever had. The portions are quite small for the price, especially the sourdough bread with olive oil and salt. I recently tried it and was very disappointed with the portion size. For 700 ISK, you only get one and a half thin slices of bread. Come on, that's not enough for that price.

Drinks The Omnom hot chocolate, which you can get with optional cream and sugar (though the chocolate is naturally sweet enough), is quite good. The coffee is decent as well. While it’s not exceptional specialty coffee, it’s still among the best you can find in Akureyri.

Overall This is a beautiful place with great potential, but there is a lot of room for improvement in terms of service and cleanliness. I enjoy meeting friends here, but it’s sad to see such potential not being...

For me the coffee with the best atmosphere in Akureyri. It's usually my choice when meeting friends out. So cosy here! Especially in a beautiful weather day with great view to the botanical garden. Very good coffe and probably the best hot chocolate in town for my taste (dark, not very sweet chocolate from the Icelandic brand omnom). They also offer food. Haven't tried a lot but everything looks very tasty. I was looking at their sandwiches for a while - looked so tasty but never was hungry to buy one. I finally ordered one today - with smoked arctic char, but was a bit disappointed. My slice was smaller than expexted (from what I've seen to be surved) as I had closer to the end slice. It was a bit burned on 1 side and capers were having a bit of burned taste too. Not sure if I will buy the bread again, but probably will try the fish some time. Cocktails are very good - not very big but really tasty. Prices are just normal - as everywhere...

I had a delightful experience at Lyst that I had to visit again! The availability of an English menu and the English-speaking staff made the dining experience incredibly comfortable. The stunning building, adorned with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the gardens, created a picturesque setting. The entire vibe of the place is enchanting, especially in the middle of winter, casting a magical atmosphere. We were lucky it snowed while visiting!

The use of dark chocolate in drinks added a distinct and delightful flavor, and the presentation of the food was truly impressive. We savored the smoked char and tuna, both impeccably prepared and delicious. Lyst is a must-visit for those seeking a combination of exquisite tastes, beautiful ambiance, and warm...