Systrakaffi — Restaurant in undefined

The waiter of this restaurant, Juan, said to us that if we don’t know Icelandic language and English, we shouldn’t even come to his country - such racist behaviour should absolutely not be tolerated.

Everything happened just because we made an unintentional mistake on our end - when one of our tour group members entered the restaurant, it was empty and the waiters were hanging out at the back of the kitchen (which in the first place is not appropriate as it is business hours we would have thought they are on duty and we would normally expect someone to be at the front of the restaurant). Since our tour group was a large one, he chose a bigger table. Juan immediately scolded him for entering the restaurant without permission. We immediately apologized, while he forced us back to the front door, which was slightly bizarre as it felt like we were being disciplined and had to re-enter the restaurant WITH his permission.

This one simple and inadvertent mistake was what triggered the subsequent systemic bullying and abusive actions against our entire tour group. Juan initially scolded us for choosing a seat, then proceeded to tell us we can only dine in for 90mins, which was absolutely fine. When we tried to place our order, he refused, scolded us severely for not ordering in an “Icelandic” manner, and said he would serve other tables first. We complied. When another waitress attempted to take our order, he shouted at her not to serve us. By then, we were extremely embarrassed by his continuous verbal abuse in front of the entire restaurant, despite not having said a word until then.

When his colleague tried to discuss with him about his behavior, he refused to engage with her or take our orders. He even instructed his colleagues not to take our orders. One of our group members finally confronted him, albeit in a loud manner. The waiter then completely lost control and started shouting uncontrollably at us. I explained that not everyone could read English, especially in the Asian population. Thereafter he said the most racist thing I’ve heard in a while. He said, if we can’t read Icelandic language or English, we shouldn’t even come to his country.

The restaurant must reflect on their shockingly rude, abusive, and racist service attitude. It is essential for them to realize that tourist from various parts of the world visit Iceland, each with their unique approach to entering a restaurant or ordering food, and with no ill intentions. However, the waiter's made multiple attempts to deliberately and unkindly belittle the customers, even shouting at us. We are not demanding a lot here, just basic human courtesy. Needless to say, our tour agency have now blacklisted this restaurant.

P.S, Let us know if the photo needs to be taken down....

My recent visit to Systrakaffi was marred by an incredibly disappointing encounter with one of the waiters, Juan. I had heard positive reviews about the restaurant and was eager to try the food. However, my experience was overshadowed by the uncomfortable and tense atmosphere created by Juan's behavior.

Upon entering the establishment, I immediately noticed an unfriendly vibe, and it became increasingly apparent that Juan's actions were the primary cause. As an Asian individual, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being subjected to xenophobia and discrimination. Juan's rudeness extended beyond any reasonable bounds of customer service.

Despite my anticipation to savor the restaurant's cuisine, I decided to walk out almost immediately after being seated. The negative ambiance created by Juan's behavior made it impossible for me to enjoy my dining experience. It's disheartening to encounter such unprofessionalism, and I hope the management addresses this issue to ensure a welcoming environment for all patrons. My visit to Systrakaffi was not only a culinary disappointment but also an unfortunate encounter with...

The service from our waitress was remarkably poor. Her attitude was bad from the start. We ordered an appetizer and asked for a moment to choose an entree and she never returned. Never checked on us again for the remainder of the meal unless we flagged her down. When we did flag her down she was rude and acted as if we were a burden. My wife has dark skin and we noticed another table with two dark skinned individuals being treated rudely. Other tables seemed to receive better treatment. We paid with the hostess who was warm and friendly. As we were leaving, our waitress loudly yelled across the room in an accusatory tone “did you pay?” to which the hostess quickly responded on our behalf and gave us an apologetic look. Even after knowing we paid the waitress still gave us a dirty look. The pizza was fine. The soup was fine. And the croquette was good but was significantly overpriced (even in Iceland) to just receive a singular croquette. I would recommend staffing have a serious conversation with the waitress in question if this...