Over recent years, Reykjavík has developed quite the sweet tooth.
Bakeries, chocolate shops, ice cream counters, and candy stores have become as much a part of exploring downtown as its cafés and bars. On Laugavegur, however, one of the city’s more unusual sweet stops has traveled considerably farther to get here.
Lookoomas specializes in loukoumades, traditional Greek doughnuts served hot with sauces and toppings. They’re made for eating fresh and provide a particularly convincing excuse to stop for dessert while exploring Iceland’s capital.
Lookoomas also happens to be one of the stops we visit on our Icelandic Sweet Tooth Tour, where Greek tradition has found a place alongside some very Icelandic sugary favorites.
What Are Loukoumades?
Loukoumades are small pieces of yeast dough, fried until golden and traditionally finished with honey and cinnamon. People across Greece and the eastern Mediterranean have eaten different forms of loukoumades for centuries.
The basic idea is wonderfully simple: hot fried dough and something sweet on top.
Modern loukoumades shops have taken that considerably further. Chocolate, nuts, sauces, creams, and ice cream can all enter the equation, while the doughnut itself remains the foundation.
The first thing that matters is eating them hot.
Bite through the crisp outer shell and the dough inside is light, soft, and slightly chewy. The toppings do most of the talking after that, whether you’ve gone for something relatively restrained or a box covered in chocolate, cream, and crushed nuts.
The shop combines tradition with a contemporary dessert-bar approach, offering different ways to customize your loukoumades depending on just how serious your sugar craving happens to be.
You can stay close to the traditional Greek version or abandon restraint altogether.
A Family Recipe That Traveled to Iceland
Lookoomas sits at Laugavegur 30a, placing it directly on Reykjavík’s best-known shopping street and within easy walking distance of most of the city center.
It may be a relatively recent addition to the city’s food scene, but the recipe behind it goes back much further. The business describes its loukoumades as being based on a grandmother’s recipe passed down through generations.
Today, that family tradition has traveled from Greece to Laugavegur, where Lookoomas fries the doughnuts fresh in the center of Reykjavík.
It’s a small but telling example of how the city’s food culture has changed. Reykjavík is still the place to try rye bread, Icelandic pastries, licorice, and traditional dishes, but the people who have made the city their home have brought their own food traditions with them.
At Lookoomas, that happens to mean hot Greek doughnuts.
And there are few climates in which being handed a portion of freshly fried dough feels more appropriate.
Lookoomas and Our Reykjavík Sweet Tooth Tour
We visit Lookoomas as part of our Icelandic Sweet Tooth Tour, a two-hour walk through downtown Reykjavík devoted to the sweeter side of the city.
The tour introduces guests to different treats and the stories behind them, from Icelandic pastries and candy to some of the businesses that have become part of Reykjavík’s changing food culture.
Lookoomas makes for a particularly good stop along the way because loukoumades are made for sharing. A fresh box gives everyone a chance to try them while they’re still hot, compare toppings and, depending on the Reykjavík weather, enjoy a few minutes somewhere warm before continuing through downtown.
What to Order at Lookoomas
If it’s your first time at Lookoomas, the traditional loukoumades are a good place to start.
Served hot with honey and cinnamon, they’re also the simplest way to experience this Greek favorite before venturing into the more elaborate creations on the menu.
From there, the menu gets considerably more indulgent. Chocolate, pistachio cream, nuts, candy and other toppings can be added, while creations such as the Dubai chocolate loukoumades take things firmly into decadent territory.
Our advice? If you’re visiting with someone else, order different flavors and share. Loukoumades are at their best straight from the fryer, and sharing a few varieties saves you from the considerably harder task of choosing just one.
You can also build your own box, choosing from sauces such as salted caramel, Bueno chocolate, vanilla cream, Greek honey and pistachio praline, then adding toppings and ice cream. Vegan sauces and toppings are available too.
If you are not after doughnuts alone, there is hot chocolate, coffee, tea and a small selection of soft drinks, making it an easy stop for something sweet in central Reykjavík.
Where to Find Lookoomas in Reykjavík
Lookoomas is located at Laugavegur 30a, right in the heart of downtown Reykjavík. If you’re exploring the city center independently, it’s an easy stop to work into your day, with much of central Reykjavík accessible on foot.
Laugavegur itself is Reykjavík’s best-known shopping street, lined with stores, cafés, restaurants, and bars.
From Lookoomas, you’re also within easy walking distance of Hallgrímskirkja, Skólavörðustígur, and the colorful streets surrounding the church. Head in the opposite direction and you’ll soon reach the lower end of Laugavegur, Bankastræti, and the older heart of downtown around Austurvöllur.
The waterfront isn’t far away either. Harpa Concert Hall and the Sun Voyager can both be reached on foot, making Lookoomas an easy detour if you’re spending the day sightseeing rather than specifically hunting for dessert.
Its central location also makes it convenient if you’re staying downtown. Many of Reykjavík’s hotels, guesthouses, and apartments are concentrated around Laugavegur and the surrounding streets, so you may well find Lookoomas within walking distance of your accommodation.
If you’re staying farther out, numerous city bus routes bring you into the center, while Reykjavík’s main downtown attractions are compact enough to explore together once you’re there.
You don’t need to be taking a food tour to visit. Simply walk in, choose your loukoumades, and continue exploring Reykjavík with a considerably sweeter addition to the day.
On our Sweet Tooth Tour, Lookoomas instead becomes one stop in a broader introduction to Reykjavík’s sweet side.
Discover Reykjavík One Sweet at a Time
There is, admittedly, no great difficulty in convincing someone to eat a freshly fried doughnut. Frankly, the hardest part is walking back out onto Laugavegur without ordering another box.
That’s part of the fun of eating your way around Reykjavík. You might arrive with a list of Icelandic foods you’re determined to try, but some of the things you remember most aren’t necessarily the ones you expected to find here.
Lookoomas is exactly the sort of place that can sneak onto that list.
Fortunately, Reykjavík is a very walkable city, so you can always tell yourself you’ll work it off. We make no guarantees.
And if you’re joining us for the Sweet Tooth Tour, leave room for doughnuts.
