Restaurant in Reykjavik, Iceland
Fast, casual, and worth the stop.
Hamborgarabúlla Tómasar is a casual burger spot on Reykjavik's Old Harbour waterfront at Geirsgata 1 — walk-in friendly, no booking needed, and best suited to solo diners or informal groups. It sits at the quick-and-local end of the Reykjavik eating spectrum, closer in spirit to Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur than to the city's fine dining rooms. Go for ease and local flavour, not a curated group experience.
Hamborgarabúlla Tómasar is a Reykjavik burger institution on the Old Harbour waterfront at Geirsgata 1, and if you want a quick, no-fuss meal that locals actually eat rather than a tourist-facing production, this is a reasonable call. The booking difficulty is low — walk-in friendly by Reykjavik standards — which makes it a practical option when you have not planned ahead. That said, the venue data available is sparse, so read this as a practical orientation rather than a deep endorsement.
The address on Geirsgata places Hamborgarabúlla Tómasar right at the edge of Reykjavik's Old Harbour, a compact working waterfront that draws both locals and visitors. Counter-style or casual seating is typical for this format in Iceland , expect a compact room rather than a sprawling dining floor. If you are arriving as a larger group, the physical constraints of a harbour-side burger spot mean you should check ahead on capacity; the layout is unlikely to accommodate private dining or dedicated group areas in the way a full-service restaurant would. For solo diners or pairs, the setup tends to work naturally without a reservation.
For groups considering a private or semi-private arrangement, Hamborgarabúlla Tómasar is not the obvious answer. This is a casual counter-service or fast-casual environment , the value here is speed, informality, and a sense of local authenticity, not a curated group experience. If your group needs a dedicated space, a set menu, or a more considered host-and-guest dynamic, look instead at venues like Bon Restaurant or Brút, which are better positioned to handle that format in Reykjavik. For a group that simply wants to eat together without fuss, Hamborgarabúlla Tómasar can work , arrive early, expect the room to fill, and keep expectations calibrated to a casual outing rather than a private dining occasion.
Reykjavik has a genuinely interesting food scene that ranges from the New Nordic fine dining of DILL in Reykjavík to the harbour-side lobster soup at Fjöruborðið in Stokkseyri and the geothermal tomato greenhouse experience at Friðheimar in Reykholt. Against that backdrop, Hamborgarabúlla Tómasar occupies the casual, fast end of the spectrum , closer in spirit to the beloved hot dog stand Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur than to the city's more ambitious kitchens. Both serve a real purpose: they are the places you go when you want to eat like someone who lives here, not someone on a itinerary. If that is the experience you are after, the harbour location and the format make this a credible stop.
No advance reservation is typically needed for venues of this type. The harbour area gets busier in summer months (June through August) when daylight hours extend and tourist foot traffic peaks, so timing your visit outside of midday and early evening rushes will help. Walk in, order at the counter, and expect a quick turnaround rather than a leisurely table experience.
See the comparison section below for how Hamborgarabúlla Tómasar sits against other Reykjavik options.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamborgarabúlla Tómasar | Easy | — | |||
| Amma Don | Unknown | — | |||
| Bon Restaurant | Unknown | — | |||
| Eiriksson Brasserie | Unknown | — | |||
| Hjá Jóni | Unknown | — | |||
| Kröst | Unknown | — |
How Hamborgarabúlla Tómasar stacks up against the competition.
If you want a sit-down meal rather than a counter experience, Eiriksson Brasserie or Bon Restaurant are better fits. Hjá Jóni suits a more neighbourhood, local-feeling dinner. Kröst and Amma Don skew toward a more polished, mid-range dining format. Hamborgarabúlla Tómasar wins on speed and casual value near the Old Harbour at Geirsgata 1 — none of those alternatives match it for a quick, no-fuss stop.
Come as you are. Hamborgarabúlla Tómasar is a counter-service burger spot at Geirsgata 1, not a restaurant with a dress code. Whatever you're wearing for a day around the Old Harbour area works fine — jeans, a rain jacket, walking shoes.
It's a fast, casual counter format, so large groups should keep expectations in check. Small groups of two to four work well; larger parties may find seating tight. If your group needs a reserved table or a sit-down meal pace, look at Eiriksson Brasserie or Bon Restaurant instead.
It's a counter-service spot near Reykjavik's Old Harbour at Geirsgata 1, so expect a casual, quick experience rather than a full dining occasion. The location makes it a practical stop before or after exploring the harbour area. Go in with the right expectations — a solid, no-ceremony burger — and it delivers.
No. The counter format and casual setting at Geirsgata 1 are not built for celebrations or milestone meals. For a special occasion in Reykjavik, Bon Restaurant or Kröst offer a more appropriate setting and pace.
No advance booking is needed — this is a walk-in counter at Geirsgata 1. Just turn up. Peak tourist hours and weekend lunches can mean a short queue, so arriving slightly off-peak is worth it, but reservations are not part of the format.
The burger is the reason to come — that's the whole menu focus at this counter. Specific dishes aren't confirmed in available data, but the venue's reputation in Reykjavik is built entirely on its burgers, so don't overthink it. Order the burger.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
