Starbucks opening in Reykjavik

One of the omissions for some visitors to Iceland is a lack of their usual coffee shop: a chain one.

There are of course a great many excellent coffee shops in Iceland, with local independents providing quality beans and barista coffee. My personal favourite is Sandholt at Laugavegur 36.

However, for those who prefer a generic coffee, there is good news as Starbucks is about to open two outlets in Reykjavik.

It will be interesting to see whether locals turn to this global multinational or stay faithful to the local coffee shops. The fate of McDonalds' Iceland outlets might serve as a guide.

The first location will be on Laugavegur 66-68, Reykjavík's main shopping street, and a second store will open in the city's new harbour district. 

These stores will be operated by Berjaya Food International, a Malaysian company that also has the rights to operate Starbucks in Denmark and Finland.

Image: Alan Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license