Spilavinir: A Wonderland of Games, Coffee, and Good Times

Grafík/Margrét Aðalheiður

Let me offer you a riddle: 

What is unpredictable yet predictably fun? Is warm but lives in a cold wonderland? Is playful and does not stop playing? 

The answer is not the Icelandic weather, although you would be forgiven for thinking that. The answer to this riddle is a wonderful place located in the city of Reykjavik, a haven brimming with delight and invention, magic and playfulness. In this article, I would like to tell you about Spilavinir, a coffee shop that, in addition to good coffee, offers customers the possibility to play a wide-ranging selection of board games. 

Bear in mind that this article reflects my personal experience, and while there is no guarantee that you will experience the same surge of wonder that I did, there is a high probability that the magic on display at Spilavinir may cast a delightful spell on you, too. 

As is the case in these times of the plague, we often forget where we were or what we were doing on any given day because, well, most days feel exactly the same. However, I do remember where I was and what I was doing when I first heard about Spilavinir. I was at an online meeting for the Student Paper editorial team at my studio apartment, trying to come up with more ideas for articles to write. A very dear friend, who also happens to be the editor of the paper, mentioned a curious place, a coffee shop unlike anything I had ever heard before. In this shop, which she referred to as “Spilavinir,” it was not only possible to purchase good coffee, but one could relish time with friends playing an assortment of board games. I was enthralled by this notion, and hence offered my services to write an article about the shop. 

I must confess I did not choose to write this article just to learn more about the shop; I also did it because I wanted an excuse to go there. So without wasting a day, my girlfriend and I got on a bus – we had planned on walking, but the weather in Iceland has a way of drastically altering one’s plans – and visited the shop on a snowy, gale-stricken Sunday afternoon. My first impression upon stepping inside the store – aside from tremendous relief, for I had momentarily escaped the clutches of winter – was that the entire place was permeated with a magical aura. It was cozy yet spacious, unassuming but colorful, earnest and playful at the same time. One was left wondering whether the immense display of board and card games might, at any moment, bring their playful tales and stories to life, and in a way they did. 

That afternoon, after enjoying delicious hot coffee, my girlfriend and I planned on playing a few board games that we had played before. But I would be lying to you if I did not admit we were spellbound by the alluring magic pervading Spilavinir, to the point that we stayed until five minutes to closing time. Not only did we try games that were totally new to us, but possessed by a childish wonder, we longed to continue playing and ended up purchasing over five different board games. And if this was not enough to convince you of Spilavinir’s magic, you must also know that visiting this temple of fun is environmentally friendly. How so, you might ask. Well, you don’t have to buy the games you play during your stay, and as such you don’t need to own piles of board games that you may end up throwing away. All you need at Spilavinir is a curious, inquisitive mind, and by giving yourself over to playful magic, you are also contributing to the preservation of the environment. 

I cannot say for certain whether you will share my experience of Spilavinir. There are times when the magic in this world seems to work in mysterious, incomprehensible ways. But believe the magic is there. Lurking somewhere in the world, just waiting for you to find it. Believe that not everything is plagues and harsh weather and economic hardship. Believe that there is still a bit of magic left to play with, and what may seem like a commonplace, modest coffee shop might actually be a wonderland of games, coffee, and good times.