Specialty coffee bus Est. 2020
Skool Beans Café
Iceland's first specialty coffee bus — a retrofitted yellow US school bus parked in Vík, serving the coast's best flat white and a hot chocolate called Dragon's Breath.
◐ SEASONAL HOURS
Seasonal — typically open spring through autumn; confirm winter hours3
TripAdvisor 4.8 ★ · 184 #1 of 2 in Vík
The story
Skool Beans is the work of Holly Keyser, a former UK emergency-services planner who moved to Iceland to work as a glacier guide — then bought a decommissioned American school bus for roughly $6002 and turned it into the country's first specialty coffee bus.
She pulled the first shot on 1 August 20202, in the middle of a pandemic that had emptied Iceland's tourist towns. The bus — kept in its unmistakable US-yellow — became a fixture on the drive between Reykjavík and the south-coast waterfalls, and a small legend for a hot chocolate the menu calls Dragon's Breath. The unofficial greeter is Jeff, the café cat.4
In 2024 Skool Beans relocated within Vík — a move that has left Google and Apple Maps disagreeing on the access road ever since (see Getting there, below).5
What to order
★ SIGNATURE
Dragon's Breath hot chocolate
The item Skool Beans is known for and the most-mentioned order in reviews.1
Coffee
Espresso & milk drinks — flat white, latte, cappuccino
Specialty-grade beans; the reason for the "best coffee on the south coast"
reputation.1
Food
Home-baked cakes & light bites
Rotating; vegan options frequently noted by reviewers.1
Reputation & awards
TripAdvisor 4.8 ★ · 184 reviews
Ranking #1 of 2 cafés in Vík
Review summary
4.8
✓ What travelers love
The coffee — "best on the south coast"
Dragon's Breath hot chocolate
Holly's warmth & friendly service
The yellow bus & Jeff the cat
✕ Common gripes
Hard to find since the move — map apps mislead
Queues / wait in peak season
Limited seating & shelter (it's a bus)
Seasonal — can be closed in deep winter
● meter = how often the theme appears across reviews · aggregated from TripAdvisor1
Notable moments
Getting there
Google and Apple Maps disagree on the road
Since the 2024 move, the two apps route you differently and one can send you down
the wrong track. Trust the coordinates below, not the pin your app
drops.5
- Coords
- 63.4186° N, 19.0060° W — confirm on arrival5
- Town
- In Vík í Mýrdal, ~180 km east of Reykjavík on the Ring Road (Route 1) — an easy stop on the south-coast drive.
- Nearby
- About 10 minutes from Reynisfjara black-sand beach, and on the waterfall run through South Iceland — a natural coffee stop before or after the big sights.
- Access
- Roadside parking; the café is the bright yellow bus — hard to miss once you're on the right street.
Good to know
Is Skool Beans open year-round?
Skool Beans is seasonal — typically open spring through autumn, roughly 10:00–17:00.
Confirm winter hours before visiting, as the bus can be closed in deep winter.3
Where exactly is Skool Beans in Vík?
It's the bright yellow school bus on Klettsvegur in Vík í Mýrdal,
about 180 km east of Reykjavík on the Ring Road (Route 1). Since a 2024 move, Google and
Apple Maps route visitors differently — trust the coordinates 63.4186° N, 19.0060° W over
the pin your app drops.5
What should I order at Skool Beans?
The signature is the Dragon's Breath hot chocolate. The specialty-grade espresso and milk
drinks — flat white, latte, cappuccino — earn its "best coffee on the south coast"
reputation, alongside rotating home-baked cakes with vegan options.1
Is Skool Beans any good — and is it worth stopping for?
It rates 4.8★ across 184 TripAdvisor reviews (#1 of 2 cafés in Vík) and was named best café
in Iceland by European Coffee Trip in 2024 and 2025, ranking #86 in Europe's 100 Best Cafés
in 2026. For a coffee break on the south-coast drive, it's
widely rated worth the stop.1
Who owns Skool Beans, and why is it a coffee bus?
Skool Beans was founded by Holly Keyser, a former UK emergency-services planner who moved to
Iceland to work as a glacier guide. She bought a decommissioned American school bus for
roughly $600, kept its US-yellow paint, and pulled the first shot on 1 August 2020 — making
it Iceland's first specialty coffee bus.2
Does Skool Beans have vegan options?
Yes. Alongside the espresso and milk drinks, Skool Beans rotates home-baked cakes and light
bites, and reviewers frequently note vegan options and plant-milk alternatives.1
Can I pay by card at Skool Beans?
Iceland is almost entirely cashless and cafés typically accept contactless cards, so bring a
card rather than relying on cash. Confirm on arrival, as it's a small independent coffee bus.
Sources
Primary & press
- 2Owner interview / founding story — Skool Beans / Holly Keyser. Pulled 6 Jul 2026.
- 4Press & social coverage — Presidential and celebrity visits, Jeff the cat. Pulled 6 Jul 2026.
- 6European Coffee Trip — café awards & Europe 100 Best ranking. Pulled 6 Jul 2026.
- 5Location & map-conflict notes — cross-referenced map providers + reviews. ◍ single source — verify Pulled 6 Jul 2026.
Aggregators
- 1TripAdvisor — rating 4.8, 184 reviews, #1 of 2 in Vík, Travellers' Choice, review quotes. Pulled 6 Jul 2026.
- 3Opening hours & seasonality — business listing. ◍ verify seasonally Pulled 6 Jul 2026.