Hveragerði's cafés are unpretentious places — they serve good coffee, cakes, and light food, and they are where locals actually spend time rather than venues designed around tourism. The pace is slow by most standards, which is appropriate for a town where the main outdoor activity is a two-hour walk to a warm river.
The café attached to the geothermal park area serves coffee and Icelandic pastries — skúffukaka (pan cake) and kleinur (twisted doughnuts) are the ones to look for. After the Reykjadalur hike, which can be cold and wet in most seasons, sitting with a hot drink for half an hour is more or less obligatory. A few places also serve hot chocolate made with Icelandic dairy milk, which is richer than most.
There are no bars in Hveragerði in any meaningful sense — alcohol is sold at the state Vínbúðin off-licence, and the local petrol station serves as a community hub for sandwiches and coffee in a way that is common in small Icelandic towns. The social life of the town is quiet and centred on the swimming pool and the walking trails more than on evening venues.