Best-of list · Northern Europe Bars
The 10 best bars in Reykjavik for 2026, from Slippbarinn and Loftid to Kaldi Bar and Micro Bar, with happy hours, prices, and what to order at each.
The short answer
10 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
Reykjavik drinks small and late, built on Icelandic craft beer, harbor-front cocktail rooms, and a happy-hour culture that keeps a pricey city affordable. The 10 below show how downtown actually drinks, from the room that started the cocktail boom to the loudest late spots on Laugavegur.
Slippbarinn opened Iceland's modern cocktail era in 2012, inside the Reykjavik Marina hotel by the old shipyard. The bartenders riff on Nordic ingredients, drinks around 2,500 kronur, and the harbor view does half the work. Hit the daily happy hour from 3 to 6 for the best value in town. Go early evening before the DJ nights. Still the room that set the bar.
Full listing & hours →Kaldi Bar pours the beers from Iceland's Kaldi brewery, the country's first microbrewery, on a side street off Laugavegur. It's a low-lit, no-frills room with a smoking courtyard out back. Pints land around 1,400 kronur and the 4 to 7 happy hour packs it with locals. Go midweek for a seat at the bar. Honest beer, zero pretense, the kind of place regulars guard.
Full listing & hours →Micro Bar was Reykjavik's first craft beer bar, tucked in a cellar at Vesturgata 2 near the old harbor. Ten rotating taps lean hard on Icelandic microbrews, and the staff build tasting flights, five pours for 4,000 kronur. Happy hour runs 3 to 6 daily. This is a calm room for drinkers, not a party. Go early and let the bartender steer your flight.
Full listing & hours →Loftið sits up a staircase on Austurstraeti, an airy room with brass, leather, and big windows over downtown. The cocktails are the most polished in the city, around 2,600 kronur, and the crowd dresses up on weekends. Go for the 4 to 7 happy hour and a window seat before the line forms. Live jazz some nights. The closest Reykjavik gets to a grand cocktail lounge.
Apotek fills a former pharmacy on Austurstraeti, marble and high ceilings intact. The cocktails are sharp and the kitchen runs late, drinks around 2,500 kronur. The happy hour from 4 to 6 is one of downtown's best deals. Go early evening for a quiet table before the dinner rush turns it loud. A handsome room that earns the center-of-town address.
Full listing & hours →Prikið has stood on Bankastraeti since 1951, the oldest coffeehouse in town and Reykjavik's hip-hop bar after dark. Daytime it's diner booths and hangover brunch, nights it's loud and packed to the walls. Beers run about 1,300 kronur. Go late on a weekend if you want the DJ and the dance floor, or midday for the burger. A Reykjavik institution that wears both hats.
Full listing & hours →Kex Hostel's Saemundur gastropub fills an old biscuit factory by the waterfront, salvaged wood and harbor light. It pours Icelandic craft beer and serves heritage plates, beers around 1,400 kronur. Live shows and DJ nights draw locals, not just guests. Go for the 3 to 6 happy hour and a window seat over the bay. One of the few hostel bars worth a trip on its own.
Full listing & hours →Lebowski Bar plays the Coen movie to the hilt on Laugavegur, with a wall of White Russians, 18 ways. Burgers, bowling decor, and a late crowd that gets rowdy on weekends. Drinks run about 1,800 kronur, more for the fancier Russians. Go for the kitsch and the 4 to 7 happy hour, not for a quiet night. A theme bar that commits, and that's the point.
Full listing & hours →The English Pub on Austurstraeti is exactly what it says, a wood-paneled room with dozens of beers on tap and live music most nights. Football on the screens, a wheel-of-fortune drinks game, and tourists shoulder to shoulder. Pints around 1,500 kronur. Go for a match and the singalong, not for craft snobbery. The worst seat still gets you a pint and a tune.
Full listing & hours →Pablo Discobar hides above Veltusund, a loud pink-and-neon cocktail room that turns into a dance floor late. The drinks are fruity and theatrical, around 2,400 kronur, and the crowd skews young on weekends. Go for the 4 to 7 happy hour and the kitsch, then stay for the DJ. Not subtle, not trying to be. The most fun room in town after midnight.
Full listing & hours →Beyond the 10
Einstök Bar pours the Akureyri brewery’s pale ale and white ale on Laugavegur 10, plus a deep gin shelf. It runs late on weekends with a steady local crowd.
Kaffibarinn has served Reykjavik since 1993, a mellow cafe by day and a packed party room at weekends under its London Underground sign. Damon Albarn’s old haunt still runs a daily happy hour.
Public House Gastropub on Laugavegur 24 pairs Icelandic plates with a Japanese turn and a long beer list. The daily happy hour runs 3 to 6.