Reykjavik is a city that feels like a beautiful fever dream — a place where volcanic earth hisses beneath your feet and the midnight sun hangs in the sky like a half-forgotten myth. And yet, what truly brings this far-north capital to life isn’t just its moonlike landscapes or geothermal pools, but its wild, pulsating, intimate bar scene. Reykjavik’s best bars aren’t merely places to drink; they’re social sanctuaries where new legends are minted every weekend. Each spot tells its own story — some echoing Viking sagas, others channeling a laid-back California skate vibe, or a neon-lit Berlin warehouse at 3 a.m.
Whether you want to sip a gin cocktail crafted from local botanicals while watching the harbor fog roll in, or find yourself dancing to disco under a swirl of vintage lights, Reykjavik’s bars offer a kaleidoscopic map to the city’s soul. Here’s a full guide to the best bars in Reykjavik — each a chapter in this strange, wonderful northern tale.
Apótek Restaurant
More than a restaurant, Apótek is a cocktail cathedral inside a historic pharmacy building. The bar program is surgical in its precision, leaning into Icelandic herbs and syrups made from local berries. The “Painkiller” — a smooth, spicy take on the classic — is a rite of passage here. In the soft, coppery glow, you’ll understand why Icelanders linger over drinks until the sun threatens to rise again.
Amma Don
Tucked into downtown Reykjavik like a secret grandmother’s kiss (Amma means “grandma”), Amma Don is comforting and mischievous at once. Expect playful drinks, Scandinavian small plates, and a rotating cocktail list that changes like the wind off Faxaflói Bay. There’s a quiet charisma here — a place that feels as if it belongs both to you and to the city’s centuries of lore.
Daisy
Think Miami heat meets Reykjavik cool. Daisy channels retro American diner vibes with playful cocktails that wink at the past — boozy milkshakes, neon-colored spritzes, and sugar-rimmed disco potions. The crowd is young, hungry for color and sound, and willing to stay out until they meet the morning. Order the signature daisy cocktail and prepare for the next chapter of your night.
Jungle
There’s something primal and electric at Jungle, a bar that feels like a rainforest dream after too many hours in the Icelandic winter. Vines coil around the ceiling, the music leans tropical and dance-y, and the cocktails carry an almost medicinal punch — think fresh citrus, infused rums, and fiery spices. Jungle isn’t just a bar, it’s an ecstatic greenhouse where you shake off your cold-weather blues.
Kaffibarinn
Kaffibarinn is Reykjavik’s answer to the neighborhood pub and underground club, forever intertwined. You might recognize its iconic red front door (yes, it was partially owned by Damon Albarn back in the day). Inside, you’ll find an anything-goes crowd dancing to local DJs, clinking beers, and plotting tomorrow’s hangover cure. This place has a rough, magnetic edge — as if Reykjavik’s heartbeat lives beneath its worn wood floors.
Kröns
At Kröns, you get that rare blend of refined cocktail technique and no-pretension charm. The menu reads like a tiny novel, each drink a small plot twist. Drinks are heavy on Icelandic herbs and seasonal fruit, served up with warmth rather than swagger. One sip of their rhubarb gin cocktail, and you’ll believe in elves again.
Lebowski Bar
A riot of color and retro Americana, Lebowski Bar is a full-on Big Lebowski tribute — milkshakes spiked with local vodka, neon bowling murals, and a jukebox that swings from country to classic rock without apology. The White Russian flows like water here, and if you’re lucky, you’ll leave humming “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In).” This is the place where Reykjavik forgets to be cool and just has fun.
Pablo Discobar
Yes, that’s the actual name, and yes, it is exactly as flamboyant as you imagine. With its kaleidoscopic lighting, pulsing beats, and flaming cocktails, Pablo Discobar is the neon-drenched alter ego of Reykjavik nightlife. You come here to move your hips, scream-laugh with strangers, and drink mezcal concoctions that taste like tropical thunder. You don’t visit Pablo — you surrender to it.
The Petersen Suite
Floating high above Reykjavik in the old Gamla Bíó building, The Petersen Suite is a rooftop gem with 360-degree views of the harbor and mountains. Inside, it feels like an elegant jazz club from a different decade: dark corners, plush seats, cocktails as smooth as glacier ice. You’ll come for the sunsets but stay for the Negronis — and maybe a whispered secret or two.
Röntgen
A haunt for artists and free spirits, Röntgen is Reykjavik’s creative laboratory. The space feels half gallery, half dive bar — mismatched furniture, offbeat art on the walls, a vinyl-only soundtrack. Order a sour beer or a gin highball and slip into the collective hum of dreamers planning tomorrow’s revolution. Here, the night always feels on the verge of something big.
Skál
In the bustling Hlemmur Food Hall, Skál is a bar that captures Iceland’s culinary soul in a glass. Nordic minimalism rules the cocktail list, with sharp flavors, hyper-local ingredients, and an emphasis on pure expression. It’s a perfect first stop before dinner or an easy landing after hours of roaming the city’s edges. Try the dill aquavit cocktail — it’s like shaking hands with Iceland itself.
Skreið
At Skreið, fish and spirits dance in close embrace. Inspired by the sea, Skreið’s cocktail program is as much about oceanic storytelling as it is about getting tipsy. The decor is all marine hues and soft lights, and the drinks incorporate saline touches, seaweed infusions, and other surprises. An essential stop for anyone wanting to taste the Arctic waters in liquid form.
Slippbarinn
Slippbarinn pioneered the craft cocktail scene in Reykjavik before “mixology” became a buzzword. With its waterfront view and bold Nordic flavor experiments, this is where Reykjavik learned to really play with its drinks. You’ll find lava salt rims, birch bitters, and plenty of Icelandic whimsy. Order something you can’t pronounce, strike up a conversation, and watch the city’s stories unfold around you.
Tipsý Bar & Lounge
Sometimes you need a cocktail bar that doubles as a kinetic energy field. Tipsý Bar & Lounge is just that — a place for dancing, laughing, and seeing the city through a glossier lens. The drinks are bright and flirty, and the music pulses like Reykjavik’s nighttime heartbeat. If you’re looking to meet strangers who might become your next travel story, this is your address.
Veðurbarinn
A local favorite that feels like a warm sweater against the city’s unpredictable wind, Veðurbarinn offers a moodier, cozier take on the Reykjavik drinking ritual. Think robust craft beers, stormy dark cocktails, and plenty of shelter from the literal and metaphorical weather. The crowd skews more laid-back, the energy slower and more deliberate — ideal for plotting the rest of your Icelandic adventure.
Where the Northern Lights Meet Neon Nights
Reykjavik’s bar scene is as wild and shape-shifting as the aurora overhead. It is a city built on contrasts: ancient sagas and modern beats, volcanic ash and glacial purity, quiet contemplation and riotous disco. Each bar offers a new perspective on what it means to drink, to meet, to vanish into the small hours of the morning.
So whether you’re chasing the last pink of a midnight sun, or warming up after a day exploring lava fields, these bars are waiting with open doors, each telling a different piece of the Reykjavik story.
Raise your glass, step inside, and let the city sing to you.
