TypeCafe and hip-hop bar
Neighbourhood101
Signature drinkBeer and hip-hop nights

Must order: The hangover breakfast by day, or a beer once the hip-hop starts.

Food program: Diner food and brunch

Tip: Founded in 1951 and still central to the scene. The greasy breakfast is the morning-after institution.

Location

Address: Bankastraeti 12, 101 Reykjavik

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The bar at Kex Hostel fills a former biscuit factory on Skulagata, a Reykjavik gastropub and live-music room with harbour views and a steady gig calendar.

Signature drink: Local beer

Food: Gastropub plates

Tip: Concerts and jam sessions run most weeks in the old factory hall. The kitchen does proper gastropub plates.

Dillon Whiskey Bar ★ 4.0

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Dillon Whiskey Bar on Laugavegur stocks over a hundred whiskies in a historic Reykjavik house, a rock pub with a tiny gig stage up in the rafters.

Signature drink: Whiskey and bourbon

Food: None

Order: A pour from the hundred-plus whiskies, or a local beer for the rock nights.

Tip: The garden out back is a summer sun-trap. Live rock plays in the attic space above the main bar.

Petersen Svitan ★ 4.1

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Petersen Svitan crowns the historic Gamla Bio cinema on Ingolfsstraeti, a Reykjavik rooftop bar with a two-level terrace and 360-degree views over the centre.

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Food: Snacks

Tip: The upper terrace has the wide views over Vesturbaer. Best on a rare still, sunny Reykjavik evening.

Gaukurinn ★ 4.0

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Gaukurinn on Tryggvagata is a scrappy Reykjavik live venue and bar, hosting rock gigs, drag and DJ nights with some of the cheaper beer downtown.

Signature drink: Cheap beer

Food: None

Tip: A long-running grassroots venue for new bands and drag nights. The crowd mixes locals and visitors.

Loft Hostel Bar ★ 3.9

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The fourth-floor bar at Loft Hostel on Bankastraeti is a see-and-be-seen Reykjavik balcony bar hosting up-and-coming bands and DJs above the main street.

Signature drink: Beer and live acts

Food: Light bites

Tip: The balcony catches afternoon sun over Bankastraeti. Free gigs and DJ sets run through the week.

Apotek Bar ★ 4.0

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The long bar at Apotek on Austurstraeti mixes well-made cocktails in the old first-pharmacy building, one of central Reykjavik's more grown-up drinking rooms.

Signature drink: Classic and house cocktails

Food: Small plates

Tip: The happy hour at the marble bar is among the best central deals. Quieter and more polished than the clubs.

Full 101 food guide →

More bars in Reykjavik

Kex Hostel Bar ★ 4.1

Hostel bar and live venue101

The bar at Kex Hostel fills a former biscuit factory on Skulagata, a Reykjavik gastropub and live-music room with harbour views and a steady gig calendar.

Signature drink: Local beer

Food: Gastropub plates

Tip: Concerts and jam sessions run most weeks in the old factory hall. The kitchen does proper gastropub plates.

Dillon Whiskey Bar ★ 4.0

Whiskey and rock bar101

Dillon Whiskey Bar on Laugavegur stocks over a hundred whiskies in a historic Reykjavik house, a rock pub with a tiny gig stage up in the rafters.

Signature drink: Whiskey and bourbon

Food: None

Order: A pour from the hundred-plus whiskies, or a local beer for the rock nights.

Tip: The garden out back is a summer sun-trap. Live rock plays in the attic space above the main bar.

Petersen Svitan ★ 4.1

Rooftop bar101

Petersen Svitan crowns the historic Gamla Bio cinema on Ingolfsstraeti, a Reykjavik rooftop bar with a two-level terrace and 360-degree views over the centre.

Signature drink: Cocktails with a city view

Food: Snacks

Tip: The upper terrace has the wide views over Vesturbaer. Best on a rare still, sunny Reykjavik evening.

Gaukurinn ★ 4.0

Live music bar101

Gaukurinn on Tryggvagata is a scrappy Reykjavik live venue and bar, hosting rock gigs, drag and DJ nights with some of the cheaper beer downtown.

Signature drink: Cheap beer

Food: None

Tip: A long-running grassroots venue for new bands and drag nights. The crowd mixes locals and visitors.

Loft Hostel Bar ★ 3.9

Hostel rooftop bar101

The fourth-floor bar at Loft Hostel on Bankastraeti is a see-and-be-seen Reykjavik balcony bar hosting up-and-coming bands and DJs above the main street.

Signature drink: Beer and live acts

Food: Light bites

Tip: The balcony catches afternoon sun over Bankastraeti. Free gigs and DJ sets run through the week.

Apotek Bar ★ 4.0

Cocktail bar101

The long bar at Apotek on Austurstraeti mixes well-made cocktails in the old first-pharmacy building, one of central Reykjavik's more grown-up drinking rooms.

Signature drink: Classic and house cocktails

Food: Small plates

Tip: The happy hour at the marble bar is among the best central deals. Quieter and more polished than the clubs.

See every bars pick in Reykjavik →

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