Dance clubs, live music, rooftop bars, speakeasies, LGBTQ+ venues, listening bars and late-night dives in Reykjavik.
Dance clubs, live music, rooftop bars, speakeasies, LGBTQ+ nightlife, listening bars and late-night dives across Reykjavik, with where to go and what is worth the late night.
Kaffibarinn on Bergstadastraeti is the godfather of Reykjavik nightlife, a 1993 cafe-bar that turns into a heaving DJ dance floor past midnight at weekends.
Tip: Once part-owned by Damon Albarn. Go before 23:00 to skip the long weekend queue at the door.
Pablo Discobar on Veltusund is a two-floor tropical disco bar in central Reykjavik, where mezcal cocktails give way to karaoke and a packed dance floor under a mirrored ceiling.
Tip: On the third floor at Veltusund 1. Happy hour 16:00 to 18:00, dancing until 03:00 Friday and Saturday.
Gaukurinn on Tryggvagata is Reykjavik's scrappy grassroots live venue, a tiny stage for rock, punk, drag and DJ nights with some of the cheaper beer downtown.
Tip: A long-running home for new bands and drag shows. Check the gig calendar; cover is small or free.
The bar at Kex Hostel fills a former biscuit factory on Skulagata, a Reykjavik live-music room of jazz and indie gigs with harbour views and gastropub plates.
Tip: Free concerts and jam nights run most weeks in the old factory hall. The kitchen does proper food too.
Petersen Svitan crowns the historic Gamla Bio cinema on Ingolfsstraeti, a Reykjavik rooftop bar whose two-level terrace gives wide views over the city centre.
Tip: The upper terrace has the wide views. Best on a rare still, sunny Reykjavik evening with a cocktail.
The fourth-floor bar at Loft Hostel on Bankastraeti is a see-and-be-seen Reykjavik balcony bar hosting up-and-coming bands and DJ sets above the main street.
Tip: The balcony catches afternoon sun over Bankastraeti. Free gigs and DJ sets run through the week.
Kiki Queer Bar on Laugavegur is Reykjavik's main LGBTQ club, two colourful floors of pop and dance that fill at weekends with a mixed and welcoming crowd.
Tip: Enter from the Klapparstigur side. Friday and Saturday are the big nights for the upstairs dance floor.
Dillon Whiskey Bar on Laugavegur is a rock pub with over a hundred whiskies in a historic Reykjavik house, with a tiny gig stage tucked up in the rafters.
Tip: The back garden is a summer sun-trap. Live rock plays in the attic space above the main bar.
Prikid on Bankastraeti is one of Reykjavik's oldest bars, a 1951 diner-cafe by day that becomes a late hip-hop bar by night, known for the hangover breakfast.
Tip: Open into the small hours at weekends. The greasy breakfast is the morning-after institution.