You’ve filled your belly with delicious Icelandic treats, now it is time for the ultimate Reykjavik bar crawl! In this post, I am going to share my favorite Iceland-inspired cocktails and spirits and where to enjoy them.
One beautiful thing about travel is how it can inspire your life at home as well. As Spring begins here on the East Coast of the United States, we head outside and I plan to sip on some on tasty drinks inspired by our recent travels. So join us on the Ultimate Reykjavik Bar Crawl!
Please note, we do not condone underage drinking and the suggestions within this post should be enjoyed responsibly.
Bar Hopping Basics
The People
One of the things that stood out to me during our time exploring the Reykjavik bar scene was that there were people of all ages out and about. We started earlier in the day (in order to hit happy hour) and throughout our bar crawl, we met other visitors as well as locals. Everyone we intereacted with was super welcoming and everyone just wanted to have a good time, this was a great start!
Opening Hours
We were told that over the past few years, things have changed in terms of how late the bars stay open. Apparently, on Fridays and Saturdays, this can be as late (or early) as 4-5 am but post-covid may have changed things a bit. Similar to the way college students in the US drink (pre-game at home and go to the bars at 12 pm-1 am), Icelanders do the same since the cost of alcohol is quite high. We will discuss more on that later in this article.
Walking Around Downtown
Next, since downtown Reykjavik is an extremely walkable city, this makes bar hopping super easy and fun! If you read our post about driving in Iceland, you’ll know that in the popular city center, you’ll find several streets that are marked as pedestrian zones only. Streets filled with hopscotch and race tracks anyone?
What to Wear
Before I jump into some of our favorite spots, know that the bars are super cozy and warm. Although Iceland does get quite cold and windy, you likely won’t need your heaviest clothes or layers on your bar crawl. On the contrary, I wouldn’t recommend heels and skimpy clothes either. A nice sweater or top and jeans should do the trick. So with that, onto our Ultimate Reykjavik Bar Crawl!
Einstök Bar
We will start with some of our favorite watering holes in the downtown area. The first of which was Einstök Bar. This place is the perfect place if you are looking for local beers or a great gin and tonic. They also have a specialty cocktail list but one of my favorite drinks at Einstök was an off-menu concoction that one of their amazing bartenders made me.
The inside of this bar is beautifully decorated and is the perfect place to warm up after a day of sightseeing. They even made lower-carb cocktails for Courtney! If you aren’t aware, she lives with Type 1 Diabetes and has to count the carbohydrates she consumes to ensure she is getting the correct amount of insulin. She wrote an entire post about successfully traveling with diabetes.
So massive thanks to the bartenders for the delicious drinks and for accomodating Courtney and her desire for a French 75 without simple syrup 🙂
Kaffibarinn
Just across the street from Einstök, you’ll find Kaffibarinn which was where we started our bar crawl. We showed up early enough to catch happy hour and enjoyed a couple of drinks in this casual atmosphere. Tucked into a cozy little corner seat, we enjoyed the sunshine coming in through the window, the fun of day drinking!
Kaffibarinn also features local DJs in the evening so if you are out and about later in the evening, definitely check it out. This bar features a front bar area and a back bar on the main floor as well as an upstairs area.
Dillon Whiskey Bar
If you are a fan of whiskey or bourbon, you’ll want to check out Dillon Whiskey Bar. I recently visited Louisville, KY, the home of bourbon, and this bar definitely celebrates Kentucky’s best export. Not to worry, if you aren’t into brown liquors, they have other options.
There was a relaxed vibe in this multi-level bar and it was filled with lots of locals. According to their website, the bar is set in one of the oldest wooden buildings in the city. The bar also offers karaoke and live classic rock and blues bands, truly something for everyone.
During this stop, we also took the opportunity to drink some water and rehydrate. Remember, Icelandic tap water is super clean and tastes great!
The Dubliner
While we weren’t at The Dubliner long, it definitely made an impression. We stopped in to see if we could grab a bite of food. Unfortunately, they didn’t serve food but offered that we could bring in food from outside. The staff was super inviting and you can’t go wrong with a pint of Guinness!
If the weather is nice, The Dubliner even has a ton of outdoor seating. I can’t imagine how fun this place is on March 17th.
Den Danske Kro aka The Danish Bar
Touted as a local favorite and for good reason, Den Danske Kro offers happy hour specials every day from 4 pm-7pm. The bar offers multiple different Icelandic beers and on Thursday, they have a special cocktail night! It was quite crowded on the night we visited but we managed to find a table for our group of five.
While these are just a few of my favorite spots, there are tons of other bars and you truly can find whatever you fancy. Now, let’s discuss what to drink on your bar crawl!
Icelandic Specialities
If you are looking for a unique alcoholic beverage to enjoy during your Reykjavik bar crawl, there are plenty of tasty options available. Have someone in your crew who is the designated driver or isn’t drinking? A lot of the bars mentioned above offered zero proof cocktails!
Brennivín
Our first option is Brennivín which is also sometimes referred to as Black Death. Brennivín is a type of schnapps and tastes like liquorice. If tasting Brennivín as an ice cold shot isn’t your speed, consider trying it as a cocktail or mixed drink and one of the spots mentioned above. Mom even tried Brennivín in a hot coffee beverage at Cafe Loki, the possibilities are endless!
We purchased a small bottle of this at the duty-free but again, you’ll find it at most bars in town.
Icelandic Gin
Some of our favorite gins that we tried during our time in Iceland included Olafsson Icelandic Gin and Glacier Gin. Einstök Bar mentioned above is a great choice to enjoy the local gins and they also offer an array of tonics to ensure the perfect G&T (gin and tonic).
Beer
While there are tons of different local beers to choose from, some names you’ll see frequently include: Viking, Gull, and Snorri. Between our entire group we tried these and some throughout our week-long trip. Snorri blonde ale ranked highly but it all depends on your personal preference of course!
Bara
Courtney and I found a low carb hard seltzer called Bara at the duty-free and picked up a pack. Let’s just say, we already tried to find it in the States yet unsuccessfully. It is quite tasty although not all of the bars we visited sold Bara. One more reason to grab some booze before leaving the airport as you’ll learn below.
How to Save Money on Alcohol in Iceland
Iceland is known to have a high alcohol tax which makes enjoying a few beverages a bit pricey. Luckily we have a few ideas on how you can save a few bucks. Firstly, before you leave the Keflavik airport, stock up on your drink of choice at the duty-free shop.
Next, having a cocktail or two at your place before heading out for the evening will certainly save you some money. It is not uncommon for a mixed drink to cost around $20 USD in downtown Reykjavik. So, any bit of money saved by having a drink at home and then heading to happy hour is a good choice.
Another way to save some money would be to hit the bars at happy hour. The day we decided to have our bar crawl, we started early and took full advantage! Most of the bars we visited had their happy hour specials and times clearly marked.
Finally, one topic we wanted to address was that it is not customary to tip your bartender in Iceland. While this is different, especially if you are visiting from the United States, we were told that bartenders, taxi drivers, etc make a living wage and bartenders don’t expect tips. That said, I’m sure your hard-working bartender wouldn’t pass up a nice tip for exceptional service.
Getting Home Safely
Probably the most important part of this article, getting home safely after your Reykjavik bar crawl. While we did rent a car for our trip, we knew since we would be drinking on this day that no one would be driving. Unfortunately, there are no ride-share apps such as Uber or Lyft in Iceland. Luckily, we were easily able to find a bus route that took us from our Airbnb to the city center. Just remember, the bus requires exact cash if you decide to go this route.
We ended up taking a taxi back to our Airbnb and while it wasn’t as affordable as the bus, we did get home safe and sound and really, that’s what it is all about!
The Ultimate Reykjavik Bar Crawl
I hope you enjoyed our guide to enjoying some adult beverages in Reykjavik! Have you been to Iceland? Let us know in the comments what your favorite bar or restaurant in Reykjavik was! We will certainly add it to our list to check out on our next visit. Safe travels!