Words by

The Reykjavík Grapevine and Jóhannes Bjarkason

Photo by

Art Bicnick/The Reykjavík Grapevine

Joana Fontinha/The Reykjavík Grapevine

To those searching for their next favourite watering hole, date spot, wine bar, or cocktail dispensary, look no further — it’s the Best Of Drinking & Nightlife. Unlike those other bars you frequent, these ones are cool places filled with cool people. You want to be cool, don’t you?

Our panel of expert drinkers conducted a rigorous analysis of this town’s licenced institutions before assembling to give their opinions on the Best bars in Reykjavík. This group of extremely outgoing partygoers, booze drinkers and people in the know left no stone unturned, appraising layout, interior design, selection, customer satisfaction and even the bathrooms. 

Suffice to say, they were very thorough. So, crack open a cold one and pour one out for 2024, ‘cause it’s the Best Of Drinking & Nightlife in 2025, baby!

Best Wine Bar

Vínstúkan 10 Sopar

Laugavegur 27

“For all intents and purposes, Vínstúkan is the perfect wine bar,” claimed one panellist, to the agreement of the rest. Bolstered by the expertise and experience of its sommeliers, Vínstúkan’s staff are better equipped to tell you what to drink than yourself. On top of the staff’s friendly attitude, they also stock great wines and serve delightful small plates. Aspiring oenologists, take note of Vínstúkan Tíu Sopar.

Runner-Up:

Litli Barinn

Ránargata 4a

Photo by Art Bicnick

Located inside the Local 101 hostel, Litli Barinn is not your ordinary hotel lounge. In addition to offering a good selection of natural wines, they have a laundry list of interesting endeavours going on: Wild ale Wednesdays in collaboration with Grugg & Makk, self-fermenting vegetables and growing their own produce in the backyard greenhouse. “It’s obvious they put a lot of emphasis on their wine selection,” said one panellist.