There is one thing abundantly clear from our very scientific drinking research, Hverfisgata is one hot little street right now. After getting massive internal road surgery a couple of years ago, it has come out thriving with a great bunch of watering holes from the casual to the swanky. Reykjavík’s bar scene seems to be shifting towards the latter in general, and the formerly beloved dive-bar trend looks like it’s taking a disco nap. Some facts of life remain the same: alcohol is expensive and that doesn’t stop us from partying. Bottoms up, babe.
Best Place For Cocktails
Hverfisgata 12
Hverfisgata 12
As well as serving up damn fine pizzas, the bartenders at H12 stir and shake up fabulous concoctions that delight and inebriate the senses. With its charming yesteryear environment and truly lovely waiting staff, it’s the perfect place to raise a pinky and joyfully tilt your head back with a great cocktail, mixed to perfection. They offer standard classics and innovative takes on old favourites using items from their food menu, like the pizza-juice bloody mary—a spicy, vitamin C-rich hangover cure that’s perhaps the best in town.
Runner-Up:
Pablo Discobar
Veltusund 1
Still a relative newcomer in the local bar scene, Pablo has quickly established itself as a place with great cocktails for the dress-code loving crowd. The drinks and the décor are maximalist, lavish, and tropical, and the extra little tacky patina gives it a certain Scarface Miami Beach charm.
Runner-Up:
Mat Bar
Hverfisgata 26
Mat Bar’s cocktail list has all sorts of fancy treats, from a classic espresso martini to a sharp and zesty pisco sour, garnished with flower petals. Get a seat at the bar, watch the professional, smartly dressed bartenders shake your dreamy drink, and don’t be shy ordering some delicious tapas plates to go with it.
Previous Winners
2016: Apotek
2015: Apotek
2014: Slippbarinn
2013: Borg, Hotel Borg
2012: Kolabrautin
Other Drinking Categories
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