Country dossier
Restaurants, hotels, bars and wineries across Iceland in the En Primeur Club guide.
Accolades in Iceland
These are the country’s formal dining rooms, led by Reykjavík and the Blue Lagoon area.
DILL in Reykjavíkurborg holds a Michelin star from 2024 to 2026. It runs tasting menus and counter dining around a zero-waste New Nordic approach, with fermented, smoked, and pickled Icelandic ingredients. The room follows the kitchen’s foraging logic.
ÓX in Reykjavíkurborg is a Michelin-starred counter dining room built around a 17-seat chef’s table and a 20-course tasting menu. The wine programme has extensive, sommelier-led drinks, and the menu draws on Icelandic family heritage through a modern Nordic lens.
Moss in the Reykjanes Peninsula holds a Michelin star, Star Wine List recognition for 2026, and a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. The tasting menu and prix fixe formats sit above the Blue Lagoon, with modern Icelandic cooking and a carved lava-cellar setting.
Eiriksson Brasserie, Port 9, Vínstúkan Tíu Sopar, and Bodega all sit in Reykjavíkurborg and hold Star Wine List recognition for 2026.
Eiriksson Brasserie in Reykjavíkurborg brings an exceptional wine programme into a former bank vault with over 4000 bottles. The European brasserie menu has an Italian emphasis. It holds Star Wine List recognition for 2026, and a private dining room seats up to 16.
Port 9 in Reykjavíkurborg is a wine bar with exceptional wine and Star Wine List recognition. It pours 100+ wines from around the world, with knowledgeable sommeliers and a room that feels closer to a sitting room than a formal bar.
Vínstúkan Tíu Sopar in Reykjavíkurborg is a basement wine bar with Star Wine List recognition for 2026 and a natural-wine lean. The room is intimate, and the bar pairs local and natural wines with gourmet small plates.
Bodega in Reykjavíkurborg has a wine list and Star Wine List recognition for 2026. Its approach uses open bottles shared at the table, moving between natural and conventional producers from across Europe and beyond, with cocktails in a room off the main tourist streets.
These rooms show how Reykjavík mixes seafood, global influences, and serious wine programmes in one city core.
Brút in Reykjavíkurborg is a seafood restaurant inside the Radisson Blu 1919 Hotel, with exceptional wine and a list arranged by flavour profile. It offers à la carte and tasting menu formats, holds a Michelin Plate and Star Wine List recognition for 2026, and focuses on Icelandic seafood in purity-forward preparations.
Sümac in Reykjavíkurborg pairs Icelandic ingredients with Lebanese and North African spices in small plates, family style, tasting menu, and à la carte formats. The kitchen has an open charcoal grill and serves meze-style sharing plates.
OTO in Reykjavíkurborg serves Japanese-Italian fusion, offered in a lively downtown setting, with a tasting menu and à la carte options. It has a wine list and craft cocktails, plus consecutive Michelin Plate recognition for 2024, 2025, and 2026.
Hjá Jóni in Reykjavíkurborg serves contemporary Icelandic cooking with international influences, alongside a set menu, tasting menu, and à la carte service. The wine programme is and Star Wine List recognised, and the room also includes a live jazz bar.
Outside the capital, the most relevant stops for wine and dining are tied to destination hotels and the Blue Lagoon area.
The Reykjavik EDITION in Reykjavíkurborg holds Michelin One Key recognition for 2025 and 2026. The 253-room hotel has rooftop views of the harbour and northern lights. The hotel’s restaurant is TIDES, anchored by Gunnar Karl Gíslason of DILL, and the property includes a thermal spa.
The Retreat at Blue Lagoon Iceland in Grindavík offers private lagoon access, a subterranean spa carved into volcanic rock, and 61 suites set against lava fields, with floor-to-ceiling views of geothermal waters. Its restaurant, Moss in the Reykjanes Peninsula, holds a Michelin star.
Hotel Ranga in Hella holds Michelin One Key recognition for 2025 and 2026. It is a Small Luxury Hotels of the World member, with 51 rooms in a log-cabin lodge, an on-site observatory, geothermal outdoor hot tubs, riverfront views, and themed suites.
Reykjavíkurborg is where DILL holds Star Wine List recognition from 2022, and where Brút, Sümac, Skál, Kröst, Eiriksson Brasserie, Bon Restaurant, Monkeys, Hjá Jóni, Amma Don, Bryggjuhúsið, Vínstúkan Tíu Sopar, Bodega, and Port 9 hold Star Wine List recognition for 2026.
Our guide lists 3 Michelin-starred restaurants in Iceland: DILL and ÓX in Reykjavíkurborg, and Moss in the Reykjanes Peninsula. Each holds a Michelin star from 2024 to 2026. DILL and ÓX run tasting menus with counter dining, and Moss runs a tasting menu and a prix fixe.
In Reykjavíkurborg, tasting menus include DILL and ÓX, which also offer counter dining, plus Hosiló, Brút, Sümac, and OTO, which also offer à la carte. Moss in the Reykjanes Peninsula also offers a tasting menu and a prix fixe of modern Icelandic cooking.
Moss in the Reykjanes Peninsula holds a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence for 2026, with an exceptional, sommelier-led wine programme. TIDES in Reykjavíkurborg holds a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for 2025, with a sommelier-led wine programme.
By Emmett Haley · Updated October 8, 2026 · Editorial standards
City atlas
Iceland
Selected entries from the current guide for Iceland.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Iceland's only Michelin-starred restaurant, DILL on Laugavegur 59 holds a single star (2024–2025) and a La Liste score of 77 points for 2026. Chef Gunnar Karl Gíslasson builds tasting menus around foraged and farmed Icelandic ingredients, with décor, dried plants gathered by the kitchen team, that extends that foraging logic into the room itself. No standard menu is available; vegetarians should notify on booking.
Grindavík, Iceland
Moss sits inside the Blue Lagoon complex on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, holding a Michelin star since 2024 and a wine cellar carved into lava that erupted in 1226. Chef Konstantinos Sakellariou leads a modern cuisine program at the €€€€ price tier, while the Star Wine List rankings, finishing first in both 2024 and 2026, confirm a wine program that punches well above the restaurant's remote setting.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Matur og Drykkur operates from the old harbour district of Reykjavík, applying historical Icelandic recipes and preserved ingredients to a modern dinner format. Recognised by La Liste and the Michelin Guide with a Plate designation, it sits in the city's serious dining tier without the omakase rigidity of peers like ÓX. The kitchen works Thursday through Sunday, evenings only, drawing a crowd that wants tradition with substance rather than spectacle.
Reykjavík, Iceland
ÓX holds a Michelin star for the second consecutive year, placing it firmly in Reykjavík's upper tier of modern Nordic dining. Located on Laugavegur, the city's main thoroughfare, it operates under chef Rúnar Pierre Herivaux and draws on Iceland's larder through a contemporary lens..
Reykjavík, Iceland
Inside the Radisson Blu 1919 Hotel on Pósthússtræti, Brút operates at the upper end of Reykjavík's modern dining tier, holding a 2025 Michelin Plate and back-to-back Star Wine List recognition in 2022. The kitchen works primarily with Icelandic seafood in purity-forward preparations, while a wine list spanning established labels and more unconventional selections makes it a credible destination for serious drinkers as much as diners.
Reykjavík, Iceland
On Laugavegur, Reykjavík's main commercial artery, Sümac brings Lebanese-rooted Middle Eastern cooking into a dining scene dominated by New Nordic and Icelandic seafood.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Inside the Reykjavík EDITION hotel on Austurbakki, TIDES holds a 2025 Michelin Plate and a wine list built around 110 selections across 620 inventory positions. The kitchen focuses on Icelandic seafood and produce, arctic char, celeriac, smoked almonds, cooked with a precision that places TIDES firmly in the mid-to-upper tier of the city's modern dining scene. Dinner only; reserve ahead.
Reykjavík, Iceland
What began as a food stall inside Reykjavík's old bus station has since earned Skál a devoted following that followed it to its own dedicated space on Njálsgata. The venue sits at an address that rewards those who seek it out, carrying the kind of cult credibility that outlasts trends. It belongs to the informal, character-led tier of Reykjavík dining that runs parallel to the city's fine-dining circuit.
Reykjavík, Iceland
On Hverfisgata, Reykjavík's most concentrated stretch of serious dining, OTO holds consecutive Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) at a price point that sits one tier below the city's omakase-style flagships. The modern cuisine format places it in a growing cohort of Reykjavík restaurants pursuing international technique without the premium-tier price barrier.
Reykjavík, Iceland
A Reykjavík institution on Baldursgata, 3 Frakkar has served traditional Icelandic seafood under chef Úlfar Eysteinsson for decades, earning consecutive recognition from Opinionated About Dining in 2023 and 2024. The kitchen treats Icelandic waters as its larder, working with cod, catfish, and whale in preparations that owe more to local tradition than to New Nordic trend-chasing. For visitors wanting context alongside their catch, few tables in the city deliver it as honestly.
Grindavík, Iceland
Blue Lagoon sits at the intersection of geothermal spectacle and Nordic table, placing it in a category that few dining destinations anywhere can claim. The restaurant earned a place on the World's 50 Best list in 2002 and continues to draw visitors making the short drive from Reykjavík. It is one of two serious dining options at the site, alongside the Michelin-recognised Moss.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Sitting inside Hotel VON on Reykjavík's main commercial artery, Bon Restaurant occupies an interesting position in the city's dining scene: a hotel restaurant that reads more like a neighbourhood spot than a lobby amenity. The setting on Laugavegur 55 gives it a casual yet considered character that separates it from the grander destination dining rooms further along the street.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Eiriksson Brasserie on Laugavegur brings a serious Old World wine program to Reykjavik's dining scene, operating out of a former bank whose cellar now stores an extensive collection of special vintages and varied bottle formats. For wine-focused diners, few addresses in the city offer comparable depth in European labels and cellar architecture.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Hjá Jóni serves contemporary Icelandic with international influences at the Iceland Parliament Hotel, with Jón's langoustine soup and an extensive wine list.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Hosiló holds a Michelin Plate (2025) and sits at the summit of Reykjavík's price tier, at Hverfisgata 12 in the city's central dining corridor. The kitchen works in the modern cuisine register. Booking ahead is advisable at this price point.
Reykjavík, Iceland
A twelve-seat wine bar on Laugavegur, Kröst operates at the quieter, more deliberate end of Reykjavik's drinking scene. The list leans French and Italian, with Champagne and Cava always available by the glass. Format and scale place it firmly in the specialist tier, where curation matters more than volume.
Grindavík, Iceland
Lava is a Nordic restaurant in Grindavík, Iceland, recommended by Opinionated About Dining (2023) and holding. Open daily from 11:30 am to 9 pm, it sits in a town defined by geothermal drama and coastal foraging culture, making it a practical and credible choice for visitors to the Reykjanes Peninsula.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Lóla anchors Reykjavík's harbour district with an Italian menu built around fresh pasta and generous, family-style service. The five-course tasting option shares a kitchen with an à la carte that features Black Angus short rib tagliatelle and tableside-spooned tiramisu, while the open-plan cooking line keeps the room informal and the focaccia-and-whipped-ricotta ritual consistent.
Reykjavík, Iceland
A Nikkei restaurant in downtown Reykjavik with a 1920s-inflected interior, Monkeys occupies an interesting position in Iceland's dining scene: where Japanese precision meets South American latitude. Housed on Klapparstígur 28, the room carries a deliberately playful spirit alongside a drinks program that includes both by-the-glass options and a more committed list for those who want to go deeper.
Reykjavík, Iceland
VOX Brasserie & Bar operates within the Hilton Reykjavík Nordica on Suðurlandsbraut, positioning it among the city's hotel dining options that attract both business travellers and visitors wanting a reliable, full-service room. Reykjavík's brasserie tier has grown more competitive as independent kitchens have sharpened, making the format and wine curation at a property like VOX increasingly relevant to how guests weigh their options.
Olafsfjördur, Iceland
All Meals Included- Chef is an on-site restaurant format in Olafsfjördur, a North Iceland town where dining is shaped by weather, distance and supply as much as by culinary ambition. The useful lens here is sourcing: in this part of Iceland, meals tend to read through fish, dairy, lamb and preservation traditions rather than metropolitan menu theatre.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Apotek Kitchen + Bar belongs to Reykjavík’s central dining circuit, where North Atlantic seafood, lamb, dairy and greenhouse-grown produce shape the city’s modern restaurant identity. Its kitchen-and-bar format suits travellers who want a polished downtown meal without committing to a tasting-menu evening, while its Austurstræti location places it in the capital’s compact restaurant core.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur on Tryggvagata has been serving Reykjavik's definitive hot dog since the 1930s, making it one of Iceland's most recognized street food stops. The pylsa, lamb-heavy, dressed with remoulade and raw onion, is the kind of thing you eat standing up in the harbour wind. No reservations, no dress code, and no pretense.
Akureyri, Iceland
Bautinn occupies a prominent address on Hafnarstræti in Akureyri, Iceland's second city and the commercial heart of the north. The restaurant has long served as a reliable anchor in a dining scene that balances traditional Icelandic cooking with the expectations of a town that draws travellers year-round. For visitors exploring the north beyond Reykjavík, it represents a practical and culturally grounded stop.
Iceland
Selected entries from the current guide for Iceland.
Hella, Iceland
A log-cabin lodge on Iceland's southern coast, Hotel Ranga sits roughly 80 minutes east of Reykjavik with a volcano at its back and some of the country's clearest Northern Lights viewing at its door. With 51 rooms, Small Luxury Hotels of the World membership, and continent-themed suites that range from tatami-style Japanese interiors to Afrocentric décor, it represents a credible template for what serious wilderness lodging in Iceland could become.
Reykjavík, Iceland
The first 5-star, full-service hotel at this scale in Reykjavík, the EDITION occupies Old Harbor with a charred-timber facade that references Iceland's volcanic terrain and interiors by Roman and Williams. Tides restaurant, anchored by Gunnar Karl Gíslason of Dill, and a thermal spa with geothermal bathing culture in mind give the 253-room property a credible local argument. Rates from approximately $435 per night.
Kerlingarfjoll, Iceland
A Michelin Key-awarded highland lodge set against the geothermal terrain of Kerlingarfjöll, one of Iceland's most remote mountain massifs. The property positions itself within a small tier of Icelandic wilderness stays that trade urban convenience for direct access to sulphurous hot springs, rhyolite ridges, and near-total isolation. Advance planning is essential: the F-road approach requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle and is closed for much of the year.
Grindavík, Iceland
The Retreat at Blue Lagoon Iceland sets 61 suites against the volcanic lava fields of the Reykjanes Peninsula, with floor-to-ceiling views of geothermal waters from every room. Its Moss Restaurant earned a Michelin star in 2023 for cooking rooted in Icelandic ingredients, placing it among a small group of hotel restaurants in the country operating at that level. Guests access a private lagoon reserved exclusively for the property.
Vík, Iceland
A converted farm turned low-slung modernist retreat on Iceland's southern coast, UMI Hotel sits less than a hundred miles from Reykjavík with direct sightlines to Eyjafjallajökull and the rugged coastline beyond. The 28-room, family-owned property rates at $471 per night and operates a locally sourced restaurant and bar, practical in the Icelandic tradition, but far better-designed than most of what this region offered even a decade ago.
Olafsfjördur, Iceland
A reimagined 15th-century sheep farm on Iceland's Troll Peninsula, Eleven Deplar Farm operates at the intersection of remote wilderness and considered design. Named to Condé Nast Traveler's 2023 Gold List, the 13-room lodge sits in the Fljót Valley with two helipads, geothermal pool facilities, and exclusive access to Atlantic salmon rivers. Nightly rates start at $3,739, with a three-night minimum stay.
Selfoss, Iceland
Michelin Selected and positioned at Óseyrartangi 2 on the Ölfusá river in Selfoss, Black Sand Hotel occupies a distinct tier in South Iceland's design-led accommodation scene. The property's name signals the volcanic material palette that defines so much of Iceland's contemporary architectural conversation. For travellers routing between Reykjavík and the Ring Road's eastern corridors, it offers a considered base in the region's main service town.
Hvolsvollur, Iceland
A Michelin Selected property positioned directly along Iceland's South Coast, Harmony Seljalandsfoss places guests within reach of one of the country's most photographed waterfalls. The design approach aligns with a regional shift toward landscape-integrated accommodation, where the surrounding volcanic terrain and subglacial rivers define the architectural conversation as much as any interior choice.
Selfoss, Iceland
Ion Adventure Hotel sits on the edge of Þingvellir National Park in southern Iceland, occupying a former workers' inn built to serve the nearby Nesjavellir geothermal power plant. Recognised as Iceland's Leading Boutique Hotel at the 2025 World Travel Awards, it positions itself at the intersection of raw sub-Arctic wilderness and considered design-led hospitality, a counterpoint to Reykjavík's urban hotel circuit.
Reykjavík, Iceland
A converted 1930s office block on Hverfisgata has become one of central Reykjavik's most recognisable addresses, positioning itself at the intersection of design-conscious travel and Iceland's rising international profile. The 101 hotel occupies the heart of the 101 postal district, where the city's most concentrated stretch of restaurants, galleries, and late-night venues unfolds within walking distance.
Akureyri, Iceland
Carrying a Michelin Selected distinction for 2025, Berjaya Iceland Hotels in Akureyri positions itself as the northern capital's most credentialed lodging option on the Michelin radar. Located on Thingvallastraeti 23, it serves as a practical and recognised base for exploring the Eyjafjörður region, the midnight sun, and the whale-watching routes that define travel to this part of Iceland.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Apotek Hotel by Keahotels occupies a century-old former pharmacy on Austurstræti 16, one of Reykjavik's most historically layered addresses. Part of the Keahotels group, it sits squarely in the city-centre tier of Icelandic hospitality, where heritage architecture and modern comfort share the same floor plan. Travellers who want walkable access to parliament, harbour, and old town will find it a sound base.
Hnappavellir, Iceland
Fosshotel Glacier Lagoon sits at the edge of Iceland's most dramatic ice-and-water terrain, positioned as a base for the Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon and the wider Vatnajökull National Park. Michelin Selected in 2025, the property belongs to a tier of Icelandic hotels where location is the primary architectural argument, the landscape frames every window. Practical, unhurried, and purpose-built for serious southern Iceland itineraries.
Hofn, Iceland
Fosshótel Vatnajökull sits at Hornafjörður on Iceland's southeast coast, positioned as the closest hotel base for Vatnajökull National Park. Selected by the Michelin Hotels guide for 2025, it occupies a niche in Iceland's regional lodge tier where position relative to glacier access matters as much as room specification. For travellers routing the Ring Road through Höfn, it is especially credentialed property in the immediate area.
Bu Ir, Iceland
Hótel Búðir occupies one of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula's most geographically charged positions, where a 19th-century black church marks the edge of an ancient lava field and the Atlantic begins. The hotel represents a category of remote Icelandic property where the building's relationship to its setting defines the entire experience, placing it alongside a small group of design-led Icelandic retreats that treat isolation as an architectural argument rather than a constraint.
Kirkjubæjarklaustur, Iceland
Sitting at the edge of Iceland's south coast lava fields, Hótel Klaustur has earned both a Regional Luxury Country Hotel win and a Country Luxury Boutique Hotel award, a dual recognition that places it among a small tier of Icelandic properties balancing remote geography with considered hospitality. The hotel serves as a practical and atmospheric base for one of Europe's most geologically dramatic stretches of road.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Hotel Reykjavik Saga holds a Michelin Selected designation for 2025, placing it among a small cohort of Reykjavík properties recognised for consistent quality rather than volume. Positioned on Lækjargata in the city centre, it sits within walking distance of the harbour and the main cultural corridor. For travellers who treat accommodation as part of the editorial experience, it occupies a credible middle tier in the city's hotel offer.
Vík, Iceland
Hotel Vik i Myrdal sits at the edge of one of Iceland's most dramatically positioned villages, where black sand beaches meet the North Atlantic and Reynisfjara's basalt stacks define the horizon. A Michelin Selected property for 2025, it occupies a category of South Coast accommodation where volcanic geography does most of the design work. Book well ahead: Vík draws Ring Road traffic year-round and quality rooms here fill fast.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Ion City Hotel occupies a sharp, contemporary position on Laugavegur 28, Reykjavik's main commercial artery, placing guests at the centre of the city's densest concentration of restaurants, bars, and cultural sites. The property's modern architectural presence contrasts deliberately with the historic streetscape around it, making it a reference point for visitors who want urban access without sacrificing a considered design environment.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Kvosin Downtown Hotel occupies Kirkjutorg square in the 101 district, placing guests within walking distance of Reykjavik's parliament, cathedral, and harbour. Compared to larger international-brand hotels in the capital, Kvosin operates on a smaller, apartment-style footprint that suits extended stays and repeat visitors who already know the city's rhythms. It sits in the design-conscious mid-tier of central Reykjavik accommodation.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Reykjavik Residence Apartment Hotel occupies a central address on Vatnsstígur in the 101 postal district, placing guests within walking distance of the old harbour, Laugavegur, and the city's principal cultural sites. The apartment-hotel format suits travellers who prefer self-contained space over standard hotel rooms, a format that has grown in Reykjavik as longer-stay and repeat visitors seek a more residential base.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Sand Hotel occupies a prime position on Laugavegur, Reykjavík's main commercial artery, and holds MICHELIN Selected status for 2025. The property sits in a mid-city tier of design-conscious hotels where location density and neighbourhood character carry as much weight as room specification. Guests travelling for dining, shopping, or aurora-season itineraries will find the address logistically efficient.
Grindavík, Iceland
Silica Hotel sits at the edge of Iceland's Reykjanes lava fields, positioned as the quieter, design-forward counterpart to the Blue Lagoon complex it adjoins. A 2026 La Liste Top Hotels score of 90.5 points places it in a recognized tier of destination properties that earn their status through setting and spatial discipline rather than scale. For travellers arriving in Iceland via Keflavík, it represents a considered first or last stop.
Hverager I, Iceland
Selected by the Michelin Guide Hotels 2025, The Greenhouse Hotel sits in Hveragerði, a geothermal town roughly 45 minutes east of Reykjavík along the Ring Road. Its name and setting speak directly to Iceland's most distinctive natural asset: the volcanic heat that lets plants grow in glass houses amid near-arctic conditions. For travellers seeking a quieter base with easy access to the Golden Circle and the south coast, it occupies a compelling position in the Icelandic hotel map.
Iceland
Selected entries from the current guide for Iceland.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Reykjavik's first speakeasy, Amma Don opened in 2022 alongside the Michelin-starred ÓX on Laugavegur 55 and earned the number-one ranking on Star Wine List in 2024. The format is deliberately low-capacity and low-profile, which keeps the room tight and the wine program sharply focused. It sits in a different tier from the city's more visible bar scene.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Bodega at Týsgata 8 sits inside Reykjavik's compact bar circuit as one of the city's more considered wine destinations. The house approach bypasses rigid by-the-glass menus in favour of open bottles shared at the table, with a list that moves between natural and conventional producers from across Europe and beyond. For a city where craft beer long dominated casual drinking, that wine-first format marks a distinct position.
Reykjavík, Iceland
One of Reykjavik's oldest surviving buildings, Bryggjuhúsið occupies a corner of the original city centre on Vesturgata where harbour trade once defined the neighbourhood. The heated outdoor patio extends the season well beyond what the subarctic climate would otherwise allow, making it a year-round fixture for locals and visitors navigating the 101 postcode.
Reykjavík, Iceland
On Laugavegur, Reykjavik's main commercial artery, Kaldi Bar/Café occupies a position that has made it a fixture of the city's casual drinking scene. The bar trades on Kaldi's domestic brewing credentials, giving it a specific identity within a Reykjavik bar circuit that otherwise skews toward imported lager and cocktail formats. A reliable address for Icelandic craft beer without the tourist-facing theatrics of the old town.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Kramber occupies a sharp position in Reykjavík's drinking culture: part café, part wine bar, operating from Bergstaðastræti in the 101 postal district, steps from Hallgrímskirkja. The format rewards those who want something more considered than the city's louder bar scene, a place where the glass in hand matters as much as the room around it.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Port 9 sits on Veghúsastígur in central Reykjavik, operating as a wine-focused bar where the atmosphere leans toward the domestic rather than the designed. The room is difficult to locate on a first visit, which filters the crowd toward those who came looking specifically for it. Wine is the main draw, served in surroundings that feel closer to a friend's sitting room than a formal bar program.
Vestmannaeyjabær, Iceland
Prýði occupies a dual role as café and wine bar in the Westman Islands, translating its name, the Icelandic word for splendour, into a format that the archipelago's small but developing hospitality scene has been missing. The room runs warm and informal, drawing both islanders and visitors who have made the ferry or flight crossing from the mainland.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Uppi occupies the upper floor of Fiskmarkaðurinn on Aðalstræti 12 in central Reykjavík, operating as a bar extension of one of the city's most recognised seafood restaurants. The format shifts the focus from the dining room below to a more drinks-led experience, with the address placing it at the heart of the old town's most walkable stretch.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Vínstúkan Tíu Sopar on Laugavegur 27 occupies a specific corner of Reykjavik's drinking culture: a wine bar with the warmth of a private basement and a list that skews toward natural producers. The room earns its reputation through atmosphere and selection rather than spectacle, making it a dependable choice when the occasion calls for something personal rather than performative.
Reykjavík, Iceland
12 Tónar on Skólavörðustígur occupies a distinctive position in Reykjavik's cultural geography: part record shop, part gathering space, part bar. Where most of the city's drinking establishments lean toward the conventional, this address has built its reputation on the intersection of independent music culture and community, a format that puts it outside any standard bar category.
Reykjavík, Iceland
BakaBaka sits on Bankastræti in central Reykjavik, where the city's bar scene converges after dark. The address places it squarely in the stretch where locals and visitors overlap, making it a reliable stop on any serious crawl of the 101 postcode. It fits the Reykjavik pattern of compact, convivial spaces where drinks and food arrive in the same breath.
Bu Ir, Iceland
A remote hotel bar and lounge in Búðir asks for a different reading than Reykjavík’s cocktail rooms: slower, quieter, and tied to the west Iceland setting rather than metropolitan theatre. With public details on awards, pricing, and bartender credits unavailable, its appeal is best understood through place, pacing, and the role a lounge plays in a rural Iceland itinerary.
Vestmannaeyjabær, Iceland
Gott restaurant sits on Bárustígur in Vestmannaeyjar, the compact island town off Iceland's south coast that draws visitors as much for its volcanic drama as its dining scene. In a place where the sea defines nearly everything on the plate, Gott occupies the kind of neighbourhood role that small-island restaurants do best: a fixed point for both locals and travellers looking for something grounded rather than performative.
Akureyri, Iceland
Götubarinn occupies a low-key address on Hafnarstræti in Akureyri, Iceland's largest city outside the capital, and functions as the kind of bar that earns its place in a small city's drinking culture through consistency rather than spectacle. In a country where the bar scene concentrates heavily in Reykjavik, a credible cocktail programme in the north carries real weight.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Kaffibarinn occupies a converted house on Bergstaðastræti in central Reykjavik, and has functioned as a reference point on the 101 bar circuit for decades. The format sits between neighbourhood local and late-night destination, drawing a crowd that ranges from after-work regulars to weekend revellers making their way through the city's compact drinking district. For first-time visitors to Reykjavik, it signals how the city's bar culture actually works.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Kíkí Queer Bar on Laugavegur 22 holds a distinct position in Reykjavik's bar scene as one of the city's dedicated queer spaces, where the drinks program and late-night energy draw a mixed, committed crowd. The back bar punches above the venue's compact footprint, and its address on Reykjavik's main bar corridor makes it a natural stop on any serious night out.
Reykjavík, Iceland
On Laugavegur, Reykjavik's main commercial artery, Lebowski Bar occupies a position where cult-film nostalgia meets Iceland's late-night bar culture. The White Russian is the drink of record here, drawing a crowd that spans curious tourists and locals who treat the place as a reliable neighbourhood anchor. It sits in a different tier from the city's cocktail-forward venues, operating more as a social institution than a technical program.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Loftid occupies a prominent address on Austurstræti in central Reykjavik, placing it at the centre of the capital's drinking and dining corridor. The space belongs to a generation of Reykjavik venues that pair considered interiors with a program designed for both locals and well-traveled visitors. For those mapping the city's bar and restaurant scene, it sits within easy reach of several of the capital's more established drinking rooms.
Reykjavík, Iceland
On Laugavegur, Reykjavík's main artery for nightlife, Microbar occupies the compact, convivial tier of Icelandic bar culture where the emphasis falls on craft beer selection over spectacle. The format suits drinkers who want depth of choice in a space that operates at human scale, without the volume levels of the strip's larger venues. A reliable stop on any serious crawl of the city's drinking scene.
Garðabær, Iceland
Náttúrufræðistofnun sits in Garðabær, the quiet suburban corridor south of Reykjavik where Iceland's bar scene has been quietly developing beyond the capital's tourist circuit. For travellers willing to investigate independently, it represents the kind of discovery that rewards the curious visitor.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Pablo Discobar occupies a corner of Reykjavik's late-night bar circuit where the name alone signals the tone: irreverent, high-energy, and unapologetically fun. Located on Veltusund 1 in the 101 postal district, it sits inside the compact grid of downtown bars that animate the city's weekend nights. For visitors working through Reykjavik's drinking scene, it represents one end of a spectrum that runs from mellow wine spots to full-tilt dance floors.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Paloma Club occupies a corner of Reykjavik's old harbour district at Naustin 1-3, operating as one of the city's established neighbourhood bars where locals outnumber tourists on most nights. The format sits closer to a communal drinking room than a cocktail bar, a place where the social fabric of downtown Reykjavik shows itself. For visitors, it offers a more grounded read on the city than the polished venues along Laugavegur.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Prikið at Bankastræti 12 is one of Reykjavik's oldest surviving bars, a low-key fixture in the 101 district that regulars return to for its unpretentious atmosphere and direct drinks. Where much of the city's nightlife has drifted toward design-conscious concepts, Prikið holds its position as a neighbourhood constant, the kind of place locals treat as a default rather than a destination.
Reykjavík, Iceland
Quest sits on Laugavegur, Reykjavik's main commercial strip, combining a barbershop, craft beer selection, and whisky bar under one roof. The hybrid format places it in a small category of Icelandic venues where a service visit doubles as an extended drinking occasion. For visitors orienting themselves along the 101 postal district, it functions as both a practical stop and a neighbourhood anchor.
Iceland
Selected entries from the current guide for Iceland.
No venues found.
