If you want to go out and have a few beers, it can pay off to look for happy hour or go to places that always have beer available for less. Le KocK offers their house lager beer for 1200 ISK and Stúdentakjallarinn has Carlsberg draft for 1200 ISK, which is less than some other bars charge on happy hour. But it is also possible to find beer for less than that in various places during happy hour.
Happy Hour Bars in Reykjavík
This is not the full list of happy hours in town, there are surely some that we don’t know of and a few that we intentionally skipped as these are primarily restaurants. The table below lists the happy hour prices we know of with beer price up to 1100 ISK.
The Lowest Price
Prikið has the lowest price on beer on happy hour, 800 ISK, with Stúdentakjallarinn only marginally more expensive at 850 ISK. For a glass of wine during happy hour, the lowest price is at Kaffibrennslan, Forréttabarinn, Kaldi Bar, The Irishman and Veður (950 ISK) and these five also have among the lowest prices on beer on happy hour. Let’s take a bit closer look at the bars with beer for less than a 1000 ISK.
Prikið – from 16 to 20 daily – Beer: 800 ISK; Wine: 1500 ISK
One of the oldest bars in Reykjavík, they rarely stay in place for so long, opened in 1951. They regularly have DJs, live music, stand ups and other events.
Stúdentakjallarinn – from 16 to 19 daily – Beer: 850 ISK; Wine: 1090 ISK
A restaurant, café and a bar at the University of Iceland, popular among students and others.
Kaffibrennslan – from 16 to 20 daily – Beer: 900 ISK; Wine: 950 ISK
A café and bar in the heart of downtown, on the opposite side of the street from Lebowski Bar on Laugavegur. A greenhouse outside where people can sit and observe people passing by on Laugavegur.
Fröken Reykjavík – from 16 to 18 daily – Beer: 900 ISK; Wine: 1150 ISK
Fröken Reykjavík is a casual smart restaurant in stylish Art Deco-inspired surroundings. Featuring a bar and a private area for groups or small events.
Forréttabarinn – from 16 to 18 daily – Beer: 950 ISK; Wine: 950 ISK
A cozy and widely popular restaurant with appetizers (big and small) and a good selection of drinks, located midway between downtown Reykjavík and Grandi harbour area.
Kaldi Bar – from 16 to 19 daily – Beer: 950 ISK; Wine: 950 ISK
A small bar in the heart of downtown and among the most popular in the city, usually full on weekends. Kaldi is Iceland’s first micro-brewery, located in a small town in North Iceland. Kaldi Bar started as an extension of the business in Reykjavík, with a variety of Kaldi beers as well as selected other brands.
Kaffibarinn – from 15 to 19 daily – Beer: 950 ISK; Wine: 1000 ISK
Kaffibarinn has been a staple of Reykjavík nightlife since it opened in 1993, in a dark red house with dark red interiors.
Litli barinn – from 15 to 18 daily – Beer: 990 ISK; Wine: 1200 ISK
A neighborhood bar and restaurant located in Vesturbær, in walking distance from downtown.
Loft Hostel – from 16 to 20 daily – Beer: 990 ISK; Wine: 1400 ISK
The Loft Hostel bar has a rooftop terrasse and board games as well as concerts and other events from time to time.
Veður – from 14 to 19:35 daily – Beer: 950 ISK; Wine: 950 ISK
A small wine & cocktail bar on Klapparstígur, with Kaldi Bar on the opposite side of the street.
The Irishman – from 12 to 19 daily – Beer: 950 ISK; Wine: 950 ISK
An Irish bar with a private karaoke room that guests can book. Live music in the evening from Thursday to Saturday.
Also take a look at this map of happy hour in Reykjavík.
The Best Atmosphere
What is a good atmosphere? That will always be debatable but the following spots have been praised for their atmosphere, for example related to their design or regular live music.
Röntgen – from 16 to 19 daily – Beer: 1000 ISK; Wine: 1200 ISK
Opened in 2019 and quickly became among the most popular bars in the city. Variety of wine (including natural wines), beers and cocktails. DJs playing regularly, concerts, pub quizzes, karaoke and various events.
RVK Brewing Company – from 13 to 18 daily – Beer: 999 ISK
RVK Brewing Company runs a micro brewery and a taproom in Skipholt, with the latter located in an old and famous bingo hall. It has become an instant hit since opening last year, with great beers on tap, regular concerts and other events. In some ways, it has filled the vacuum that KEX Hostel left behind when they closed down to add more hotel rooms.
Forréttabarinn – from 16 to 18 daily: Beer: 950 ISK; Wine: 950 ISK
The name means “The Appetisers Bar” and it is one of the best restaurants in Reykjavík, with a menu consisting of bigger and smaller appetisers.
Kaldi Bar – from 16 to 19 daily – Beer: 950 ISK; Wine: 950 ISK
Named after Iceland’s first microbrew, Kaldi from 2006, this small spot with a laid back vibe offers great local beers on draft. Kaldi is probably the best Icelandic beer.
Kaffibarinn – from 15 to 19 daily – Beer: 950 ISK; Wine: 1000 ISK
Kaffibarinn has been among the most popular bars in Reykjavík since it opened in 1993.
Gaukurinn – from 17 to 21 daily – Beer: 1000 ISK; Wine: 1200 ISK
A bar and live music venue, where many of Iceland’s biggest artists started out, and which sold the first legal draft beer in Iceland. Established in 1983.
In Between
American Bar – from 16 to 19 daily – Beer: 1100 ISK; Wine: 1300 ISK
The most popular sports bar downtown has a good variety of beer (50 different kinds) and a simple menu of burgers, ribs and chicken wings. Apart from showing sports games live, it also has live music regularly.
Apéro – from 16 to 19 daily – Beer: 1000 ISK; Wine: 1200 ISK
A wine bar on Laugavegur 20b, 2nd floor, which opened in 2022. They have a good variety of French wines and champagne as well as appetisers fitting with the wine.
Bodega – from 15 to 18 daily – Beer: 1000 ISK; Wine: 1200 ISK
Another wine bar, located by Óðinstorg square, which has become among the most popular spots downtown on sunny days.
Fröken Reykjavík – from 16 to 18 daily – Beer: 900 ISK; Wine: 1100 ISK
Located just above Reykjavík pond (Tjörnin) in Lækjargata, an art deco styled restaurant with a bar, wine room and winter garden. An open kitchen where you can watch the chefs prepare meals.
Le KocK – 11:30 to 23 daily – Beer: 1200 ISK
Le KocK is best known for their burgers, which have been chosen the best in town numerous times, e.g. by Reykjavik Grapevine Magazine. Their version of french fries is also great, try Greek potatoes or chipotle potatoes. The house beer is called Flying Kock and costs 1200 ISK.
Kaffibrennslan – from 16 to 20 daily – Beer: 900 ISK; Wine: 950 ISK
A café with sandwiches, croissants and cakes and a variety of coffee and tea.
Loft Hostel – from 16 to 20 daily – Beer: 990 ISK; Wine: 1400 ISK
Rooftop terrace overlooking the city centre. Regular concerts and other events.
Skúli Craft Bar – from 12 to 19 daily – Beer: 1000; Wine: 1000
Craft beer bar with 130 types of craft beer, located across the corner from Ingólfstorg square. 14 beers on tap, frequently rotated.
References for prices and times:
- Reykjavik Grapevine, volume 22, issue 06 2025
- Best of Reykjavík, Reykjavík Grapevine, Special Issue, Summer 2025
