Iceland (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Fran Parnell [69]
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101 Hotel Bar (Map; 580 0101; www.101hotel.is; Hverfisgata 10) Frankly, we fear being ejected as riff-raff from this beautiful granite-and-white-leather cocktail bar. Based inside the ultracool 101 Hotel, this long, thin, sleek, chic space is favoured by local glamourpusses and celebrities. Although it gets rammed to the rafters at weekends, it also closes early (at 1am on Friday and Saturday) – dress to the hilt, and get on down there.
Hressingarskálinn (Map; 561 2240; www.hresso.is; Austurstræti 20; ) Known colloquially as Hressó, this large open-plan cafe-bar serves a diverse menu until 10pm daily (everything from porridge to plokkfiskur). At weekends, it loses its civilised veneer and concentrates on beer, bar and dancing; a garden out back provides fresh air. There’s usually a DJ or live music on Thursday nights.
Boston (Map; 517 7816; Laugavegur 28b) Boston is cool, arty – and easily missable. It’s accessed through a doorway on Laugavegur that leads you upstairs to its laid-back lounge, decorated in cool black wallpaper grown over with silver leaves. Live music and DJs.
Gullfoss Lounge Bar (Map; 599 1000; Pósthússtræti 2) A lustrous bar-restaurant attached to the Radisson SAS 1919 Hotel, Gullfoss is gloriously upmarket. It’s all clean Scandinavian lines, low luxurious seats and soft purple-toned lighting. It’s not a place to get falling-over drunk in, but one for early-evening cocktails or a glass or two of good wine.
Karamba (Map; 552 7710; Laugavegur 22) Quiet during the day, colourful Karamba becomes a lively drinking spot at night. Newly opened in 2009, the bar has become an instant hit for its eclectic DJ sets and frequent (and often impromptu) live band performances. There’s sometimes a cover charge if better-known musicians are playing.
Jacobsen (Map; 895 0455; Austurstræti 9) Drum & bass and jungle are still going strong in Iceland. Breakbeat, the country’s oldest club night, has recently transferred itself to this cellar bar. There are also regular bands, attracting a young, studenty crowd.
Pubs
The following are our picks for a more relaxed, less dressy night on the town.
Ölstofan (Map; 552 4687; Vegamótastígur 4) Locals come to this no-nonsense bar specifically to avoid all that dancing rubbish, and the music is kept at a level where you can hear your neighbour speaking. Turn up, drink beer, chat, relax.
Prikið (Map; 551 2866; Bankastræti 12) Prikið is one of the later-closing bars (5.30am), where dancers grind away to hip-hop on the jammed dance floor. If you survive the night, it’s a popular place to indulge in a next-day ‘hangover sandwich’.
Dillon (Map; 578 2424; Laugavegur 30) Beer, beards and the odd flying bottle…atmospheric Dillon is a RRRRROCK pub, drawing lively crowds. There are frequent concerts on its tiny corner stage, a great beer garden, and an unusual DJ, the white-haired white-wine-and-rum-swilling ‘rokkmamman’ Andrea Jons, a kind of female Icelandic John Peel.
Grand Rokk (Map; 551 5522; www.grandrokk.is; Smiðjustígur 6) This down-to-earth pub was once a great live-music venue, but a few years ago the owners installed large-screen TVs upstairs and turned it into a sports bar. There have been recent signs that bands are being welcomed back…keep your fingers crossed, and in the meantime, you know where to go to watch football.
If Víking beer isn’t doing it for you, head for a pint of Guinness at one of Reykjavík’s two Irish pubs: Celtic Cross (Map; 511 3240; Hverfisgata 26; to 1am Sun-Thu, to 5.30am Fri & Sat), done up like a funeral parlour and with bands in the basement at weekends; and Dubliner (Map; 511 3233; Hafnarstræti 4), which also has live music at the weekends.
Nightclubs
The clubs below shut between 5am and 6am at the weekend.
Hverfisbarinn (Map; 511 6700; www.hverfisbarinn.is; Hverfisgata 20; to 1am Thu, to 5.30am Fri & Sat) This trendy bar and club attracts a young, dressy crowd and has long queues at weekends. It’s done out in a cool modern-Scandinavian