Craving a cocktail or two after a day of wandering around Reykjavík? We know the feeling.
There really are not many things that beat sitting down at a nice bar sipping on a tasty cocktail or two after a long day. But, when strolling around in a new city it can be a struggle finding a place that has a great atmosphere and great drinks. Don’t worry we talked to Jónas Heiðarr Guðnason, the head bartender at Apótek Restaurant which is one of Iceland’s most prestigious bars. Jónas studied bartending in London and has had great success in bar tending competitions in Iceland. He even took home the award for the best cocktail at Food & fun last year! We asked him to give us his choice for the best bars located in Reykjavík.
Geiri Smart Restaurant, Hverfisgötu 30, 101 Reykjavík
Geiri Smart is located at the bottom floor of Hilton Canopy Reykjavik. They serve really good drinks in a super comfortable atmosphere. The place is very stylish but has a really interesting look to it. It kind of feels like going to visit your grandma but at the same time everything is really modernly decorated. On top of that the bartenders there are fun, creative and really know their cocktails!
Kol, Skólavörðustíg 40, 101 Reykjavík
Kol is a restaurant/bar that has been doing really innovative things with their cocktails recently and have been picking up trends in the global cocktail scene rapidly. The food there is also amazing.
Slippbarinn, Mýrargötu 2, 101 Reykjavík
Slippbarinn can be found at the ground floor of Icelandair hotel Reykjavík Marina. It has been one of the leading bars in the Icelandic cocktail scene for quite a while now. They are unafraid to try new things with their drinks and change up their cocktail menu. As an example they are currently experimenting with serving cocktails from a slushee machine.
Apótek Restaurant, Austurstræti 16, 101 Reykjavík
And of course I can’t do this list without mentioning my own bar at Apótek restaurant. We have a great lounge for people that want to enjoy our cocktails. We only use high quality spirits and a lot of our ingredients are homemade. A lot our custom cocktails/ingredients are made in collaboration with the expert chefs in the kitchen. The place has a really cozy interior and a great vibe to it.
You can check out Jónas’s instagram here
