A bar in four colours
Pablo Discobar, on Veltusund
Pablo Discobar - the name is a joke, the bar is serious - sits on Veltusund, a short alley off Hafnarstræti. It opened in 2016 and is now the loudest, brightest, and most committed late-night room in central Reykjavík. The space is divided into four small rooms, each lit a different colour, each carrying a slightly different energy. The visit is determined by which colour you walk through. A guide.
The Pink Room (entry)
The first room you walk into from Veltusund. Hot-pink walls, neon lighting, a long bar running the length of the wall. This is the room for the first drink — a Margarita or a Paloma — and for orienting yourself before the rest of the bar opens up. Open from 8pm; the room runs at conversational volume until 11pm.
The Amber Lounge
Through a doorway off the pink room. Warm amber light, low banquettes, a slightly quieter soundtrack. This is the room to sit in for a longer conversation — three or four people around a low table, two rounds of drinks, an hour and a half. Bar staff bring drinks from the main bar; you do not need to move to order.
The Teal Bar (back room)
The serious cocktail room. Teal walls, lower lighting, a tighter back bar with the better spirits. The bartenders here are happy to build drinks based on what you tell them you like; the off-menu pours from this bar are reliably better than the standard menu. Order a Penicillin or an Old Pal here, not in the front rooms.
The Violet Floor (basement)
Down a flight of stairs at the back. The dance floor; violet lighting, harder soundtrack (mostly Icelandic electronic and disco-edits on weekends), opens at 11pm and runs until 4am. The Violet Floor is the part of Pablo Discobar that earns the 'disco' in the name. Visit if you came for that. Skip if you didn't.
The bar pricing is honest by Reykjavík standards (cocktails 2,000-2,800 ISK, beers 1,400-1,800 ISK). The right visit hits the Pink Room first, the Amber Lounge for the second drink, the Teal Bar for the third. The Violet Floor is optional and exists for nights when you want the dance-floor version of the visit. Closed Sundays; open until 4am on Fridays and Saturdays.
