Session Craft Bar sits on the second floor of Bankastraeti 14 in central Reykjavik, a craft beer bar with sixteen rotating taps of Icelandic and Nordic beer, board games and a cooled keg room.
The bar runs as an upstairs room just off Austurvollur, built around a tap wall, comfortable seating and a crowd that comes to taste rather than to dance. Anyone who wants to work through a flight of local beer finds the format easy. Anyone after a late dance floor looks elsewhere.
Session is run by a group of craft beer fans who curate the taps themselves, and Craft Beer & Brewing names it among the beer bars worth a stop in the city. The sixteen rotating taps lean on Iceland's own breweries and other Nordic names, with the collaboration beers that are popular across the country featuring often. That curated tap list is the identity the room is built around.
The taps cover a wide range, from IPAs to stouts and lagers, and the staff are happy to steer a first order by taste. A cooled keg room keeps the beer as fresh as the brewery intended. First time visitors are pointed toward an Icelandic collaboration pour to start.
The room sits above street level with contemporary decor and seating built for a long sit, plus a shelf of board games for a slower night. The format favours staying put and working through the list over a quick stop. That makes it a settled, conversation led venue rather than a loud one.
The mood stays relaxed and talk led, with the beer and the games doing the work rather than a DJ. The crowd is a mix of locals and visiting beer fans, steady through the evening and busier at the weekend. The energy stays calm rather than loud across the night.
Reviewers on Untappd and Tripadvisor return to two points: the tap list is the reason to visit, and the staff know the beer. Locals treat it as a dependable stop for Icelandic craft pours rather than a party room. First timers are steered toward whatever local keg landed that week.
Session works for a craft beer flight, a calm after work pint, and a slow night over a board game. It is the wrong call for a loud, late dance floor.
Bankastraeti runs through the centre of Reykjavik, walkable from most of the 101 district, with the bar a short climb to the second floor. The room runs evening hours, so it suits a tasting session or an early drink more than a late finish. Arriving early to read the tap list is the easiest way to see it at its best.
The bottom line is a curated craft beer bar with sixteen rotating taps and a keg room that keeps them fresh, set apart by its local focus and its central spot off Austurvollur. For Icelandic craft beer in the 101 district it is a clear call. Compare it against the rest of our best craft beer in Reykjavik guide, the wider list of bars in Reykjavik, and our roundup of the top Reykjavik beer bars. Drinkers after more taps should weigh Microbar and Skuli Craft Bar.
Sources: Untappd beer menu; Craft Beer & Brewing; Tripadvisor reviews; Visit Reykjavik listings; Google Maps reviews.
