Reykjavík Sportbar runs along Hverfisgata in the city centre, the downtown bar that locals point to when they want pool, darts and live sport in one room. It pours cheap pints by Reykjavík standards and keeps screens on the football, the Formula 1 and most things in between.
Who would love it: a visitor who wants to watch a match with a pint and rack up a game of pool a short walk from Laugavegur. Who would not: anyone after a polished cocktail or a quiet table, since the room is built for screens, cues and a crowd that gets loud when the game tightens.
The space is the draw. What's On in Reykjavík calls it the only billiards place downtown with screens all around, playing soccer, rugby, Formula 1, snooker, basketball and MMA across the room. Pool tables and dart boards anchor the floor, and the bar keeps the main fixture on the big screen while side screens cover the rest. The Reykjavík Grapevine has tracked the city's sports-bar scene in its Best of Reykjavík panels, and this central spot keeps turning up in the conversation.
The drinks list is plain and that is the point. Draft and bottled beer carry the night, with shots and simple cocktails poured fast, and the pricing reads as good value against the rest of a notoriously expensive city. Regulars on Google Maps reviews flag the cheap-but-good beer and the friendly room more than any single drink, which is the honest read on a place built around the games rather than the menu.
One practical detail shapes the night here. The bar closes at eleven on weekdays because there are apartments above it, then runs to one in the morning on Friday and Saturday. That makes it an early-and-mid evening sports stop during the week and a longer session at the weekend, so a visitor chasing a late kick-off should check the clock before settling in.
The crowd is local and mixed, students and after-work regulars early, a sport-and-pool crowd as the night runs on. It fills up around big fixtures and on weekend nights, when the tables stay busy and the floor gets loud. Service is bartender-led and quick, geared to turning rounds during a match rather than lingering service.
Order a pint and claim a pool table early, since the cues fill up fast once a big match starts. The bar pours draft and bottled beer with shots and simple cocktails for anyone who wants a change, and the pricing holds up as some of the better value downtown. Cards work, the dart boards stay busy on weekend nights, and the central Hverfisgata address puts the rest of the bars on Laugavegur within a two-minute walk. For a visitor planning a sports night, this is the room to book around the fixture list rather than the menu, where a group can hold a table and a cue for a full evening without paying central-Reykjavík cocktail prices.
Best time to go: a weekend evening for a long session with pool and a late match, or a weekday before eleven for the downtown sports-bar version of the room. Reykjavík Sportbar works as the central sports anchor of a night out. See where it sits among the best sports bars in Reykjavík and read our wider guide to sports bars by city for the global picture, then map the rest of a night through the Reykjavík bar guide.
Pair this bar with
For another downtown room with the match on, compare The English Pub, The Dubliner. And for a third round, Public House makes the natural next stop.
Sources
Tripadvisor: Reykjavík Sportbar · What's On in Reykjavík: sports bars · Instagram: @reykjaviksportbar · Google Maps reviews (accessed 2026-06)
Reviewed by Marcus Webb, barsforKings. Published Oct 13, 2025
