SKÁL, Reykjavík
SKÁL! started back in 2017 when me and two of my best friends—Björn Steinar and Gísli Grímsson—decided to open a bar inside Hlemmur Mathöll, Iceland’s first food hall, which used to be Reykjavík’s old bus station. The idea was simple: a place where you could get really good food and drinks without it costing a fortune.
Over the years, SKÁL! has changed and grown with us. It’s been a place where we’ve played around with flavors, worked with amazing Icelandic ingredients, and tried to keep things fun, welcoming, and just… good. We’ve been lucky to get a bit of recognition along the way—Reykjavík Grapevine named us “Best Goddamn Restaurant” in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024. And in 2025, we were awarded Best Restaurant in Iceland by the Bartenders’ Choice Awards—which meant a lot, especially coming from people in the industry. We also picked up a Michelin Bib Gourmand back in 2019.
After seven great years at Hlemmur, we felt it was time for something new. In 2024, we moved SKÁL! to a new space at Njálsgata 1. It’s still very much SKÁL!, just with more room to grow and do things our own way. Our restaurant manager Jon Sadler and head chef Thomas Lorentzen have also come on board as partners, which makes this next chapter even more exciting.
We’re still all about great Icelandic produce, used in a creative but down-to-earth way. At the bar, we pour natural wines we love, Icelandic beers, Keli’s amazing cocktails, and some of our own sparkling tea brews.
Come by our new spot at Njálsgata and say hi. We’d love to have you.
