Reykjavík Grapevine - 02.07.2010, Page 38

The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 09 — 2010
21
Best place to drink like a
pro:
Live Pub
Drinking like a pro. It’s all about sort of
disappearing into the void, slowly blacking
out from existence while pondering your
purported ill fortune. Or just getting
shitfaced by yourself. You choose.
In any case, Grand rokk won this
category hands down last year, as the
atmosphere just begged for sitting alone
in a corner while consuming mass
consumption of alcohol. Which everyone
needs to do from time to time. Grand
rokk sadly closed down this winter, so
modern drunkards needed to find another
hole to drown themselves in. It was our
panel’s (and your e-mails) decision that
Live Pub was just the right place for the
task, as “it is a fine place to black out in,
no sharp corners to fall on and few hard
men to offend.” One patron remarked “I
just always feel like getting totally wasted
when I enter tha place,” while another
lauded their “lack of drinking amateurs”
along with their fairly priced drinks.
Runners-up: Kaffi Grand “the drinks are
so cheap, you won’t care about anything
else.”)
(2009: Grand Rokk)
Best mainstreamer bar:
Austur
This one is a new category for us, but the
sleek new joint on Austurstræti took the
cake almost instantly, especially due to
some heavy popularity in the mail-ins.
Austur is reputedly downtown’s best place
to “suit up and drink down,” with one
frequent patron adding that “they have
some gorgeous women hanging out there.
Probably men too, but I wouldn’t know.”
It is, according to one letter, the place
where “your regular, non-101 Icelander
goes to get his drink on,” and seeing as
the majority of Icelanders belong to that
crowd, it is undoubtedly pretty fucking
hot.
(New category)
Best place to start the night:
Nýlenduvörverzlun Hemma & Valda
This place is a staff favourite at the
Grapevine, and a lot of you seem to agree.
No doubt, it is indeed a fine place to
start off one’s night. They’ve got a couch
and a foosball table; they’ve got some
moderately priced drinks, they’ve got
room for conversation and, as one patron
remarked, “they always have some crazy
music playing that I don’t know.” The
atmosphere is also really lovely.
(New category
Best cheap bar
Kaffi Zimsen
Pretty much everyone we talked to on
this one agreed that Kaffi Zimsen’s beer
prices are unbeatable now. It may not
have the most character, or a consistent
atmosphere, but one can always count on
getting a rather cheap brew, what with
all the crazy offers they’ve got going on at
most times and whatnot. Plus the clientele
is “not too scary for a cheap bar.” It’s all
around the place where “students and
unfortunates” convene for a good time.
(2009: Hemmi og Valdi)
Best all-round Bar:
Bakkus
This category is an argument-inducing
one, as we can attest. Still, everyone
eventually agreed that right now Bakkus
is really providing an unbeatable party like
nowhere else. People are going so far as
saying “it’s like some sorta reincarnation
of Sirkús. Except not as cool. But nearly,”
– some pretty weighty words that we don’t
really know if we can wholeheartedly
back up (seriously, Sirkús? That place is
fucking legendary). Still, we can agree, as
one Facebook-er remarked, that Bakkus
is indeed “the bar Reykjavík was waiting
for,” and we can attest to have had some
pretty awesome times there since they
opened last year. Thank god for you,
your DJs, your cheap-ish drinks, your
Zubrowka and your spirit, Bakkus!
(2009: Karamba)
Best club:
NASA
When NASA is good, it’s really goddamn
good. The spacious venue has it all—
some bars, a huge dance floor, a nice
soundsystem and a coat check. Of course
the atmosphere depends a lot on who’s
playing (or spinning) on a given night,
but NASA has long since proven they are
Reykjavík’s best club space by far.
(2009: Jacobsen)
Best place to hook up:
Really?
Look, we debated this at length. But really,
if you have to get pointers from magazines
on where and how to hook-up with folks,
chances are you won’t get any. Ever.
(2009: Vegamót (6-10) / Hressó (solid 5) /
Dubliners (0-4) )
Best place to watch sports
over a beer:
Hvíta perlan
Austurstræti seems to have turned
into some kind of sportsbar haven,
as there are currently at least three
such bars operating on the short strip.
And all of them are fairly excellent for
sportswatching and beer drinking. We
had a lot of trouble deciding between
Bjarni Fel (“great service, many screens”),
English Pub (“nice, different atmosphere”)
and Hvíta perlan (“they’ve yet to prove
themselves sufficiently, but they do have
a 3D screen”), but ultimately decided to
go with Hvíta perlan, as they offer you
the opportunity to watch sports in 3D.
Which totally amplifies the fun, even for
folks that aren’t into watching sports. 3D
is so cool.
(2009: Bjarni Fel)
Most welcome nightlife
initiative:
Sódóma Reykjavík
Sódóma Reykjavík recently celebrated
their one year anniversary, and we
thought now was the time celebrate
them a little bit, too. Besides offering
you a most welcome chance to piss on
bankster faces (if you’re a dude), they took
it upon themselves to set up a kick-ass
soundsystem and hire an experienced
booker to ensure Reykjavík had a nice
and functional live music venue. Which
is sorta awesome. We have no idea how
the local concert scene would be without
them, in fact we are dread to think about
it.
(New category).
NIGHTLIFE
BEST OF
THE
REYKJAVÍK
2010
When compiling this year’s best of list,
we got to thinking that some of these
places are so firmly established as local
favourites that naming them “best of”
anything is both redundant and even
possibly mildly offensive.
It’s also kinda unfair to all the places
that are trying to make their name today.
For instance, there will only ever be one
Ísbúð Vesturbæjar, with its beloved queue
and ‘old’ ice cream, and they will probably
firmly remain Reykjavík’s favourite ice
cream joint for as long as they don’t mess
up horribly.
So we came up with a solution that we
figure gives us the chance to honour some
of the perennial local favourites while still
giving props to new and exciting places
around town. We simply made a category
that we call REYKJAVÍK INSTITUTIONS
(aka UNTOUCHABLES).
What makes a ‘REYKJAVÍK
INSTITUTION’, you ask? Well, by our
makeshift definition, a ‘REYKJAVÍK
INSTITUTION’ is a place or entity that’s
time and time again proven itself as one
of the best of its kind, and has remained
a must-visit throughout the years. When
achieving INSTITUTION status, one is
automatically disqualified from winning
any ‘best of’ categories, because they’re
beyond being ‘best’, having been all
consistently awesome for a long, long
time.
A REYKJAVÍK INSTITUTION is a
must-visit for tourists to Reykjavík.
A REYKJAVÍK INSTITUTION will
retain its status as such until it starts
sucking hard, in which case we will
ceremoniously remove them from our list
next year.

Kaffibarinn
“Despite some ups and downs,
Kaffibarinn has remained the undisputed
reigning champion of Reykjavík nightlife
and drinking for well over a decade. They
are a true nightlife institution.”
Bæjarins bestu
“Everyone goes there. All the time. For
over 70 years now. Not exactly gourmet
dining, but a really freaking great snack
nonetheless.”
Ísbúð Vesturbæjar
“It’s hard to explain the charm to
outsiders, just tell them to go there. The
ever-present queue speaks for itself.”
Hornið
“For a restaurant to remain so consistently
on top of its game for over thirty years
is one huge achievement. They are cosy,
dependable and ever-tasty.”
Mokka
“They brought ‘coffee’ to Iceland, pretty
much”.

Tíu dropar
“Quintessentially Icelandic in every way.
The coffee, the cake, the vibe. If I were to
point a visiting friend to ‘the essence of
Iceland,’ this is where I would send him
Kolaportið
“If Kolaportið weren’t around, we’d need
to establish it immediately, lest we vanish
back to the dark ages of commerce.”
Bókabúð Braga (Bókin)
“It’s hard to imagine Reykjavík without it.
So let’s not.”
Brynja
“This neighbourhood hardware store
almost predates Laugavegur, and they
always serve you with a smile (and don’t
mind throwing in some good advice when
needed.”
Austur-Indía félagið
“Probably your safest bet for fine dining in
Iceland, period.”
Feel like we missed one? Drop us a
line at bestof@grapevine.is explaining
why a given place should be merited
INSTITUTION status, and we shall
consider it for our 2011 edition!
Best place to shop
for touristy stuff:
Handprjónasambandið
There are now a lot more tourist shops
around in Reykjavík than when we
researched this category last year. The
fact remains unchanged, however, that
Handprjónasambandið offers the most
authentic, useful and plain nice Iceland-
memorabilia out there (unless you’ve got
a thing for stuffed puffin and volcanic
ash-in-a-bag). Handprjónasambandið sells
the ultra-traditional, always-stylish hand-
knit sweater, as well as a plethora of other
hand-knit items (their name does translate
as “The hand knitting association,” so go
figure). They sorta rule, we think
Runners-up: The more trendalicious of
you might make your way to the Farmers
Market store. They also sell a lot of
knitwear, but with a stylish, modern twist
(“their sweaters look really cool”).
(2009: Handprjónasambandið)
Best place to get a trendy
haircut:
Rauðhetta og úlfurinn
Rauðhetta og úlfurinn are pretty much
verging on institution territory when it
comes to trendy haircuts. In fact, that’s
what some of your write-ins suggested,
as in: “they are Iceland’s hairdressing
institution, especially since the place is
ancient in ‘fashion years.’ It’s unusual for
any place to keep their stature for so long
in the fickle word of fashion, but they keep
doing it.” It comes with a price, of course.
Runners-up: There were many
nominations for all sorts of “unofficial”
hairdressing joints that we didn’t really
feel comfortable recommending (we
don’t want to get anyone arrested for
“unauthorised hairstyling” or anything).
But you should seek them out if you’re
into it. (2009: Rauðhetta og úlfurinn)
Best place to shop second-
hand:
The Salvation Army store
A veritable treasure chest for those that
don’t mind digging around a little for
their threads, the Salvation Army store
has a lot of nice variety “that you can sink
yourself into for hours on end,” as well
as “unbeatable prices,” and a nice central
location.
Runners-up: The Red Cross stores all have
some very nice items on offer, it’s for a
great cause and a lot of folks were rooting
for them to get the prize. Maybe next year?
(New category)

Best place to shop for high
fashion:
KronKron
KronKron have been supplying the
fashion conscious crowd with high-end
designer wear for many years now. Well
stocked with a plethora of interesting
and innovative international brands and
designers that can make you look all
sophisticated and world-weary at the drop
of a hat, they’ve managed to “constantly
stay ahead of the curve.” Oh, it comes at a
price, but beauty is pain and all.
Runners-up: In the same league, GK
caters to a “slightly older crowd,” but
they’ve been doing it with style and
panache for a very long time.
(New category)
Best haberdashery:
Herrafataverzlun Kormáks &
Skjaldar
There really never was any doubt as to
who would score the title here. Shopping
at Herrafataverzlun Kormáks & Skjaldar
is always a fun and interesting experience,
the store clerks are knowledgeable and
helpful and you can walk out looking like
a Mad Men extra (note: they are probably
the reason why so many local dudes walk
around looking like Mad Men extras).
(New category)
Best place to shop organic:
Yggdrasill
Even though they moved location, from
Skólavörðustígur to Rauðarárstígur,
Yggdrasill are still the reigning kings of
this category. They’ve got pretty much
everything you need for some healthy
and/or “health conscious” living in
Iceland in stock – except for willpower.
(2009: Yggdrasill)
Most welcome addition:
Fiskmarkaðurinn við gömlu höfnina
We have no idea if this place is going to
stick around for winter, but we want to
give it a large BIG UP while they’re here
anyway. Fiskmarkaðurinn við gömlu
höfnina (“The fish market by the old
harbour”) is open every Saturday from
10-17, and they are, well, a fish market.
You can buy fresh fish, processed fish and
all sorts of other stuff there, mostly fish-
related. It really is one of those places that
has been sorely lacking in Reykjavík up
until now, and we are hoping they’re not
going anywhere.
Runner-up: Frú Lauga is another equally
welcome addition to the Reykjavík foodie
scene.
(New category)
Best place for visitors to
stock up on local design:
Kraum
There are surprisingly many shops
around specialising in all sorts of
Icelandic design items. They are all pretty
nice (the stores’ appeal will depend a lot
on your tastes and likes) but Kraum still
received the most nominations and votes
in this category, with folks citing that
“the range of items and sheer number
of designers represented puts them
in a league above everyone else in this
market,” as one reader remarked It also
probably doesn’t hurt that they’re located
in the oldest house in Reykjavík (built in
1762 – which means it isn’t really that old).
(New category)
Most fun shop:
Havarí/Útúrdúr
The Havarí/Útúrdúr complex on
Austurstræti has certainly brought a
lot of fun and character to Reykjavík
commerce since they opened for business
late last year. Originally conceived as a
one off, meant to run only past Xmas,
the music and art book complex won
enough hearts in a short enough time to
justify becoming a permanent addition
to Reykjavík’s shopping landscape. As
one reader noted, this is probably in no
small part due to their “inventiveness
and carefree spirit – they regularly stage
concerts and display art there, and the
poster of the week series is also really
cool.”
They are also a fine place to score free
drinks from time to time, due to the
frequent rate of their openings and
concerts.
(New category)
Best bookstore:
Eymundsson Skólavörðustígur
Eymundsson Skólavörðustígur seems to
be everyone favourite place to shop for
new books in Reykjavík, and we have to
agree (even though we wish they’d place
less emphasis on the café and more on the
books).
As you guys pointed out, “they sport the
best or at least most interesting selection
of English language literature in town,”
and “their staff is very knowledgeable and
friendly.” Too bad they don’t have their
original location any more.
(New category)
REYKJAVÍK

INSTITUT IO
NS
aka
‘THE UNTO
UCHABLES
’
BEST OF
THE
REYKJAVÍK
2010 SHO
PPING
AND
COMMERC
E
BEST OF
THE
REYKJAVÍK
2010