Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.06.2013, Page 22

beers and beautiful glass beer
steins that make you want to slam
them down on the solid wood
tables.
Forced yuppie-ism and old school
patriotism. – RL
Café Amsterdam
Hafnarstræti 5
Amsterdam is a dive bar, pure and
simple—neon lights, the smell of
stale beer, worn wooden tables,
high bar stools, slot machines,
chipped paintwork, and the vague
suspicion that anything you touch
might be sticky or give you a
splinter. On a drunken night out
at Airwaves, this place can be
raucous, ear-splitting fun. At 22:00
on the Saturday night Grapevine
dropped by, the barman was
chatting to his mate—the only
other person in the bar—and
the atmosphere would best be
described as "funereal."

950

1500

1200
They play classic rock and
americana (Bob Dylan,
Steppenwolf, Rolling Stones).
There's a stage and a sound
system for live music.
Young (20s-30s).
Rockers, punks, crimson-cheeked
career drinkers and slightly less
crimson-cheeked future career
drinkers, stray tourists, rough
lads/hardcases, and (apparently)
bikers—although we didn't see
any, or anyone else at all, for that
matter.
The slot machines seemed
interesting, but after we'd emptied
our pockets of change and walked
over, it became apparent that
the slots in question were in fact
credit-card slots, and instead of
dispensing change, the machines
spit out a receipt that is then
swapped for the winnings at the
bar. Way too much effort.
On certain nights, Amsterdam can
provide a decent party, but this
visit was a grim experience. – JR
Café París
Austurstræti 14
This place is better known as a
daytime café than a bar although
it offers an impressive choice of
cocktails. It offers excellent outdoor
seating, good service and an open
kitchen till 23:00. People here seem
extremely well mannered, (maybe
it’s the high percentage of tourists?)
and the place is far from rowdy. It’s
not really the place for a crazy night
out but can make for a good place
to warm up.

950

1100

950
Café Paris have variable playlists
consisting mainly of soft and easy
pop music and oldies.
Older(40+).
Tourists, poets, journalists, out-of-
towners.
Café Paris has great outdoor
seating in one of the best locations
in town, offering a view in
three directions in the heart of
Reykjavík.
A basic, cosy café that offers
a good selection of beers and
cocktails. – HH
Café Rosenberg
Klapparstígur 25
Rosenberg is a wooden haven for
jazz and blues, sophistication and
goodness. Instruments adorn the
walls and bands are on every night.
I feel like I should wear gloves and
a bowler hat, or make some sort
of statement of sophistication. I
resort to saying "darling" every five
seconds.

800

1150

900
Live jazz, blues, and other bands
who play instruments generally
made of wood. It often costs to
get in, but it is more often than not
worth it.
Older (40+).
People over thirty, music lovers,
Icelanders.
The toilets are always clean. There
is always enough toilet paper. And
there are lots of clean mirrors.
There is a nice, sheltered smoking
area in the front of the place,
although it might be a bit annoying
for non-smokers walking in (but
you could hold your breath and
run for it).
A beacon of warmth and sophisti-
cation, peppered with the best of
Icelandic music. – AG
Celtic Cross
Hverfisgata 26
Maybe if I had come later, I wouldn't
have to endure this troubadour. I
can see why people around me are
getting sloppy. It's the only thing to
do when confronted by such painful
caterwauling. It's still really early,
but people aren't wasting any time
to get as obnoxious as possible.
When the first beer glass whizzes
through the air, that's when it's time
to go.

900

1000

1000
"I wanna knoooow have you ever
seen the rain?"
Older(40+).
Middle-aged people desperately
clinging to their partying youth,
drunken tourists who like Irish
bars, British people, singers
from local metal bands, sad
dads, cougar moms, nondescript
drinkers.
Tucked away to the right of the bar
is a funeral parlour, which can be
somewhat seen from Hverfisgata
as "Finnegan's Funeral Home." It's
like something out of a Tim Burton
movie.
In the words of Kent Brockman: “All
this drinking, violence, destruction
of property. Are these the things
we think of when we think of the
Irish?” – RL
Center Hotel - Plaza
Aðalstræti 4

The bar at Center Hotel Plaza is your
typical hotel bar only without any
characteristics. It seems to exist
solely to fulfil a hotel's requirement
to boast a bar.

900

1200

1100
A subtle set of Icelandic
background music, Sigur Rós, Of
Monsters and Men and Emiliana
Torrini. You can expect something
Icelandic that has made it onto the
Billboard.
Young (20s-30s)
Tourists.
It’s a standard bar, nothing more,
nothing less. As their demography
is pretty wide, being a hotel and
all, they seem to want to please
everybody and it's that need that
renders this bar dull.
It's hard to deduce whether it's a
lobby or a bar. – SKK
Den Danske Kro
Ingólfsstræti 3
The Danish bar is packed during
happy hour all days of the week,
not in small part due to a spacious
patio out front. It's a great spot
for afternoon drinking in the sun;
however this also means that
people get quite drunk quite early.
It was pouring this Friday, which
made it a bit more crowded inside
and that may have amplified the
feeling that somebody would be
leaving soon in the back of a police
car with a smashed guitar round
their neck.

950

1300

1000

This is the prime venue to catch
troubadours, acoustic renditions
of Eurovision songs. College rock
and Bowie and Beatles classics
can be heard nearly every night–
much to their neighbours' dismay.
Older (40+).

People with drinking problems,
journalists and media people,
tourists, the odd poet, Danes,
office workers on their way home.
You can play darts if space
allows.
Happy hour is great, but the evenings
are harder to swallow. – AB
Dillon Whiskey Bar
Laugavegur 30
Grubby and grungy, but harmless
and friendly. Dillon is a shelter for
rockers and metalheads. It’s kind
of gross, but not to the point of
the toilets in ‘Trainspotting.’ The
staff give off a familial vibe and the
patrons are seemingly all regulars.

900

1000

1000

Rock, metal, punk, "TNT" by
ACDC.
Young (20s-30s).

Metalheads, Krummi Björgvins,
Atli Stones, Amma Rock, punks,
nerds, dweebs, doofuses,
sweethearts, lost souls.
There is a huge selection of
whiskey on the bar and a long
and detailed menu poster up on
the wall. Also, the second floor
smoking balconies usually get
more crowded than indoors, even
on rainy nights.
Cause it's TNT! It's dy-no-mite! – RL
Dolly
Hafnarstræti 4
Dolly was in full blown party gear
when we arrived at the scene.
The place was packed with young
people dancing around to insanely
loud electronic music and the
line outside stretched the length
of the bar. The bar offers a very
normal drinks selection but the
beer tasted a little stale and off. I
would definitely go for a bottled
beer at this particular venue. But
Dolly has recently gone through a
change in atmosphere as the place
has been filling up with large heavy
set men and their makeup smeared
girlfriends. This is a change we
would not like to see taken further
and hope that Dolly is returned to
its original younger and slightly
more innocent crowd.

850

1200

1000

Great electric music and good DJs
on weekends.
Young (20s-30s).

The young crowd, but recently
the place has been filling up with
beefy jock types.
They have great music during the
weekends.
Young, but rapidly losing its
innocence. – RJH
Dubliner
Hafnarstræti 1-3
Dubliner is a classic Irish Pub. The
atmosphere is laid back and easy
going and the interior is actually
pretty tasteful. The clientele usually
comprised of older Icelandic
drinkers of both genders and also
foreign enthusiasts of Irish pub
culture. They serve a nice selection
of beers on tap, although they
are quite pricey, and have an old
dartboard that actually sees use.
That said, the place kind of falls
apart when you realize that every
night, and I mean EVERY night, the
place offers live music in the form
of a troubadour. But if you like this
kind of atmosphere and this kind of
music, you will find the Dubliner to
be a very agreeable bar.

1000

1290

1300
Troubadours
Older (40+)
Older Icelanders and Irish pub
enthusiasts
A man in a fedora singing
“Wonderwall.”
I'll have another pint of plain and
listen to the guitars as I gently
weep. – RJH
English Pub
Austurstræti 12A
Spacious enough to get rowdy but
clean and proper enough to stay
dignified, this is the kind of place
people should go for after-work
drinks with their mates, except
people don't really do that here so
much. It’s super busy on this windy
and rainy night with people ducking
in for cover from both the front and
back entrances.

950

1400

1100
A gaggle of troubadour gents
crooning mainstream rock and
pop tunes, heavy on the UK angle
of course. Not just Oasis though!
Sometimes they'll throw in a song
by The Cure or Stone Roses.
Young (20s-50s).
Professional drinkers, British
expats, troubadour enthusiasts,
early-bird tourists, out of work
bankers, bros, hens.
There’s a wheel of fortune where
you can spin to win up to one
metre of beer, a spacious back
patio on Austurvöllur that fills
up quickly on sunny days and
nights, and complicated swinging
bathroom doors.
All in all it's just another bar on the
crawl. – RL
Faktorý
Smiðjustígur 6
Faktorý is exceptionally cool inside
and out. Just off the main strip
of Laugavegur, it’s schmooze-y
Manhattan-style lounge is
tempered by a foosball table and
very kind bartenders who smile
sweetly when they take your empty
glass. The eclectic musical line-up
each weekend attracts a variety
of people, which keeps the place
interesting.

800

1000

1000

Faktorý is a jack of all trades when
it comes to music - little of this,
little of that - bodda bing bodda
boom. There's a stage for live
music, and the default playlist is
interesting and dreamy. Plus, the
free jazz show on Sunday evenings
is a great way to end a weekend.
Young(20s-30s).

Musicians (so basically any native
Icelander), guys in sports coats
and jeans, likeable hipsters, classy
(or at least reasonable) folks,
nicotine addicts.
One of Faktorý's best features is
its spacious, graffiti-adorned front
yard. It makes you feel like you are
hanging out at a quirky, off-the-
beaten-path house party.
Mi Faktorý es su Faktorý. – SS
Gallerý Bar (Hótel Holt)
Bergstaðastræti 37
This is an old school hotel with a
‘50s rat pack feel to it—dark decor,
leather couches, dim panelling,
cosy fireplaces and Iceland's finest
art on the walls. We feel at home
immediately although the bar is
almost empty when we visit. The
service is impeccable and the drinks
are as good as they get. It doesn’t
need more than that to make it one
of my favourite spots.

850

1000

1390

A mixture of gangster hip hop,
samba and classical jazz.
Older (40+).

Tourists, artsy fartsies, business
22The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 7 — 2013 THE GRAPEVINE'S BIG-ASS BAR GUIDE 2013