Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.06.2014, Page 23

23The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 07 — 2014
person. The barman comes up
from the restaurant to serve us
drinks. He's cordial as heck, if
slightly confused to have a pair
of closing-time drinkers on a
Monday evening.
Einar Ben is primarily a
restaurant, but it has a kind
of hidden pub upstairs. With
its nice third-floor views of
central Reykjavík, comfortable
furniture and decent beer
prices, it's a nice surprise.
More English pub than The
English Pub. – JR
English Pub
Austurstræti 12A
English Pub feels very mainstream. It
very frequently hosts troubadours who
all perform the same pained renditions
of troubadour classics like “All You Need
Is Love” and “Wish You Were Here.” The
crowd enthusiastically chants along as if
undergoing a spiritual awakening.

950 1400 1100

Troubadours, every day, all the
time.

Young (20-30s).
Drinkers, foreigners, people
that like foreigners, troubadour
enthusiasts.
The bar has a wheel of fortune
where you can win drinks.
Everyone here loves to get so drunk
that the same old Beatles songs
sound fresh. Everyone loves a
troubadour, and that's why
everyone loves English Pub! – JL
Gaukurinn
Tryggvagata 22
I arrived at Gaukurinn just in time to
catch a performance from local reggae
band Ojba Rasta, who created a groovy
atmosphere. With a reputation as one
of Reykjavík's foremost live venues,
Gaukurinn offers a great rock ‘n‘ roll
feel, with dark walls, wooden tables and
leather couches. Aside from the frequent
concerts, Gaukurinn offers a friendly
vibe, good service and a fine selection of
beverages.

900 1300 1000

Rock 'n' roll, hard rock, and heavy
metal are prominent on the
playlist, while bands of every genre
play shows there.

Young (20s - 30s)
People in their 20s - 30s mainly,
fans of rock and heavy metal or
anyone who is into the particular
band/music that may be playing.
Gaukurinn is one of the few
Reykjavík venues that offers
regular live performances. It was
recently renovated, decked out
with a great stage and a new and
improved sound system.
An excellent rock 'n' roll bar with a
nice feel, plenty of good music and
great concerts. – ESV
Gallerý Bar (Hótel Holt)
Bergstaðastræti 37
Going to Hótel Holt is a bit like visiting
your grandparents, classic Icelandic
paintings hang on the walls, the mellow
tones of Icelandic oldies fill the AIR
and that chair you sit on smells like it
has existed twice as long as you have.
And that's awesome. Holt is like a
gateway into a world that once was, a
romantic getaway to the golden times of
yesteryear. It's also kind of like going to
an art museum for a drink.

1250 1200 1200

The music that accompanies your
drink at Hótel Holt is much like
the drink itself: mellow and lifts
your spirits without ever being too
aggressive. Think Sinatra tunes
mixed with Icelandic oldies.

Older (40+))
Painters, older gents and
ladies, conservative tourists,
Scandinavian conference guests,
Megas, Happy-hour-hungry middle
aged women.
Hótel Holt is renowned for its class,
it's where your cigar will be lit by
a butlerish waiter and the chef
will cook your steak wearing one
of those ridiculous-looking white
chef-hats. It's the real thing. But
you sure do pay for it.
Whether you want to sip on a
perfect Old Fashioned or just
dress up and get a glimpse of the
extravagance of the '50s, Hótel Holt
is the place to be. – SKK
Glaumbar
Tryggvagata 20
Glaumbar’s ownership is as prone to
change as Icelandic weather, and each
time the beer prices change and a
new theme is introduced. This current
incarnation seems to still be deciding
what to do with itself, but the crowd is
still composed of the same drunkards
and young kids, with four boys barely
past the legal drinking age passed out in
separate booths

850 2000 N/A

For some reason, the thoroughly
uninspired pop music booming
from Glaumbar's shoddy sound
system got a small crowd dancing.
Likely the punters were either
too intoxicated to know better or
lacking the cognitive functions to
do so.

Too young (under 20).
Dudebros, hnakkar, alcoholics,
business people with no sense
of taste, Julian Assange before
he holed up at the Ecuadorian
embassy in London.
There is an unbalanced foosball
table, several TVs showing the
latest game, and only one beer on
tap (Tuborg). At least the toilets
don’t have the remnants of impure
coke-lines on every surface like
they did during Iceland’s boom
years.
The place to be if you have no
friends or sense of self-worth and
just want to get shit-faced. – TGB
Hotel Plaza
Aðalstræti 4
Situated by a hotel lobby, drinkers at
Hotel Plaza can amuse themselves with
the sight of tourists passing by wearing
their shiny windproof jackets. The crowd
is mostly made up of different tourist
groups—suited businessmen along
with elderly travellers coming in after a
long day, dropping their trekking poles
to sinking into a nice chat over a glass of
wine.

950 1400 1200

Everything from '50s style rock
to John Grant and Hermigervill,
played at a comfortable volume.

Older (40+)
Tourists, hotel guests,
businesspeople/bankers.
A nice fake fireplace at the sitting
area, a small TV showing CNN near
the bar, and a large window with
a clear view over Ingólfstorg and
Austurstræti. The kind-of-fancy
lobby look is dominant.
This is first and foremost a lobby
with a relaxed atmosphere,
where hotel guests can sit for a
drink or two with a close view
over Ingólfstorg before heading
somewhere else. – MA
Hressingarskálinn (Hressó)

Austurstræti 20
The only word that accurately captures
the mood at Hressó on Saturday
night is: "drunk!" Intoxicated patrons
stumbled around, regularly spilling
their drinks everywhere, rendering the
floors appropriately sticky. The crowd
was clearly in high spirits, cheerful and
oblivious, with the not-too crowded
dance floor providing the perfect setting
to bust all our best moves.

990 1300 950

Top 40 music and dance hits
ranging from the Backstreet Boys'
"Everybody" to the overplayed
"Timber" by Pitbull. Hressó also
frequently hosts live music..

Young (20s - 30s)
Tourists, recent immigrants,
university students, people who
couldn't think of anywhere else to
go
A massive heated outdoor smoking
area.
If you don't know where to go, then
go to Hressingarskálinn. – HMF
& TGH
Húrra
Tryggvagata 22
Split up into two main areas by a
movable wall, a traditional bar, and then
a stage/dance floor area, the venue can
easily transform from being a massive
music venue, to a small lounge bar. Ah,
and they have Einstök pale ale on draft,
for cheap. STOP! Review over. Dear
Húrra, we forgive your every trespass,
past present and future, such as the
artwork by Jón Sæmundur and the
broken foosball table on the ground floor
will not be discussed. Nor will all the
dancing, drinking young people.

800 1000 750

The live bands that perform at
Húrra range from hip hop legends
to folk heroes, punk bands to
atmospheric electro artists.
After their shows, DJs frequently
play a good mix of party music,
consisting of electro, house and hip
hop.

Young (20s - 30s)
Young people, rockers, hip
hoppers, pop fans, the hip dancing
crowd, couples, downtown figure
Hannes (the one who looks like
Johnny Cash)
The crowded prison-like smoking
area did not mix well with our level
of intoxication. The stage has in the
past (when it was called something
else like Harlem or Bakkus) been
used by bands, performance artists
and poets, and Húrra is continuing
that legacy with frequent events
that fill us with optimism.
An excellent rock 'n' roll bar with a
nice feel, plenty of good music and
great concerts. –JL
Hverfisgata 12
Hverfisgata 12
There are only three ways to refer to the
aptly unnamed restaurant: Hverfigata
12, the crazy pizza place or the restaurant
with a shelf full of ducks. Serving some
of the most bizarre pizzas in Iceland, with
toppings such as potatoes and salted
salmon, the restaurant is split into five
rooms on three floors, each with its own
distinct (and at times nutty) flavour.
The interiors are mostly clean dark oak,
with paintings reminiscent of the '40's
hanging off of every wall. The vibe is
great for eating out with friends or family,
although it's perhaps not the ideal place
to go for a pint. Good luck getting a table
without a reservation.

1000 1400 1050

The music plays quietly from a
custom made playlist, playing
faster tunes during rush hour to
encourage people not to dally.

Older (40+)

Families with kids, young
professionals
The place is clean enough for
kids to lick the floor (which they
undoubtedly do) and has two beers
on tap, despite not really being
a bar. The selection of cocktails
is also decent, with “Björk The
Queen” (Icelandic Birch liqueur
+ sparkling wine) catching our
attention.
A restaurant that puts a lot of effort
into making you want to stay after
you eat.. – TGB
Ísafold Bistro - Bar & Spa
Þingholtsstræti 3
Quite the posh hotel bar, Ísafold has big
leather sofas, huge chandeliers and a
fake waterfall (!). The staff is attentive
and professional, and the cocktail and
wine menu is appropriately impressive.
Clearly a high-end place for high-end
people.

950 1200 13500

Electronic lounge music.

Older (40+)
High end tourists, business people
and bankers.
They gave us free cashews with
our drinks. The restrooms feature
clean, individual towels.
A good place to go if you're feeling
fancy.
– HMF & TGH
Loft Hostel is a big bright place with
a lot of floorspace and a very mixed
crowd of young, seemingly hip
Icelanders and tourists.