Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.06.2014, Page 27

Breakfast
Brunch
Lunch
Happy Hour
Dinner
K-Bar is a gastro pub with a Korean, Japa-
nese, Icelandic inspired kitchen and quirky
cocktails. We have eight icelandic craft
beers on tap and over 100 types in bottles.
Open all day from breakfast to late night
snacks. K-Bar is located at Laugavegur 74.
Ask your reception how to find us or find us
on facebook.com/kbarreykjavik
27The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 07 — 2014

Older (40+)
All kinds. The cheap beer attracts all
sorts of down to earth folks.
One of the cheapest bars in town.
Your friendly "local" pub.. – HMF &
TGH
Ölstofa Kormáks og Skjaldar
Vegamótastígur 4
During the day, the “beer room” is an
ideal spot to sample offerings from the
Borg microbrewery, to take in the many
granny-sitting-room-style hook-rug wall
hangings (the topless couple silhouetted
against a Caribbean sunset is a favourite),
and to observe the bar owners in their
natural habitat on the semi-enclosed porch
against the windows of which they rap their
knuckles when in need of another round.
(Note: never attempt this with any service
professional whose paychecks you do not
personally sign.) But at night, this cosy
bar turns suburban rumpus room, filling
with a buzzy crowd of adult professionals
including—not that you should get your
hopes up, but just, y’know, be prepared—
the very occasional middle-aged couple
looking for a third.

900 1300 1100

Nothing you’ll be able to hear once
the bar reaches 50% capacity.

Older (40+)
Groups of co-workers, media types,
socialising couples, anyone young-at-
heart enough to be out past bedtime,
but old-in-body enough to want to be
sitting down.
B Furnished-basement vibe, good
bottled beer selection, the rare round
bar in the center of the room, and did
we mention the married swingers?
Totally having our next key party here.
– MCA
Paloma
Tryggvagata 22
A hipster bar that has for some reason been
squeezed into a weird Viking-style attic
(complete with Viking ship bar), Paloma
caters to Iceland's artists, musicians and
their hangers-on .

800 1100 1000

Pretty random,with the occasional
live performance. The DJs mostly
swing between alternative and
electronic music, occasionally
throwing in the odd '80's hit.

Young (20s - 30s)
Freelancers, artists, designers,
musicians, poets, writers, university
students, journalists, anarchists,
conspiracy theorists, celebrities etc. A
very hardcore 101 crowd.
The bar is quite literally a huge Viking
ship.
Very weird, rather cool Viking art
fusion. – ÁS
Park
Hverfisgata 20
The mood at Park was quite calm, befitting
the minimalist decor, and not very
happening. The crowd consisted of a couple
of tourists and some locals in their early
twenties, perhaps fifteen people in all. Note
that we were there on the early side, in the
context of Reykjavík nightlife, so maybe
things got going as the evening progressed.
This didn't seem likely though, as Park's
cheap shots and ten year old music don't
seem enough to get a party started. We left
as soon as we finished our drinks.

500 1200 700

Park offers a playlist of bad
mainstream music from the past two
decades, although the DJs they book
presumably dabble in different styles.

Young (20s - 30s)
Students, tourists, people who
are there to drink very cheap beer,
clubbers.
The thing that most identifies Park
are the offers of shots (300 ISK) and
drinks.
Discount shots and beers are always
an attraction, yet they fail to make a
visit to Park worth it. – BHÓ
Prikið
Bankastræti 12
Prikið serves as a Cheers-style
establishment for everyone involved or
interested in the Icelandic hip hop scene.
Everyone present is destined to either get
wasted or dance through the night in the
bass-furious space.

790 1090 890

Anything from generic overplayed
hip hop, to genuinely aggressive
grime.

Young (20s - 30s)
Hip hoppers, rascals, the petite
bourgeoisie, young people, drunk
people that like to dance.
The ground floor has a big bar and
very narrow escape route leading
upstairs and to the smoking area,
which appreciators of the human
condition can enjoy; the colourful and
figurative graffiti is presented in such
a way that even the bourgeoisie find it
delightful. Earlier in the day, you can
get nice diner food from the kitchen.
Friendly-aggressive haven for hip-hop
enthusiasts and young people who
like smoking in a colorful atmosphere.
– JL
Radisson Blu 1919
Pósthússtræti 2
This is an international chain hotel bar,
and it feels like it; whether that's a good or
bad thing depends on your taste. There's a
kind of transient luxury feel to it—tasteful
minimalism, monochrome decor, attentive
staff.

1200 1400 1200

Elvis, muzak, '70s and '80s light soul-
pop type stuff.

Older (40+)
Business people and hotel guests
who are probably also business
people.
It's attached to a hotel and restaurant,
and the people here during our visit
were all well-to-do, slightly drunk
guests. The bar staff were really
pleasant.
You probably won't drink here unless
you're at a conference or a work
dinner, but for a certain kind of
passing-through anonymity, hotel
bars are kinda nice. – JR
Satt Restaurant (Reykjavik
Natura Icelandair Hotels)
Nauthólsvík 52
Satt is is wide and spacious, with a cozy
and elegant atmosphere. While the bar
was sparsely attended at our time of visit,
it does get crowded at times, while always
maintaining a relaxed atmosphere.

950 1000 1800

No music.

Older (40+)
Tourists, middle- to upperclass types,
a few Icelanders, conference guests
and larger groups that rent the halls.
This cozy hotel bar doubles as a
restaurant, and offers side rooms for
conferences, large dinners and the
like that are open to the public.
An elegant and cozy bar with a good
selection of drinks and nice service,
fine for chilling out with a drink or
two. – ESV
Sky Lounge & Bar
Centerhotel Arnarhvoll, Ingólfsstræti
The light upon entering was actually quite
breathtaking, with a red sunset shining
through tall windows. There was a large
family eating dinner in smart attire, and
others dotted around the comfortable
looking sofas, including parents and young
kids. The place has a nice relaxed sort of
evening buzz to it.

950 1400 1200

Almost inaudible trip-hop.

Older (40+)
Stuffy white people, wealthy
Icelanders, smart/casual afterwork
types, tourists, dads, mums, business
types, Harpa pre-gamers, families.
The view is probably the best in
Reykjavík, with Harpa and the
harbour on one side, and the
mountains and cityscape wrapping
around below. The barman,
unfortunately, was monosyllabic and
grumpy.
A beautiful spot that overlooks the
city. Somewhere to have a celebration
maybe, or take your parents. So if you
are a parent maybe you could just,
like, go. – JR
Slippbarinn
Mýrargata 2
Slippbarinn sits in a cosy, super-chill hotel
lobby. There is a library, a reception, a
restaurant and various nooks to hide in. We
keep thinking the word "lifestyle," but we're
not sure why.

750 1000 2000

FM classics, AOR, soft rock, crooners,
soul.

Older (40+)
Old people, family dinners, flocks of
kids, couples, hotel guests, business
people, a smattering of sunbed-tastic
footballer-wife types.
Swanky as heck, with a focus on the
creative, ever-evolving cocktail menu,
great service, and a widescreen live
webcam feed of Jökulsarlón.
Great service, good cocktails and
fancy food in a slick but relaxed
environment. – JR
Snaps Bistro Bar
Þórsgata 1
Snaps is a boiling point in Reykjavik right
now, combining the suave coolness of a
French bistro with the crudeness of the 101
art scene. Getting a table there on a Friday
night is a strenuous task, unless your name
is Högni or you're a member of GusGus. But
if you manage to squeeze into the bar, you
won't regret it.

950 1350 1190

The music varies from French
oldies to rugged '70s retro pop. And
occasionally, a random drunkard
hammers away on the piano.

Young (20s - 30s)
Musicians, mini-celebs, socialites,
artists, poets, investor
SNAPS is always crowded. It can feel
like you're hidden in some Parisian
arrondissement, and if you're lucky it
can almost get as rowdy and flashy as
Sirkús during its heyday.
If you don't wanna take any chances
just go to Snaps—you can't go wrong.
– SKK