Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.06.2015, Qupperneq 19

Young (20s - 30s), Older (40+)
Hipsters, backpackers looking for love,
clean-shaven guys in suits, women
who drink on their tabs, Pétur Jóhann
Sigfússon.
A capacious, summery patio; an
upstairs seating area everyone
always forgets; the occasional pop-up
kitchen; the aforementioned erotic
art photo, purportedly a gift from
Björk (most people just bring wine to a
housewarming).
It's a long-lived bar that's on the right side
of dingy. – MA
Bravó
Laugavegur 22
A dark room with amber-toned light, simple
furniture, and cosy bohemian pillows tossed
along the window seating, Bravó feels like it
should always be filled with fragrant wafts of
strawberry tobacco. There might be candles
and black paint abound, but the mood is light
and lovely.

700 1400 800

To please their cool clintele, Bravo
curates a playlist of well-manicured
electro, indie and retro-pop.

Young (20s - 30s)
Whoever got a table first, lots of young
cool couples out on double-dates with
other young cool couples making new
friends with other young cool couples,
nice tourists, one random loudmouth
drunk jerk.
Nothing particularly special, but they
do occasionally host poetry nights and
vinyl parties.
No one is seeing and no one is looking and
no one is putting on airs; you can just sit
with your drink and forget all your cares.
– RX
Café Rosenberg
Klapparstígur 25
With low lights, bookshelves, and dark wood,
this place is class. It's a mix of cosy pub and
spacious, old-timey living room.

700 1350 900

These dudes have live music every
night: folk, blues, bluegrass, rockabilly,
and jazz to flamenco, tribute bands,
singer-songwriters, acoustic acts; even
a ukulele night.

Older (40+)
Regulars, live music junkies, nouveau
beatniks, wine drinkers, banjo
enthusiasts, jolly groups of middle age/
middle class arty types, tourists, folks
who like a good sing-along.
The live music, of course. But aside
from that, this place just has a really
nice vibe. Good people, good music, and
a good (but pricey) menu.
There's a lot of live music vying for your
attention in this town, but if you want to
close out the bar while listening to the
sweet, sweet strains of a mandolin, this is
the place for you. – LK
Celtic Cross
Hverfisgata 26
Celtic Cross has the trappings of an Irish
pub, but it's too scatterbrained in its delivery,
with Christmas lights and brass instruments
hanging on the walls, and a leather-cushioned
downstairs section that's completely out of
place.

1090 1300 1000

It sounds like they are playing whatever
is on the bartender's iPod.

Young (20s - 30s)
Graduating students, people in their
30s and 40s, suits, leather-clad folk,
birthday party people, stars that don't
want to be seen out by anyone that
matters.
There is a smoking area, and a secluded
side room with a coffin in it. Whenever
there's a game on, it's projected onto a
wall. Despite their priding themselves
on being an Irish pub, serving both
Guinness and Kilkenny, my bartender
still managed to pour my drink the
wrong way, turning what was supposed
to be a delicious pint into unserviceable
goop.
Celtic Cross is a watered-down and
unremarkable watering hole. – GB
Den Danske Kro
Ingólfsstræti 3
Ironically, this place is as Icelandic as they
get—it's like an extremely corny house party.

1000 1500 1200

I hope you like "Wonderwall," 'cause
they have troubadours every night!

Young (20s - 30s)
Students, professional drinkers, people
who like troubadours, weekend dads.
They have darts, and live sports when
they are on.
This place is good enough if you're really
drunk, but not one of the bars you would
go to if you only had one night in
Reykjavík. – JB
Dillon
Laugavegur 30
Tough as nails, stripped down to the support
beams, Dillon is a badass kind of joint. It's
got that unpredictable vibe that can go
from waiting-for-the-bathroom to getting-
punched-in-the-face in a split second. Good
for seeing long-haired, leather-clad dudes
topple off their bar stools and for getting
scowled at by women with the best dye jobs
in town.

900 1350 900

Through those horns up with a mix
of rock, punk, metal and classic
rock—don't worry, there's a minimum
of three AC/DC songs per night,
guaranteed.

Young (20s - 30s)
Old school badasses, punks, hardcore
kids, goths, Amma Rokk (Andrea
Jónsdóttir), legendary musicians,
potheads, whiskey lovers.
An extensive and impressive selection
of whiskies for distinguished palates.
No one gets between me and my windmill
headbanging along to Judas Priest. – RX
Dolly
Hafnarstræti 4
Dolly is cool with an edge, celebratory to the
point of hedonism. You feel like everyone
knows everyone or at least knows of them.
It's glam-electronic-hip-hop with a smoking
section that looks like a silent film: everyone's
jaws are moving but no one is talking. It's the
type of place you'd recommend to people who
are looking for things to get a little bit weird.
Earlier in the day, its old furniture and low
lights give it a lounge-ish feeling, but, if only
those walls could talk.

700 1350 1000

Dolly played glam-electronica with
slices of hip-hop and rave culture.

Young (20s - 30s)
Local partiers, unrepentant pleasure
seekers, and those few tourists looking
for a weekend of fear and loathing.
A thin dingy smoking section that's
fenced in. Think post-apocalyptic
Kaffibarinn.
You don't decide between the blue pill or
the red pill: you take both. – YOU
Dubliner
Hafnarstræti 4
A large Irish-style pub with music and loud,
merry customers. The interior is exactly what
you would expect from an Irish pub and the
place even smells distinctly Irish (that is, of
alcohol, as the wooden furniture is probably
marinated with it).

900 1400 1000

Only troubadours or live Irish music
here, and why any of this would attract
anyone, I don't know...

Older (40+)
A lot of happy and normal-looking
people who seem to just want to
sit down and talk to their friends
by trying to shout louder than the
extremely loud music (fuck, I sound
old...). Don't get me wrong, though—
the people seem to really dig the music
too.
They have a great outdoor seating/
smoking area, but the best part of it all
is the taco truck!
Dubliner's loud and Irish with no frills.
– HMF
English Pub
Austurstræti 12A
This is a comfort-zone bar. Yeah, it may be
themed, but it lacks any eccentricity, giving
Americans, Canadians, and inhabitants of
Great Britain a sanitized pseudo-pub for the
sports-obsessed and listeners of simple music.
Sing along with ground-down troubadour
favourites or try spinning a wheel to win a
round of pints for your table of philistines.

1100 1500 1300

The difference between the music
played at English Pub and the table
of contents of a "Learn Guitar in 4
Chords" book is slight, very slight.

Young (20s - 30s)
Tourists, armchair football coaches,
and lost couples trying to reignite a
long burnt-out flame.
A surprisingly enjoyable patio facing
Austurvöllur in the afternoon.
This is a great afternoon pub with a sunny
patio, and a great beer-and-go walk-
through on your night out. – YOU
Frederiksen Ale House
Hafnarstræti 5
It's an airy, wood-panelled downtown bar
room with large windows, basic furniture,
and a spacious feel. There's table service in
the daytime—it's positioning itself as a bar-
restaurant.

1000 1550 1100

The small stage area seemed to
threaten the troubadours, and
they played only classic soul and
rock'n'roll standards.

Young (20s - 30s)
Tourists, groups of girls, regular
dudes, the occasional rock guy—like
a quieter English Pub.
Frederiksen has successfully
exorcized the ghost of the previous
bar occupied this spot, Cafe
Amsterdam—one of the grimmest
dives in Iceland. No mean feat. Also,
Grapevine's food critic recently gave
this place 5/5, which doesn't happen
super-often.
Frederiksen Ale House is a no-frills
watering hole that does what it says on
the tin. – JR
Gamli Gaukurinn
Tryggvagata 22
Gaukurinn is a spacious dark venue that
loves to please. We especially recommend
their karaoke nights where you can go up
on stage and sing any song you want (they
just look it up on YouTube).

900 1300 900

It depends on the night, considering
they have live music sometimes,
karaoke, open mics, stand up, game
nights...

Young (20s - 30s)
The crowd varies, depending on
what's on that evening. Rockers
frequent the concerts but a younger,
poppier crowd frequents the
karaoke evenings.
They have events every day,
whether it's a live band, pub quiz,
karaoke night or something else.
Gamli Gaukurinn is one of the most
versatile bars in the city when it comes
to events. – HMF
Glaumbar
Tryggvagata 20
It kind of gives you the feeling that you're
in a friend-of-a-friend's massive loft area
instead of a bar. There's a lot of space to
either dance or just sit and drink.

1090 1500 1400

A not-so-impressive YouTube
playlist.

Young (20s - 30s)
There are a lot of groups of young
people there, probably taking
advantage of the bar's late happy
hour. The place is mostly frequented
by young college and university
students.
The bar is an island in the middle
of the loft, so really it's easy to get
to, which results in there being
less crowding than often happens
at other bars. The happy hour lasts
until 2am!
Glaumbar is basically a big dark loft
with happy hour until 2am. – HMF
A dark room with amber-toned light,
simple furniture, and cosy bohemian
pillows tossed along the window seating,
Bravó feels like it should always be
filled with fragrant wafts of strawberry
tobacco. There might be candles and
black paint abound, but the mood is light
and lovely.
Bravó
19The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 7 — 2015 BAR GUIDE