Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.06.2015, Side 22

List of licenced Tour
Operators and Travel
Agencies on:
visiticeland.com
Licensing and
registration of travel-
related services
The Icelandic Tourist Board issues licences to tour operators and travel agents,
as well as issuing registration to booking services and information centres.
Tour operators and travel agents are required to use a special logo approved
by the Icelandic Tourist Board on all their advertisements and on their Internet
website.
Booking services and information centres are entitled to use a Tourist
Board logo on all their material. The logos below are recognised by the
Icelandic Tourist Board.
Mikkeller & Friends
Hverfisgata 12
Reminiscent of a fashionable East London
pub, Mikkeller is a small, loud, dark,
crowded, slightly rowdy bar room with
cool (and somewhat creepy) circus-themed
decor.

1200 1600 1200

Inaudible beneath the hubbub, there's
some comfortable 60s sounding stuff.

Young (20s - 30s)
Hipsters, grizzly bar dudes, men with
vast beards, musicians, gourmands, pro
drinkers, fashionistas, tourists, barflies.
The bar's 20 (count 'em) taps have
behind them an array of Mikkeller-
brewed alcoholic nectars, from
super-sour lambic ales to enlightening
chocolatey stouts. The bar snacks are
more like fancy starters, prepared in
the Hverfisgata 12 kitchen.
The beers justify the eye-watering prices
through sheer quality. This place rules.
– JR
Mónakó
Laugavegur 78
Mónakó is one of the few original bars left in
Reykjavík. It is kind of a rat hole but definitely
proud to be one. There aren't many bars like
it left in the downtown area—most have now
been relegated to the suburbs. It has a strong
local crowd but is probably the last bar on
Laugavegur a wandering tourist family of four
wants to visit. A lonely old poet would perhaps
find this bar the perfect place for pondering a
sullen mood. It has true character.

900 1200 1200

They had classic rock and blues.

Older (40+)
People that tend to like slot machines,
older poets, unlucky and world-weary
folk, people who accept their paycheck
from some kind of welfare system.
Slot machines
Mónakó is the eyes of a man that slides his
last 100 ISK inside the slot machine and
fires away. – RJH
Nora Magasin
Pósthússtræti 9

It's crowded and loud for a pre-drink joint, but
with exposed brick and artfully flaky paint, a
nice, hip metropolitan milleu. It also has a
lunch and dinner menu..

790 1350 900

There was a multitutde of sounds:
disco, Top 40 rock, hip-hop oldies,
background noise, and people chatting.

Young (20s - 30s)
Moderately touristy. Young and
relatively hip semi-professionals,
middle to upper-middle-class folks
from Garðabær striving for suave.
Surprisingly drunk.
A full menu and a fairly shaded
patio, located by Austurvollur where
downtown rats go to pray for sunlight
and sip beer.
Nora Magasin is a decent and hip place for
a wet mid-evening pre-drink or tie-off.
– RE
Obladi Oblada
Laugavegur 45a
Well, to put it simply, this is a place for older
men who enjoy the company of other older
men.

900 1300 1000

Often live, come here for the golden
oldies.

Older (40+)
Old men, young men who are into old
men, really ironic hipsters.
The smoking section is covered.
If you like hearing about the good old days,
and you're male, this is the bar for you.
– JB
Ölsmiðjan
Lækjargata 10

Across the street from Menntaskólinn í
Reykjavík, and serving the cheapest
non-Happy Hour beer in the 101, Ölsmiðjan is
surely the first "local" for rising generations of
Icelandic drinkers. "People-watchers" (read:
creepers) can enjoy witnessing fraught, barely
postadolescent social interactions—droopy-
eyed boys repeatedly going in for a kiss and
getting a hug; girls rehashing the entire
history of their friendship in a single bathroom
trip—from the safe distance of adulthood.

590 1250 950

Last call was signaled by Andrea
Bocelli's "Con te partirò," a song even
sober people can't resist singing made-
up lyrics along with very, very loudly.

Too young (under 20), Older (40+)
The entire MR student body. One old
guy.
Come on a winter weekday for a cosy
farmhouse vibe and a glass of glögg.
It's like high school, but with alcohol.
Wait... – MA
Ölstofa Kormáks og Skjaldar
Vegamótastígur 4
If you're looking to have a serious conversation,
go here.

950 1300 1000

There's either no music, or music too
quiet to be audible.

Older (40+)
Journos, 101 rats, actors, politicians,
serious drinkers.
A covered smoking patio.
This is somewhere you go to talk about the
capital T Truth—a good place for big ideas.
– JB
Palóma
Naustin
Upstairs, where practically the whole room is
one big dancefloor, the party and pick-up mood
dominate. People writhe, bump all over each
other and literally hang from the rafters. But
down in the depths of the dark red basement,
people try to maintain their cool despite being
slobbering drunk. Basically it's two distinct
levels of messy goodness.

900 1100 1000

Upstairs dance to high-energy EDM,
and downstairs dance to indie-electro
and semi-ironic retro hits.

Young (20s - 30s)
Musicians, artists, all-around cool kids,
yuppies, journalists, legendary DJs,
comedians, expats, 101 rats, tourists,
chain-smokers.
The upstairs bar is a bisected replica of
a Viking longboat, leftover from when
the establishment was a Viking-themed
novelty restaurant.
It's the best time you'll never remember
having had. – RX
Prikið
Bankastræti 12
Prikið will throw a little sexual bravado into
your evening 'cause everyone knows the best
way to make people feel a bit sexier is hip-hop
and R&B. Come in and start bouncing. If you
can reach up and swing a light, go ahead. If
you want to pretend to have a conversation,
head upstairs. If you want to smoke in a Fernet
Branca-branded basketball court/smoking
section, this is the place. Let the hip-hop
transform you. It ain't got no type.

800 1290 1000

They bump hip-hop, rap, and things
that make you go UHHHN.

Too young (under 20), Young (20s - 30s)
Rappers, bad bitches, and ironically
normcore hip-hop enthusiasts.
The breakfast crowd is anyone and
everyone.
The worst urinal downtown, with a
slanted roof that makes you feel like
you're growing as you approach the
stainless steel trough. The swinging
lights are pretty fucking great.
It's the "I'm dressed up for dinner, but now
I'm just out being fresh as fuck" bar.
– YOU
Rio Sportbar
Hverfisgata 46

It's basically a sports bar with pool tables,
darts and slot machines.

900 1200 1000

The music can be quite perplexing
as it seems like the bartenders play
whatever they are in the mood for off
YouTube, but DJs play on the weekends
and on salsa nights.

Older (40+)
Bikers, fishermen, professional
drinkers, expats, pool sharks, salsa
dancers?
The only place to play pool in 101. They
provide a great indoor smoking area,
and the Salsa nights on Tuesdays and
Thursdays are recommended if you like
sweaty dancing.
Ríó is a great place to start your night out
with a group of friends. – HH
This is not the bar to go to if you're
looking to get smashed, dance, or hook
up. With a calm cosy feel, it's quiet
enough that you can still talk but not
so quiet that it's awkward. They have
an extensive wine list so it's definitely a
place to bring that one sommelier friend
of yours. There is very little interaction
between groups—so don't go here if
you're looking to meet someone.
Tíu Dropar
The Grapevine has been on the pulse of
what is coming and what should be coming
for years (at least that’s what we believe).
We decided that a signature cocktail would
separate us from the less savvy and boring
media outlets in this fine country. Luckily,
Kári Sigurðsson, a bartender at Apotek,
agreed to create us the perfect summer
libation.
Six of us sat down in Apotek, and Kári
whipped up three choices—ranging from the
simple to the complex. “It’s really simple, but,
in my opinion, fucking delicious,” said Kári
while monitoring our reactions to the first
sip of the one we would ultimately choose.
“I would have this while drinking outside in
the sun.”
We thought about calling it the
Grapevine Spritzer, but that sounds like
something your spinster aunt would
drink. So, we decided to simply call it ‘The
Grapevine Summer Cocktail’, and have
crossed our fingers that it doesn’t rain for the
next three months straight.
The Grapevine Summer Cocktail
Ingredients:
1 shot Aperol
2 shot grapefruit juice
Topped up with Cava DO (this can be
replaced with Prosecco, but not the
overly sweet Asti)
Garnish with a slice of Grapefruit
Preparation:
Fill a flute or white wine glass with
ice, add the Aperol and grapefruit
juice, and top up with Cavo. Add a
slice of grapefruit as garnish and serve
immediately.
The Cavo is the taste of sunshine—revealing
our unwavering confidence that this summer
might actually be enjoyable. The Aperol gives
it the spicy heat that defines the underlying
geological curiosity that is Iceland. The
grapefruit…well, that’s there for vanity. This
drink is best enjoyed outside and reading our
latest issue.
The Grapeviners responsible for
picking the cocktail are Anna Andersen,
Benedikt Hauksson, Björn Teitsson, Helgi
Harðarson, Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson, and
York Underwood.
The cocktail will be available at Apotek
(Austurstræti 16) this summer, and hopefully
at some other places as well.
Introducing The Grapevine Summer Cocktail Of 2015!
22 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 7— 2015BAR GUIDE