Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.06.2015, Side 24

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Skúli Craft Bar
Aðalstræti 9
This new craft beer bar has quickly attracted
a loyal following, even though it has a very
mercurial vibe. Some nights it's all but empty,
but not a week later it's full to the brim with
patrons waiting patiently in line to be served.
The bar is set up to be both friendly to beer nuts
and accessible to the rest of the populace. The
close proximity of the tables to one another
makes hobnobbing all but inevitable, which
definitely adds to the experience. The bar is
all brick walls, wooden furniture and tiled
wooden floors, with dim lighting and thick
curtains.

900 1400 1400

At this time, we had indiscernible
music drowned out by loud
conversations.

Older (40+)
Groups of friends, people in their 30s
and 40s, mostly male, loud people that
have Canadian mannerisms, beerbros,
metalheads.
There is a menu describing all 130
of the bottled beers on offer in great
detail. There are fourteen beers on tap,
including numerous Borg, BrewDog,
Mikkeller, and To Øl products. A
lot of the beers are more expensive
and served in smaller glasses than
Reykjavík locals are used to, but that's
the price of such flavourful beverages.
Skúli is relaxed, comfortable, clean, and
crafty. – GB
Stofan
Vesturgata 3
No matter what time you arrive, Stofan is a
welcoming place. The interior decoration feels
very homely, with its vintage furniture and
chandeliers, and the exposed wooden beams
and mismatched tiled floors somehow add to
the experience. The place is split up into an
upstairs restaurant/café, and a downstairs bar
that's open a full hour longer. The atmosphere
isn't really one that encourages heavy drinking,
but is rather the place you go to before you go
out on the town.

950 1200 1300

Well-picked playlist that facilitate a
relaxed environment.

Young (20s-30s)
Hipsters, musicians, creative folk, art
students, aspiring artists, actual artists,
locals, foreigners.
Comfortable sofas, excellent coffee and
a very tempting selection of cakes. Most
of the staff members are also in bands.
Feels like an Irish living room bar
transported to 101 Reykjavík—
comfortable, inviting and perfect to sit
down with your mates for a chat. – GB
Stúdentakjallarinn
Sæmundargata 4
This is a large lounge bar with entertainment,
events, and it's even got food too! It's home to
the best foosball table in town—definitely a
place to meet friends, chat, and enjoy some
pints. Honestly, you could even go there and
study while drinking a beer.

750 950 790

The music varies night by night, but it's
never too loud or overpowering.

Young (20s - 30s)
Students, professors, and foreign
performers.
It's got hanging gardens and a great
foosball table, not to mention a small
bookshelf to keep you looking bookish
and smart—even if you forget your
satchel.
The energy of this place is up to you: loud, if
you want; calm, if you need; and quiet, if
you please. – YOU
Tíu Dropar
Laugavegur 27
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.

1000 1400 1000

Two non-troubadour men played
atmospheric guitar music in the
background.

Young (20s - 30s)
Artsy intellectual-looking people,
people in suits getting a drink after
work, older women tourists, people
who "know a lot about wine," people
who "love little hidden-gem bars."
There are some seats outside and
also a piano. The interior is decorated
like your grandma's living room—
old photos, tea cosies, mismatched
furniture.
This would be a cosy place to grab a drink
with a first date or maybe to debate
existentialism with that philosopher
friend of yours. – HJC
Vínsmakkarinn
Laugavegur 73
The atmosphere is pretty quiet—a good place
to end a date.

600 1300 700

There was nothing.

Young (20s - 30s)
Lovers, thinkers.
No
Since it's kind of far from the main
rowdiness at Laugavegur, this is the
perfect place to enjoy an easy night out.
– JB
We decided not to cover hostel bars, hotel
bars and restaurant bars in this guide,
because there are just SO MANY of them
and we thought it should be all or nothing.
That being said, some of them are actually
really great—amongst the nicest places in
town, even—so we decided to highlight
those for you here.
Restaurant Bars
Snaps
Þórsgata 1
A repeat-winner in the “Best Goddamn
Restaurant” category of our Best of
Reykjavík awards, Snaps is a great
atmospheric bistro with a cosy, seated
central bar where you can watch your
cocktail being made. It’s one of the few
places in town that does a decent Bloody
Mary, and if you get peckish you can order
some finger-food or a dessert from the
kitchen. All in all, it’s a great place for either
the first drink of a fancy night out or the
“one last drink” of a date.
Laundromat
Austurstræti 9
Laundromat has waiters offering table
service and a full menu, and so it’s really
more about the food than drinks. However,
it has a comfortable central bar where
you can sit and work or just drink, and a
decent selection of beers and spirits. The
soundtrack is tasteful indie-hits (think
PJ Harvey and Beach House) and the
cooler end of Icelandic music (Samaris,
Bloodgroup etc.) and the crowd varies
between large groups of super-loud
Icelanders, burger-chomping hipsters, and
the Gore-Tex-clad tourist masses—expect
to be in the background of some food-
related Instagrams.
Public House
Laugavegur 24
This place opened very recently—at the time
of writing, the paint was still drying on the
walls. The sign of Public House proudly
bears the subtitle “gastropub,” but it’s really
a regular restaurant, in which you’re seated
and given menus by a waiter and then order
at the bar, oddly. The menu looks great and
they have a very good selection of beers;
all in all it seems like a nice addition to the
restaurant-bars of Laugavegur.
Kolabrautin
Austurbakki 2 (inside Harpa)
This place is in one of the most picturesque
spots you could imagine—right up with
the gods of the Harpa concert hall. Up the
airy stairs and past the geometric mirrored
ceiling, Kolabrautin bar is kind of a waiting
area for the fancy restaurant of the same
name, but it’s a great place to go for a fancy
happy-hour cocktail, or a pre-concert drink.
Forréttabarinn
Nýlendugata 14
This is a place of two halves, with a pleasant,
airy tapas restaurant in the east side, and
a spacious bar room environment in the
west. With its piled beer kegs, stacked
chairs and heavy, rough wooden tables, it’s
going for some kind of fancy-yet-raw look
that doesn’t quite click. But with Icelandic
football showing on a big screen, this place
has a kind of NYC neighbourhood-bar
atmosphere. Add the fact that they have
Bríó and Kaldi on the taps, both included in
the 500 ISK happy hour, and we’re sold.
Fishmarket/Grillmarket,
Aðalstræti & Lækjargata 2A
(respectively)
Each of these upscale restaurants, both
headed by chef Hrefna Sætran, house an
outstanding cocktail bar, with atmospheric
lighting, table service, comfortable
furniture and resolutely top-quality mixed
drinks. While they’re definitely second
fiddle to the excellent restaurants, these
two offer some of the best cocktails you’ll
find in Iceland.
Hotel bars
Apotek
Austurstræti 16
Housed in a space that was previously
a pharmacy, Apotek features a plush
lounge bar, which is nestled next to a large
restaurant, and under a hotel. There's
a fancy confectionary stand selling
macaroons from the kitchen, and a decent
cocktail list—try them half-price during
happy hour, 16:00-18:00 daily.
Hotel Borg
Pósthússtræti 11
Hotel Borg won our “best cocktail” award
back in 2013 for their expertly mixed takes
on the classics. At the time of writing,
they’re about to relaunch their refurbished
restaurant-bar. Hopefully they kept the
square, seated central bar, tall stools, grand
decor, and some of the top-notch bartenders
that made it a firm favourite over the last
couple of years.
Hotel Holt Gallery Bar
Bergstaðastræti 37
Hotel Holt’s Gallery Bar is something of an
institution. The bar is all wood panelling,
leather and maroon—it has the feeling of an
old-world salon, for highfalutin artists and
intellectuals to sip whisky and wine. The
art is an attraction in itself, with work by
Icelandic greats like Kjarval, Jón Stefánsson
and Ásmundur Sveinsson on the walls. It’s
the kind of place that feels like you should
be wearing a jacket, but it’s the right kind
of cosy for starting or finishing a civilized
night out.
Kex
Skúlagata 28
The Kex bar is much more than a hostel
bar. But then, Kex is more than a hostel.
The building’s decor is an attraction in
itself, incorporating an impressive range
of reclaimed ephemera and tasteful bric-
a-bric. Maps, globes and sewing tables
complement original features from the
space’s former life as a biscuit factory, such
as a lift shaft and an old-style safe that now
houses a barber booth. The views are of
Faxaflói bay and Esja, the sun terrace is a
godsend in the fleeting Icelandic summer,
and the range of beers and spirits is super
nice. If they’d only fix the spotty wi-fi, Kex
would be truly perfect.
Loft Hostel
Bankastræti 7a
Loft Hostel is a fourth-floor drinking and
relaxing space that has the feel of an Ikea
"nice bar" display. There's a balcony, big
windows, natural light, and chirpy staff.
People hang around reading or working on
their laptops, hostel guests research their
next move looking at maps. The post-work
crowd drinks here, so it gets busy then, but
the atmosphere is usually somewhat mild.
It’s a nice hideaway, especially on a sunny
day.
Slippbarinn, Mýrargata 2
Best known for its ever-evolving and
creative cocktail list, Slippbarinn is a high
end hotel bar located on the ground floor
of Hotel Marina by Reykjavík’s old harbour
area.
Other
Great Bars!
24 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 7— 2015BAR GUIDE