Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.07.2015, Side 18

18 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 9 — 2015
of painkiller Treo (like Alka Seltzer
plus caffeine). It’s literally everything
you could ever need/want after a night
out. And since it’s a bar you can just
stay there and Groundhog Day your
way into oblivion.
Honourable mention: Grái köttur-
inn
2014: Hangover Killer at Prikið
2013: Hangover Killer at Prikið
2012: Vitabar
2011: The Truck at Grái Kötturinn
2010: The Truck at Prikið
2009: The Truck at Grái kötturinn
Best Goddamn
Restaurant
Snaps
—
Þórsgata 1
"You can take anyone there, it's al-
ways a safe bet," is what one our judges
had to say about Snaps. We combed
through the local restaurant scene to
see if we could find other contenders
for the throne of Best Goddamn Res-
taurant but had no luck. It's hard to
say what it is that makes Snaps such
a good default restaurant but for the
discerning 101 rat in the age range 20-
35 it tends to be the go-to restaurant.
It's a good place to enjoy a simple but
elegant meal and good cocktails with
friends without having to dress up or
check your bank balance. You can go
there without much planning or fuss
and the food is basic enough that most
will find something they'll like.
2014: Snaps
2013: Snaps
2012: Snaps
2011: Ban Thai
2010: Saffran
2009: Segurmo at Boston
Best Everyman Bar
Bravó
—
Laugavegur 22
Popular Laugavegur watering hole Bravó
wins the best everyman bar (formerly
"best mainstreamer bar"), both for its
location and for its mixed crowd and
laid-back, multi-purpose nature. The
bar is run by the same folks as the wildly
popular Húrra, and it shows in the at-
mosphere: “Early in the night they play
nice music at conversation level,” our
panel noted, “and when the DJs start,
they’re not always trying to get a dance
floor going, so it can be a great place for
a weeknight hangout.” There’s good wi-
fi, plenty of seating, and reasonable beer
prices, and even when it’s chilled out, it
has an upbeat mood.
Runners-up: The English Pub,
Frederiksen
2014: The English Pub
2013: The English Pub
2012: The English Pub
2011: The English Pub
2010: Austur
Best Place To
Start The Night
Loft Hostel
—
Bankastræti 7
As a meeting place and a staging point
for a night out, Loft Hostel has it all. It’s
a spacious, comfortable, airy bar with
a large outdoor balcony space to catch
the sun, a good happy hour, plenty of
comfortable sofas, small nooks for
couples and larger tables for groups,
unobtrusive conversation-level music,
and close proximity to the downtown
party scene. They host nice low-key
events like clothing markets, theme
nights, comedy and the occasional live
show, and the crowd is a nice mix of
hostel guests and Icelanders.
Runners-up: Stofan, Bar Ananas
2014: Kaldi
2013: Slippbarinn
2012: Kex
2011: Nýlenduvörverzlun Hemma
& Valda (RIP)
2010: Nýlenduvörverzlun Hemma
& Valda (RIP)
Best Place To End
The Night
Paloma basement
—
Naustin
In Paloma’s dingy basement is a bar
that, on “djamm nights,” feels like
you’ve already landed in a particu-
larly chaotic after-party. It’s always
full of faces from around town, who
come pouring in from whatever gigs
or events they’ve been at earlier in the
night, such as at Húrra next door. Dur-
ing peak hours, Paloma feels a bit wild
and chaotic, like Bakkus used to be, or
like Kaffibarinn (whose “institution”
status renders it ineligible) before the
tourist influx. It’s one of Reykjavík’s
few “all in” party places. A particu-
larly passionate write-in further noted
that “it’s a bit dirty, but by that point
in the night, maybe you don’t care—
you’re so shitfaced that nothing mat-
ters any more.”
Runners-up: Húrra, Kiki
2014: Paloma
2013: Harlem (RIP)
Best Cheap Bar
Bar 7
—
Frakkastígur 7
Bar 7 does take-outs, and when we
say cheap, we mean it—it’s REALLY
cheap. You can get a happy hour beer
for 350 ISK, and walk out with the can
on your way to the next place. Bar 7’s
raison d’etre is simple: very cheap al-
cohol. It’s nothing fancy of course, but
if you wanna go cheap: go there.
Runners-up: Glaumbar, Ölsmiðjan
2014: Ölsmiðjan
2013: Ölsmiðjan
2012: Ölsmiðjan
2011: Den Danske Kro
2010: Kaffi Zimsen (RIP)
2009: Nýlenduvöruverzlun Hem-
ma & Valda (RIP)
Best All-Around Bar
Kex
—
Skúlagata 28
Kex is a hostel bar, although you
wouldn’t know it. It’s a spacious bar
room and restaurant with a lively at-
mosphere, cool bric-a-bric decor and
raw but cosy interior design. The beer
selection is excellent, and they some-
times have free concerts in the eve-
ning, including the weekly jazz night.
Kex also has a garden area which
hosts gigs during the summer week-
ends, a comfortable sun patio for sun-
ny days, and a nice view of Esja from
the large front windows. “You can pop
in there any time and it always feels
like the right time,” said the panel.
What more could you ask of our best
all-round bar?
Runners-up: Boston, Húrra
2014: Boston
2013: Dolly
2012: Faktorý (RIP)
Best Bar To Go Dancing
Kiki Queer Bar
—
Laugavegur 22
With Kaffibarinn an institution and
Húrra already awarded “best bar for
live music,” we kicked around several
late-night dancing spots before settling
on Kiki Queer Bar, which wins the cat-
egory for the second year running. Their
pop ‘n’ classics music policy is perfect for
those who like to sing along and know
every track they’ll hear. “People go there
only to dance like crazy,” one friend of
the Grapevine noted. “You always know
that it’ll be full of people who are cutting
loose, and the atmosphere is inclusive, so
whether you’re in the mood or not, you’ll
probably end up joining in.”
Runners-up: Austur, B5
2014: Kiki Queer Bar
2013: Harlem
2012: Bakkus
Best Newcomer Bar
Mikkeller & Friends
—
Hverfisgata 12
Mikkeller & Friends is a small but
perfectly-formed craft bar with fancy
circus-themed decor and a public house
feel. It’s a controversial place, as bars go,
dividing Reykjavík’s drinkers into two
camps: committed devotees, and those
who wince at the high prices and small
measures (you'll get 20% less beer than at
a regular bar). We are firmly in the pro-
Mikkeller camp, with our panel praising
the wide range of beers on offer—from
the darkest, strongest stout they’d ever
tasted, and the eye-wateringly sour lam-
bic ales, to some mind-blowing Ameri-
can pale ales, brown ales and various
other beers and lagers. Most of them are
brewed by Mikkeller, which has over
300 recipes, and produces each beer in a
limited batch; the handful of delectable
guest beers are from similarly indepen-
dent microbreweries. Put simply, Mik-
keller’s 20 taps pour the best beers in
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