Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.12.2016, Page 20

The R
eykjavík G
rapevine
B
est of R
eykjavík 20
16
20
You want to get hammered. Or you want to meet a friend for a quiet
drink. Maybe you just landed and you wanna sit down for a pint with
your laptop. Wouldn't you want a select team of experts guiding you
through the next hour of your life? Maybe not. But here they are any-
way, ready to tell you what to do and where to go, where to dance, sit
stand, lounge, play pool... It's all a bit much, really. Let's just sit down
and have a drink.
Best place to start the night
KEX Hostel
Skúlagata 28
KEX is a hostel bar and gastropub with a beautifully designed interior and a large pa-
tio that catches the sun on a clear day. There’s always something going on, whether
it’s a free concert, a beer festival, or KEXmas. The bar hosts weekly jazz nights, and
you can also book a trip into the countryside via the KEXLAND tour company. It’s
quiet by day but bustling at night, serves great food, and has a wide selection of
Icelandic beer on the taps. “You always bump into someone you haven’t seen in a
while at KEX,” noted the panel.
Runners-up:
Bar Ananas
Klapparstígur 38
Melting the country’s often frosty sur-
face, Bar Ananas is a tropically-themed
bar filled with delicious cocktails,
friendly bartenders and sultry tunes.
It’s divided into separate spaces so it’s
easy to find the perfect spot. “You con-
stantly have to wait in line for the toilet
though,” the panel pointed out.
Bravó
Laugavegur 22
Bravó is run by the same owner as Húr-
ra, another one of our favourite bars,
but feels more like a pub than a party
place Even though there’s a weekly
roster of DJs, it’s almost always a sit-
down crowd and a mellow atmosphere.
Anyone can walk in into Bravó and feel
perfectly at home, and it’s right in the
heart of downtown.
Previous Winners:
2015: Loft Hostel
2014: Kaldi
2013: Slippbarinn
2012: Kex
2011: Hemmi & Valdi (RIP)
Best place to end the night
Húrra
Tryggvagata 22
The one and only Húrra (translation:
“Hooray”) is a spacious two story
bar. It hosts many of Reykjavík’s most
interesting concerts and is famous for
its dance-till-dawn vibe. “It’s the likeliest
place to find a good after-party,” said
the panel. The walls are painted dark
and filled with interesting artwork.
They have a nice happy hour, plenty of
seating, and many restroom stalls. Make
sure not to miss their Monday night jazz
or as they call it “Monjazz.”
Runners-up:
Kiki
Laugavegur 22
Kiki is a queer-friendly bar noticeable by
its gay pride-themed rainbow exterior.
The DJs play straight-up pop hits, and
there’s a kind of unrestrained happiness
on the busy dance floor.
Paloma basement
Naustin 1-3
The basement of Paloma is a good
place to end your night. It’s dark,
the music is loud and you can easily
lose yourself in dancing. Paloma was
controversial within the panel, but after
careful consideration, the group agreed
that it was good for those last minutes
of heavy dancing.
Previous Winners:
2015: Paloma Basement
2014: Paloma
2013: Harlem (RIP)
BEST OF REYKJAVÍK 2016
Drinking
Tipsy or wasted, the choice is yours.
Best all-around bar
Prikið
Bankastræti 12
This was a tight contest between Húrra
and Prikið. “Húrra has it all, including
more female toilets, but Prikið has more
soul and a food menu,” one panellist
said, continuing: “Prikið is like a family,
and Geoff [the owner] is the dad.” It
has hearty breakfasts in the morning,
burgers at night, an outdoor smoking
area and a small dance floor. After care-
ful consideration, we’ve decided it’s the
winner. The panel agrees, sort of.
Runners-up
Húrra - Tryggvagata 22
This place will quickly win you over,
as you can tell from our glowing rec-
ommendation in the “best bar for live
music” category. Subdued by day, Húrra
has a great vibe by night, and always
has something going on. “Húrra has ev-
erything,” said the panel, “pub quizzes,
concerts, cheap beer and parties on
weekends.”
Kaffibarinn
Bergstaðastræti 1
Kaffibarinn is a downtown institution
that has become more popular over
the years. Once it was the go-to place
for Reykjavík’s in-the-know party
people, but these days the secret is out.
Now you’ll find yourself rubbing shoul-
ders with a wide range of international
visitors and every kind of Reykjavík
local, chilling by day or dancing to the
pulse of house music by night.
Previous Winners:
2015: KEX
2014: Boston
2013: Dolly
2012: Faktorý (RIP) Vesturgata 3 Reykjavík