Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.12.2016, Síða 45

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the calorie content of the drinks
you’ve ingested. Order the Beet
Root Pizza (2,450 ISK) and an Old
Fashioned (1,900 ISK) for the per-
fect sit-down nibble and sip.
20:00 — Mikkeller and
Friends, Hverfisgata 12
After your pizza, head upstairs
to what is arguably the best craft
bar in Reykjavík, with 20 beers on
tap, and a flavour palette rang-
ing from hoppy to sour to sweet.
A beer here can act as a digestive
after your meal or a dessert. The
prices on the beer range from
about 1,000 ISK upwards. This is
the type of place where you need
to ask the bartender about the
beer. Let your taste buds guide
you. It’s nice because beer is a
conversation starter. With the rise
of craft beer around the world, it’s
nice to be a beer snob for a few min-
utes. Don’t worry, you’ll fit right in.
PRO TIP: Try a sour beer. They
are perfect after a rich meal like
the Beet Root Pizza.
21:00 — Concert at
Húrra, Naustin
Húrra, as I often describe it, is a
hip nightspot. The music varies
greatly weekend by weekend, but
it’s important to immerse your-
self into whatever is going on.
Húrra is the home of the enthu-
siast. Whatever is playing there,
the fans are out in full force. Ad-
mission at the door varies, but it’s
never much more than 1,500 ISK.
Grab a beer and settle into the
show. This is a good time to start
dancing if you can and shake off
some of your day’s drinks. The
smoking section is one of the
more social in town and, for some
reason, it stays in your mind:
the orange, the prison bars, and
the Orwellian graffiti. If you get
hungry, head over to Bæjarins
Beztu for a quick hot dog. PRO
TIP: Don’t drink too quickly
here. The show is to occupy
your time and pace your con-
sumption. You still have a lot
of night to get through.
00:00 — Paloma
Basement, Naustin 1-3
Paloma’s basement is down-
town’s grungy little secret. Filled
with art students and the fringes
of society, but never a dull mo-
ment. It’s the perfect place after a
concert at Húrra. Its strange and
peculiar vibe has been known to
really knock people off balance.
Fit in or fuck off is my general
attitude to social awkwardness
and I suggest you follow that
here. Grab a beer, dance, and talk
about the concert. You’ll feel your
inner diablo rising with each sip.
Legend has it that a group of Har-
vard Business graduates end-
ed up there one night, burgun-
dy-topped and khaki-bottomed.
They got so uncomfortable they
started singing the American
national anthem and quickly
left—probably to English Pub or
Hressó. PRO TIP: This is your
last beer of the night.
01:00 — Paloma
Upstairs, or Prikið
You have a choice to make: open
dance floor or tight spaces and
swinging lights. Paloma is defi-
nitely a dance bar, but if your
energy is waning, it can be a bit
deflating. Paloma is better for
a bigger group, or a determined
duo. Prikið has the almost mys-
tical ability to pick up your en-
ergy as soon as you get in. The
tight fit along with the almost
Gatsby-like hedonism of swing-
ing lights and dancing on tables
gets even the most motivation-
ally weak person back in action.
Your drink is Gin and Tonic. I
would recommend a double. You
sip slower and it’s not as cumber-
some as a pint of beer in the tight
quarters. PRO TIP: Order one
drink downstairs and one drink
upstairs. This increases your
chance of running into friends
and unconsciously slows your
drinking to a reasonable rate.
02:30 — Kaffibarinn
(again!)
It’s time to see what everyone else
is doing. This is the great cap to
the end of the night. The smoking
section is filled with friends, en-
emies, and Icelandic celebrities—
even British ones inquiring about
the bar’s ties to Blur. This place
is an institution. This is where
your night ends. There’s a super
tall and good-looking bouncer to
great you on your way out. PRO
TIP: Go in the smoking sec-
tion even if you don’t smoke.
There’s always someone or
something to see. If you do
smoke, don’t be aggravated by
the ashtray near the door: no
one can find the hole in that
thing after 1am.
04:30 —Home, Pizza,
Hot dogs, or After Party
Home is the best idea at this
point. You’ve done it. If you’re
a little too drunk, grab a slice
of pizza or another hot dog or a
waffle or a hamburger… it’s up
to you, but I don’t recommend it.
If you have some diablo left, and
have friends who can stand more
of you, head out to an afterparty.
Just remember that Snaps has
Bloody Marys (1,900 ISK) and
Croque Madame (2,650 ISK) wait-
ing for you in the morning.