Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.01.2018, Qupperneq 26

SELECTION
FROM BEST OF
REYKJAVÍK
2018
Best Thai Food
Ban Thai
Laugavegur 130
Despite being located on a dis-
tant island that’s nowhere near
Thailand, Ban Thai is one of
those rare gems in Iceland that
consistently delivers tongue-
tickling Thai fare. These guys
mean business. They have
something for everyone on
their extensive menu—from
creamy coconut curries from
the South to fiery “jungle”
dishes from the north. Our fa-
vourites are the laab (minced
meat salad with generous piles
of fresh herbs) and the green
curry with strips of crunchy
bamboo shoots. As a regular on
our panel quipped: “Anything
good enough for Russell Crowe
is good enough for me.”
Best Beer Selection
Microbar
Vesturgata 2
Microbar was back in the beer
throne in 2017 after being oust-
ed from the Best of Reykjavík
awards for a couple of years.
Since moving to its new cosy
location it has gained points
for the calm atmosphere, help-
ful staff and good music played
at perfect conversation volume.
They still boast their classic lo-
cal beer tastings for the brew
connoisseur as well as a huge
selection of beers for the casual
taster. Their selection is just as
wide as runners up Skúli and
Mikkeller, but they edged them
out by serving larger beers for
the same price.
BEST OF GUIDES
One Bourbon, One
Scotch, One Beer
Getting tanked on a budget in Reykjavík
Words Charley Ward Photos Art Bicnick
You hear it everywhere you go every
single day: “Iceland is so expen-
sive!” Especially in relation to alco-
hol. No one gave
you the heads
up to hit the air-
port duty-free
store upon your
arrival, so now
you are faced
with exorbitant
beer prices and
unconscionable
state-run liquor
store hours. What is a poor wretch
to do to have a simple drink with-
out blowing a month’s rent? Well, as
you would expect from journalists,
we are more than familiar with
the cheapest ways to get soused
in town. Bear in mind that “cheap
drinking” in Reykjavík is still ex-
pensive by most standards, but it’s
the best we can offer you. Start by
equipping yourself with our very
handy Appy Hour app, then hit
the streets and get sloppy at these
charming spots.
Bravó
This delightfully candlelit corner
bar has the perfect balance of cosi-
ness and dinginess, which any good
local dive requires to pull off being
a loveable bum. Kind of like that
roommate you have who spends
72 hours indoors in the same py-
jamas and has a bunch of weird
clown dolls on their windowsill but
still sleeps with gorgeous people in
their plush king-sized bed. Bravó
has the best happy hour times in
town by far—running from 11:00
to 20:00—and they serve good
standard pints and a solid selection
of bottled beverages. Nice, friendly
staff and good DJs, too.
Ölsmiðjan
Situated smack downtown on Læk-
jargata by the pond, what this ab-
solute hole of a dive lacks in class it
more than makes up for in discount
beer. A Gull and a shot will run you
just under 1,000 ISK, and you can
find a dim corner to go basically
undisturbed as you booze up. Its
gruff demeanor is more bark than
bite, but I wouldn’t mess with the
regulars if I were you. This divey
turf is beloved by many, and it just
might win your heart, too.
Ölstofa Kormáks & Skjaldar
Not to be confused with the previ-
ous dive, this nearly undetectable
watering hole is a classic go-to for
many locals. With a fine selection
of draughts and bottled brews, plus
all the shots your thirsty throat
could hope for, they keep the prices
nice and reasonable in their dim,
neighbourhood tavern-esque digs.
It’s also one of the few places in
town that can pull a proper pint,
with their genuine Irish servers on
staff.

Bar 7
This shit-hole in the wall is pos-
sibly one of the best-worst kept
secrets in town. This place is lit-
erally the dive-bar equivalent of
the movie ‘The Room.’ This is The
Disaster Artist of bars. It is amaz-
ing. They serve maybe three things
(1 beer, 1 or 2 liquors, and potato
chips or something), all the music
is just played off the barely-legal
bartender’s phone, there is one
unisex toilet, and the entire place is
covered in giant frames containing
matchbooks from bars around the
world and Elvis-painted-on-velvet.
You can get super fucked up for un-
der 3,000 ISK here. The regulars are
insane. Enjoy!
Best of Reykjavík
gpv.is/bestof
Get to know Iceland
26The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 01 — 2018
More info:
Be sure to
check out our
happy hour
listings, on page
41, and the Appy
Hour app on iOS
and Android
ramen
momo
“ The
Icelandic
ramen ”
Tryggvagata 16
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