Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.11.2018, Side 44

Let Them Eat Wings
The Brewdog empire comes to Reykjavík
Words: John Rogers Photo: Timothée Lambrecq
Downtown Reykjavík has, for years,
been a largely chain-free environ-
ment. With the
exceptions of an
ill-fated Dunkin’
Donuts franchise,
the single Hard
Rock Café, a hand-
ful of KFCs and
Subways, and a sin-
gle suburban Taco
Bel l, most bars
and restaurants in
Iceland are locally
owned and run.
For visitors, this
creates a refreshingly unfamiliar
and local atmosphere that stands
out from the monoculture of many
European cities. However, many lo-
cals—quite understandably—wel-
come a taste of popular products
that other countries have on tap.
And having good stuff on tap is
Brewdog’s speciality. Part of an in-
dependently owned
bar chain, Brewdog
is a success story
that began with
two Scottish guys
selling small batch
beers from the back
of a van. Today, it
has grown into a
thriving interna-
tional empire that
now has 43 loca-
tions, over 1000
e m p l o y e e s a n d
70,000 shareholders via an invest-
ment scheme called “punk equity.”
The keg van
The Reykjavík iteration brings the
casual, comfortable, craft-beer fo-
cussed vibe that Brewdog is known
for, and adapts it to the Icelandic
audience with some local flour-
ishes. “There are some guidelines
that come from the UK,” says bar
manager Þórhallur Viðarsson. “For
example, the signs outside, the neon
sign inside, and so forth—to get that
Brewdog feeling.” The renovation as
a whole was handled by local firm
Grafit. “This is a new building, so it
was a blank box when we got it, with
no plumbing or anything. But I’m
really happy with how it turned out.”
Overlooking the low-lit booths,
communal tables and sofa seating is
a backlit menu board showing their
current range. There’s a choice of ten
or more Brewdog beers at any given
time, from the hoppy Punk IPA to
a creamy, chocolatey nitro-stout,
and a rotating selection Icelandic
craft brews, including some sours—
the flavour of the month with local
beer nerds. “We had a visit from the
Beljandi brewery in the east today,”
smiles Þórhallur. “They have a tap
installed in the back of their van, so
we could taste their beer. It was so
good, I bought two kegs.”
Bar food par excellence
What sets the Reykjavík edition
apart from other Brewdog pubs is its
focus on food. There’s an extensive
bar menu on offer, from spicy buf-
falo chicken wings with blue cheese
dip—available on an all-you-can-eat
basis on Wednesdays—to crunchy
cod croquettes with smoked ketch-
up, creamy buffalo cauliflower, ses-
ame broccolini in a jalapeno teriyaki
sauce, and delicious sticky ribs.
And that’s just the starters. There
are several burgers options, such
as the buffalo chicken burger with
blue cheese and crispy baby gem let-
tuce, and a perfect, medium-rare
dry-aged beef burger in a crunchy
bun. The other mains are just as
enticing: particularly, the on-point
chicken and waffles with a thin,
sweet waffle, an expertly poached
egg, spicy deep-fried chicken, sliced
avocado and chilli mayo. The quality
was such that after our tasting ses-
sion, we vowed to come back and try
the duck, beets, mussels and steak
mains another time.
With winter fast approaching,
Reykvíkingar are going to be in need
of some new cosy hangout spots
with reliable comfort food and—
of course—plenty of beer. With all
those ingredients in place, Brewdog
Reykjavík looks set to become a firm
local favourite.
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Cake is so 1789
Food
“We had a visit
from the Beljandi
brewery today.
They’d installed
a tap in the back
of the van, so we
could taste the
beer.”
FISH panS
icelandic "plokkfiskur"
Onion, garlic, potatoes,
celery, lime, white wine,
cream and butter
1,950 isk

arcTic cHar
Honey, almonds, cherry–
tomatoes, lemon and butter
2,200 isk
redfisH
Chili, celery root, sour cream,
corn, lemon and cream
2,200 isk
plaice
Tomatoes, capers, parsley,
lemon and butter
2,200 isk
salmon (lacTose–free)
Parsnip, broccoli, cashews,
coconut oil, chili and lemon
2,200 isk
our fisH pans are always served
wiTH buTTer–fried icelandic
poTaToes & fresH salad
any pans
for
luncH?
lækjargaTa 6b, 101 rvk · 546 0095 · messinn@messinn.com
What do you know about Ban Thai
Always been the best
in our local people
from the reviews
and local newspaper.
There's a reason why
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r e s t a u r a n t
w w w . b a n t h a i . i s
tel : 5522-444, 692-0564 banthai@banthai.is
Laugavegur 130, Reykjavík
B E S T T H A I F O O D 2 0 1 8
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BEST RESTAURANTS IN ICELAND
TOP TEN
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Ban Thai is not “fast food”
food made fresh from scratch,
it‘s not pre-made,
every item in the menu
take some time to cook,
Please prepare your time
before you come
Best goddamn restaurant 2011
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