reykjavik – Vine & Swine

What beer didn’t we drink I guess is a better question! In a country where brewing didn’t become legal until 1989 …. These guys are all killing it! There are now 21 craft beer breweries/bars in Iceland.

The key to affordable drinking in Iceland is happy hour. Grapevine–a local Reykjavik magazine (think like Timeout NY) has a app called “Appy Hour”. Before you leave for your trip, download this friendly app that gives the low-down on happy hour specials in real time. Since beers in Iceland run about $ 15 a pop this will help you to save some scooties (*Hartzell-ism for money).

MUST GO

Ölverk Pizza & Brewery – Hveragerði – Good luck pronouncing that town’s name correctly, but the effort is worth it for this place. Three-and-a-half stars for the beer, plus one-and-a-half stars for the delicious food. Don’t miss the fantastic za’atar bread with beer cheese app (they should definitely make that combo into a pizza!) and the devils on horseback were excellent too. We also tried the pizza with pepperoni and bacon and hot chili sauce which was amazing. FYI – the pizzas are on the small side but two appetizers plus one pizza and a few beers was a perfect amount for two people. I would definitely come back next time I’m in or near Hveragerði.

Skúli Craft Bar – Reykjavik – Solid selection of craft beers, mostly Borg on the day we were there but that’s okay because Borg makes great beers. Best happy hour specials of the craft beer bars we visited. Borg has an amazing beer called Snorri Nr. 10 that has arctic thyme in it which was included in the happy hour special. This beer is awesome and can be found in the duty free store at the airport (we were super happy we were able to take this baby home with us)! The bartender in our case was very friendly and the place was relatively empty for a Saturday afternoon during happy hour. Bonus points for the card games inside and food trucks outside that are a pretty great combo with the beers.

Kex Hostel Reykjavik – Reykjavik – Didn’t stay here but did have happy hour drinks and dinner at the bar. A totally great atmosphere to meet other travelers plus a great food and drink menu. The beers are evenly split between guest taps and Kex’s own brews. I’m not normally a big IPA guy but the Kex Thunder Session IPA was my favorite; it is a great beer. I’d definitely be back for happy hour. Plus they had great chicken wings that were a happy hour special for $6.50.

KEX Hostel – Reykjavik

IF YOU HAVE TIME / MAYBE NOT FOR EVERYONE

RVK Brewing Company – Reykjavik – Sick beers. The Smoked Gose is perfectly balanced between sour and smokey and the stout is light-bodied and bitter enough to hide the alcohol but still roasty and delicious like a good stout should be. Balance is the name of the game here, super well-made beers. Minus one star for being pretty small, out-of-the way with weird hours and no great food options, but the beers by themselves are definitely worth the trip.

Ölvisholt Brewery – Selfoss – It is located in a weird place and definitely has a feeling from the outside like you’re not supposed to be there, but inside the taproom couldn’t be more different. They have a warm space with books and games and picnic tables to enjoy the eight excellent beers on tap plus more by the bottle (if you like stouts, definitely don’t miss Lava, their Smoked Imperial Stout). The staff is also friendly and welcoming, especially Stein, and may even give you a tour of the brewery if you’re lucky : )

My only two complaints are the off hours (I get that it’s a working brewery and they are not trying to stay any later than they have to but midday only is kind of weird) and there is no food at all anywhere around. Those two are a bummer but the beers and people alone would make me come back any time I’m in the area (at the appropriate time of course ; )

Session Craft Bar – Reykjavik – Solid if expensive beer selection. Happy hour beers were ok but just kind of the most boring options they had available. Happy hour or not though, this is the place to taste Malbygg beers, which are some of the best in Reykjavik. I tried the Pale Ale which was very delicious and super drinkable and straddled the bitterness line between piney and tropical very well. Plus on a Saturday afternoon during happy hour when we were there the place was barely half full.
P.S. In case you are not a beer person, they have a couple actually decent wines on the happy hour specials as well.

Bjórgarðurinn – Reykjavik – Fairly big “beergarden” space inside the Fosshótel Reykjavík. Pretty good happy hour specials and a large, good selection of craft beers (mostly Borg, which is not a bad thing) plus Stella and Guinness for some reason. Friendly bartenders and on a Sunday afternoon during happy hour we basically had the entire place to ourselves. They have food too but we didn’t try any of it. Would definitely go back for a drink at happy hour.

DON’T BOTHER

Bryggjan Brugghús – Reykjavik – Didn’t try any of the food, but the beers brewed here were nothing special—the best choices on tap were all guest taps, especially the Mango Pale Ale and Icelandic Ale from Borg (which is pretty awesome). It was pretty crowded on a Saturday night and had much more of a club/bro bar feel than a brewpub feel, which is obviously a turn-off (for me). Minus one star for the creepy old guy at the bar who hit on my wife like basically the entire time.

SUPER BUMMED THAT WE DIDN’T GET TO GO

Mikkeller & Friends – Reykjavik – They share the same space as Hverfisgata 12, right around the corner from Dill Restuarant. Even though Mikkeller is Danish and there is one in NYC we heard really good things about the beer and the pizza and wanted to go. Unfortunately they were closed for a private event and since we saved this spot for our last night we were out of luck. I would definitely try to go back if I were in Reykjavik again.

WANT TO DRINK SOMETHING OTHER THAN BEER?

Port 9 – Reykjavik – This cozy spot had pops of a rich emerald green that was very relaxing and inviting! We had a great time talking to the owner of the bar. His passion for good wine and food really showed in the products he was serving. They had good wines by the glass for happy hour and he was happy to accommodate Matt’s finicky tastes in wine as well. The brie with mango chutney and cashews was the perfect balance of salty, smoky, and sweet. It’s going to be in my new dinner party rotation when we entertain!

As we mentioned at the beginning, drinking in Iceland is not cheap. It’s important to make sure you choose wisely and plan ahead. Hit up the happy hours, drink local beers as much as possible and enjoy yourself–after all it’s vacation, right?

Hot Diggity Dog

Matt went to Iceland by himself about 10 years ago before Iceland really became the “it” tourist destination. From that trip Matt (who normally picks up languages super quickly) only came back with one phrase…
eina með öllu… that means one with everything. Well, sorry babe, I really messed up your phrase since you don’t know how to say, “I’ll have 2 of everything”. Anyway I thought he was exaggerating when he told me that this lamb hot dog would change my world. He was right… that darn thing was so good we had 3 of them as a “snack” during our time in Reykjavik. What’s so good about it? Well… they put a combination of raw onion and crispy onions (like from thanksgiving green beans) on the bottom of the roll. Then on top of the lamb dog is a remoulade and a honey mustard. The best part is the place is open from 10am – 4:30am. This place is a small stand with no seating and usually a long line. Don’t worry though, the line goes by quickly since they only sell two things: hot dogs and sodas. Don’t miss this one!

STARTING THE DAY OFF RIGHT:

Reykjavik Roasters – Coffee – The secret about this place is out, it was packed! It has a very hipster cool vibe in here. They have small nooks and tables with antique chairs and tables and the key to any hipster coffee shop… a record player and avocado toast. With said record player, they encourage people to switch the records to whatever tunes you want to listen to. They made a good flat white and have a friendly staff.
We also went to their second location which had more of a Scandinavian vibe to it with a lot more seating. At both locations, they have a small assortment of pastries – Matt had one of the pastries, it was good, but wasn’t in the same league as Braud & Co. or Sandholt (see below).

Bismut – Coffee – Is a small coffee shop that overlooks Hverfisgata. It has a more modern flare to it with a long bar overlooking the street and there is a great view of the harbor. They display local art in the space and seem to have a following of regulars. It was a very friendly environment with great single origin pour overs and flat whites.

Braud & Co – Bakery – This tiny local spot has amazing pastries, one the weekends locals line up for this buttery goodness and I know why. I think that they used all of the butter in Iceland and I’m not complaining one bit. As the “salty” one is our relationship, I went with the ham and cheese croissant (watch out Paris you’ve got some competition). Matt the “sweet” member of our duo of course over ordered his pastries. He had one of the local favorites – the vínarbrauð a flat pastry with almonds and cream filling. Yummy. You know this place is good if I got Matt to leave the hotel at 6:15am in order to pick up pastries for the road before leaving for the airport. And they have pretty good drip coffee to boot. There isn’t any seating in this spot, but there’s nothing like walking down the street eating a warm pastry while exploring.

Sandholt – Bakery – This place has a very Parisian upscale patisserie feel to it. It has a beautiful glass pastry case lined with freshly based pastries beautifully displayed and warm bread straight from the oven behind the counter. You can take your pastries to go or they have a large seating area to have table service. On the weekends it gets really crowded, so be prepared to wait.

WHAT’S FOR LUNCH?

Flat White at Te & Kaffi in the Grandi Matholl Market

Grandi Matholl Market – Lunch/Dinner – While walking along the waterfront, we stumbled upon the Grandi Matholl Market. This place was adorable and had about 9 food booths overlooking the harbor. They have a Te & Kaffi (which is gasp, a chain) – but I must admit they had a good flat white. They also have a fish and chips spot, a Korean taco shop (KORE), and a local Icelandic food spot. We shared a lamb hot dog which was a more “foodie” version of the infamous Icelandic hot dog. It had a salad on top and was paired with potatoes and a garlic mayo. This place is a great spot to take some pictures, relax for a little and use a super clean bathroom.

Hlemmur Matholl – Food Hall – Lunch/Dinner Spot – This place used to be the old bus depot and now it’s a food hall. It has a ton of different options including a Vietnamese sandwich shop (which needed more pickled veggies and less mayo) and the bar Skal that had amazing buffalo cauliflower on top of goat cheese with picked veggies on top. It paired beautifully with the Borg Chocolate Porter that they have on tap. Skal!

Icelandic Street Food – Lunch – This place had heart. Matt and I were never backpackers, but this place had the fun student vibe where everyone was friendly and wanted to share their stories. The place was very crowded, but the staff continued to keep you engaged. For about $15 they have unlimited bowls of soup. They have both seafood and lamb soups and you can switch it up to try both. While you are waiting they give out free Icelandic waffles and chocolate coconut macaroons.

Flatey – Pizza – Lunch/Dinner – On our last night in Reykjavik, we had planned on going to Hverfisgata 12 and have beers at Mikkeller, but when they were closed unexpectedly for an employee training, and we were still jonesin’ for some pizza, we headed over to Flatey. The only thing on Flatey’s menu is thin artisanal pizza and it was delicious. Matt had the pizza of the day which had Korean short ribs from (a KORE, the Korean taco shop across the street at the Grandi Matholl) on it and mine had pepperoni, spicy peppers, and honey. This meal did not disappoint and bonus – was one of the most cost-effective meals of our trip.

Tag: reykjavik

What did we drink in Iceland?