Review of Lebowski Bar: The Dude Provides

Have you ever wanted to step inside one of your favorite films? To fight Thanos side by side with Iron Man? Storm the gates of Mordor with Gandalf? Or receive love notes from Ryan Gosling in the Notebook? That might sound fun, but it seems like a lot of work and could even be dangerous. That's why the best movie you can ever step inside of is The Big Lebowski.

You don't need to worry about getting squashed by Godzilla or avada kedavra'd by Voldemort...you can just sit back with a White Russian in hand, wearing your best night robe, and chill out as only the Dude can. This is exactly what the Lebowski Bar provides (minus the night robe), and that's why we love it.

In short, it's a fun bar. But keep reading the rest of the review if you're not into the whole brevity thing.

Hangin' Out with the Dude

The bar is wrapped with Persian rugs. Peeing on it is strictly prohibited.

A group of us headed to Lebowski Bar after work for some Friday hangout vibes, and the first thing that caught our eye when we walked in was the level of detail and dedication to the bar's namesake in the interior design.

The first thing you see are the black-and-white chessboard tiles from the movie's famous dream sequence. When you look to the right, you see a full-sized gravity-defying bowling lane on the wall, with 10 pins, a bowling ball, and, of course, a pair of bowling shoes. Around the bar, you notice it's woven in soft Persian rugs, which I think really tie the bar together.

The outdoor patio is a great place to enjoy some beverages outside... A custom Kahlúa rug seems appropriate.

Once we sat down, we decided to start things off with some beers. While it was quite overcast, the weather was still and fairly warm (by Icelandic standards) so we sat out on the 2nd floor patio while enjoying our beverages. We caught the happy hour from 4-7 PM and started off with a round of beers while we discussed which of us would be which character from the movie (I was Jesus, apparently).

Bar Food Bar None

"The Donny" burger, jalapeño poppers, the sticky chicken wings, and other assortments at Lebowski Bar.

After enjoying our beers upstairs, we went back down to order our food. The menu at the Big Lebowski is very straightforward. There's a selection of hamburgers, some snacks for the side, and milkshakes for dessert. We went with a hamburger for each of us, plus a tasting of all the different snacks on the menu.

The hamburgers are all named after characters from the movie, so if you're feeling out of your element, go with "The Donny", which is what I did. It was super good and juicy, especially if you're a fan of bearnaise sauce on burgers. Just keep a couple of napkins on hand, as it tends to drip.

Some of the artwork at Lebowski Bar. Of course, the men's room is designated for "Dudes," and there's a handy warning about not peeing on the rug.

The sides were a big hit around the table, especially the jalapeño poppers and the chicken wings. As we ate our food and looked around us, we started to notice the subtler references and memorabilia around the place.

There's a large portrait of Richard Nixon bowling, taken straight from the movie, as well as an autograph from Walter himself, John Goodman, displayed on the wall. Just to be sure, there's also a sign forbidding people from peeing on the rug, which is very helpful for those pesky nihilists.

While we ate our food, there was a projection of the movie The Aviator on the wall for some background vibes, with no sound, just subtitles. While the theme for this bar is The Big Lebowksi, it really does feel like an ode to movies in general.

We tried our best to imitate the characters from the movie. My co-worker made a really bad attempt at playing the Dude, which sounded more like the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons, and all I could say was, "This impression will not stand...man."

Do You Have Any Kahlúa?

White Russian is the drink of choice at Lebowski Bar... or Caucasians, as the Dude calls them.

After enjoying the food, it was time for the real showstopper of the night. The drink of choice for El Duderino himself. That is, of course, White Russian! At the Lebowski Bar, they have a huge selection of White Russian cocktails. Way too many to try in one night, so the four of us had one each.

I tried the Banana Russian, which has a dash of banana liqueur and chocolate syrup. It was like drinking a boozy banana split, and it tasted great! There's also one with added coffee, another with caramel syrup and whipped cream, and then there's the Cocoa Puffcasian, the one topped off with Cocoa Puffs! In total there are 25 types of White Russians to choose from!

From top left to bottom right: From Russia With Love, El Duderino, Banana Russian, Cocoa Puffcasian.

After a couple of White Russians, we went back upstairs for additional beers (reminder: it was Friday!), and the heating lamps on the patio had been turned on, so it was still quite cozy. The rest of the night gets hazy after this point, but some of us did enjoy ourselves at the Lebowski Bar until after midnight, as it slowly turned from being a casual American diner (jukebox and all!) into a nightclub with a DJ playing dance and disco songs for a lively dancefloor. And no, don't expect to hear any songs by the Eagles!

Our social video of the fun night we had at Lebowski Bar.

Overall, we had a great night at the Lebowski Bar. It's truly the type of bar you can stay at for hours and change up the surroundings regularly while you're there. The movie-inspired design of the bar allows you to enter another world, quite different than the daily life in Reykjavik; the food keeps you satiated and satisfied, while the music and drinks keep up the good vibes well into the night.

Even people unfamiliar with the film (like one person in our group) will still enjoy themselves without getting all the nerdy references and quotes (like all the ones in this article). This is definitely a bar I would recommend for anyone looking for a great night out in Reykjavik... but, that's just my opinion...man.

Conclusion: Lebowski Bar manages to transform a cult hit movie into a fantastic hang-out bar, without feeling like a gimmick. The food is tasty, the cocktails are great, and the vibes are immaculate.