Tales of the Table · Tales of the Table
Laugavegur 11 ("Ellefan") (c. 1950–1960) – Lost Tables
Around 1950 the merchants Silli and Valdi opened one of their Adlon bars at Laugavegur 11, but nobody used that name: the place was always just "Laugavegur 11" or "Ellefu" ("Eleven"). It became the living room of young Reykjavík poets and intellectuals, and regulars included Elías Mar, Thor Vilhjálm
Around 1950 the merchants Silli and Valdi opened one of their Adlon bars at Laugavegur 11, but nobody used that name: the place was always just "Laugavegur 11" or "Ellefu" ("Eleven"). It became the living room of young Reykjavík poets and intellectuals, and regulars included Elías Mar, Thor Vilhjálmsson, Ásta Sigurðardóttir, Dagur Sigurðarson and Alfreð Flóki. Older writers such as Steinn Steinarr and Þórbergur Þórðarson dropped in too, and the atomic poets were defended there over coffee. It was also one of the few known meeting places for gay men in the city at the time. The bar closed in 1960, but the house has hosted restaurants for most of its history, from the rowdy White Star in the 1930s to the restaurant Ítalía.
The building was protected in 2011. The restaurant Ítalía was there for about 30 years before moving to Frakkastígur in 2024.
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