The centerpiece of Copper Gate’s bar is a replica of a Viking ship hull—this actually is the bar, which is not only undeniably cool, but also a lot more tasteful than it sounds on paper. There’s a lot of vintage ephemera scattered around the place (much of it handed down from the previous owner), including dozens of black-and-white photos of women, possibly Scandinavian and mostly naked. There’s a lesson about Scandinavian culture here somewhere—a nod, perhaps, to Sweden’s progressive sex-ed program?—but a living museum for the kiddies it’s not.

Tradition reigns in other ways: the place is dark and a tad cold. Service can charitably be described as stoic. And you’ll be eating small plates of classic dishes like pickled herring with beets and pumpernickel, gravlax, Swedish meatballs with ligonberry preserve, and a delicious red-beet salad. A few dishes color outside the lines—aquavit-coffee-braised short ribs, for example. But Scandinavian cuisine is fundamentally about restraint, and that’s the deal here, too.

The drink list is fun and different. Along with the many cocktails made from aquavit and other Scandinavian liquors like Gamel Dansk, there’s a solid craft beer list here, too.