First look: Inside Valhalla, York’s new Viking bar

By the power of Odin! York has a brand new bar and it is all-Viking.

The Valhalla café-bar on Patrick Pool opens tomorrow (September 7) – Thor’s-day – at 7pm. And it in an age of identikit bars, this offers something unique.

Created by fans of everything Viking – Matt Bedingham and Vincent Roberts – it offers an old Norse feel but with plenty of modern comforts to boot.

Make mine a mead

Much thought has gone into turning this intimate space into something with an authentically Viking flavour.

There are lots of nice touches, like the skull and horn displayed under strengthened glass in the floor near the doorway.

Light comes from the flickering electric candles. And you sit at hefty oak tables, as rugged as Thor himself.

And if you want a drink with a difference – you’ve got it! Only in Valhalla can you enjoy a drink of Lindisfarne Mead, straight from a hollowed out horn.

“Two pints of beer, a glass of wine, and a horn of mead please…”

Range of drinks

There are two brand new beers on handpull.

The first, Valhalla IPA (4% ABV) is from the Yorkshire Heart Vineyard and Brewery, and costs £3.90 a pint.

It is joined by Viking DNA, a porter brewed by Brew York, only a short walk away on Walmgate.

On tap are Wolf Rock Red IPA, Coors Light, Chieftan Irish Pale Ale, Rekorderlig Dry Apple Cider, Sharp’s Pilsner and more.

And if you’re more in the mood for a coffee, Valhalla has a proper barista’s machine, and its very own ‘dark, smooth and sweet’ blend created by York Coffee Emporium.

Pies and platters

On the food side, there are fresh pork pies on the bar from Shambles, alongside pork fennel rolls, and the vegetarian alternative made from spinach and chickpea.

You can also order a variety of different platters – if you have a mighty hunger, try the Odin’s platter…

Only a handful of people have seen the finished bar so far. And the response “has been really positive,” said Matt.