Since York's first Viking themed pub opened its doors in 2017 it has been a very popular destination for many people, residents and tourists alike. The mix of authenticity, eye for detail and design drew in all lovers of those Norsemen to qwaff the evenings away. To some extent though it was a bit of a victim of its own success and small size, we hadn't been able to get in as often as we would have liked over the years. But in 2021 we discovered exactly just what Valhalla has been doing during the pandemic, and that was making the most amazing expansion of the bar into the two floors above.
Valhalla is accessed down a narrow corridor which features a staged archaeological dig beneath a glass panel within the floor, a nice nod to the glass floor of the Yorvik Viking Museum. The corridor leads off to the tiny little individual toilets which are just as detailed in their design as the rest of the bar, solid sturdy doors and cheeky Viking graffiti but not much room to manoeuvre. What used to be the main room has now had the large central table removed along with new access through the back wall to the rest of the building. This all opens up the ground floor space making it much more accessible, which is especially important when you want to get to the bar. It's not just the capacity of the venue that has increased, so has their drinks offering, with some exceptionally good beers brewed by Half Moon Brewery specifically for Valhalla. There are 3 casks and 6 kegs supplying a quality range of local craft ales and cider at average City Centre prices, alongside their usual large range of mead, you can't have a Viking themed bar without mead of course.
There is still some seating around the edge of the ground floor but where Valhalla now really excels is upstairs. Climbing the creaky wooden staircase takes you to a wholly deeper immersive experience, the first floor is mostly one large room with chunky wooden furniture, low wooden beams and swathes of real stonework low lit by large groups of candles casting their glow over mounted deer skulls and a fantastic hand painted mural. There's a snug off to one side with a large fireplace and even larger set of antlers wielded by the stag skull above. Here are more traditional chesterfield style seats if the wooden seating of the rest of the bar isn't to your liking. Helpfully there's also a little mini bar providing a reduced range of the larger one below. On the top floor is the All Father's Hall, a stunning smaller space up in the rafters of the roof. With another hand painted mural of Odin gazing across the large banqueting table, a magical space which can also be booked for private functions. There are also more compact toilets on this floor as well and I nearly forgot the other toilet on the ground floor which is tucked under the staircase.
Valhalla have really utilised every single inch of space exceptionally well. With everything beautifully handcrafted, the love and skill that went into creating this venue from what was just originally a standard retail unit with a flats above shines through. It can be a little awkward to navigate around due to the tight spaces but there's reasonable access on the ground floor if you can't make the stairs. They also now have several cleverly installed tables with benches outside on the street for a bit of alfresco drinking. Because there's more space it's also seems a bit more family friendly than before which is great because I'm sure kids will love it just as much as us big kids.
All in all this extension has firmly pushed Valhalla into the top tier of York pubs, somewhere that we can't wait to returns to and whole heartedly would recommend to everyone. It's not just some knock-off themed bar, to be honest if you didn't know the history of the building you'd probably just assume it was medieval. All I can add is get down there, grab your pint pot and quaff like a Viking in the hall of Valhalla, where the brave of York shall live forever, or at least till closing time. Skål!
