Disclosure: We visited Valhalla before we created this blog and did not take notes, so this entry might not live up to our usual standard of detail. While we felt that Valhalla’s nachos deserved a review, we did not feel that they merited a second visit.

Background
Visit Date and Time: Sunday, May 6, 7:00pm
Nacho Style: Bar Nachos
Price: $13.00

Heartbroken from the loss of South’s, we were eager to find a replacement. Valhalla had come onto our radar about a year prior, when we were looking for a Midtown bar that had an extensive beer selection, cheap food, and readily available seating (we failed, although were able to find several places that met two of three). Emma had also previously lunched at Valhalla with former coworkers.

Beers
Daisy: Daisy does not recollect what beer she had. This is why we usually try to write reviews immediately after our visits.
Emma: An IPA of some kind (delicious) and a porter or stout (too sweet/boozy)

The Bar
While the name might suggest a Norse theme, Valhalla is a fairly typical Midtown happy hour bar. They did serve mead.

Ambience
Dark wood, beers on a chalkboard, lively but relaxed vibe. Not too crowded on a Sunday, although weekdays might be a different story.

Daisy’s Rating: 1/5 – I REALLY wanted this to be a Viking bar. If it had been a Viking bar it would have gotten 5/5 easily. (Note: Images show a massive fur-clad plaster Viking on one wall, which maybe I missed?)
Emma’s Rating: 3.5/5 – I guess Daisy was really disappointed that this wasn’t a Viking bar, and punished it with an extremely low rating. Despite it not being a Viking bar, there is decent seating and it’s pretty quiet. It’s also open-air during nice weather, which is a plus. We did get shuttled to a high top when there were plenty of normal tables available, though, which is why I’m not giving this a 4.

Beer
Very extensive selection, including several Icelandic and Danish beers (perhaps based on traditional Viking ales).

Daisy’s Rating: 5 – Excellent. If I just wanted a beer and was in the neighborhood, Valhalla would be near the top of my list.
Emma’s Rating: 4.5 – My aforementioned coworker visits were part of a tradition known as “Friday beer lunch” that has been sadly neglected in recent years. Solid selection and interesting beers. Misses out on a 5 because it’s pretty pricey and I don’t think it needs to be. They have a late-night happy hour option which is pretty cool.

Other Food
Fairly typical bar food–sliders, fries, wings, fried pickles.

Daisy’s Rating: 2 – I don’t really like this kind of food! Maybe fries. Maybe fried pickles? Maybe if I was really hungry I’d be into this but I can’t see myself coming here just for that.
Emma’s Rating: 3 – I remember from previous lunch trips here that the food options were not the best. However, their chicken strips have a pretty delicious set of dipping sauce options, including Buffalo (Hot), Hickory BBQ, Korean BBQ, and Sriracha Aioli Mayo. I’m a big chicken strip fan, so points for that.

Seating
Tables, two-tops and bar seating. We were easily able to get a two-top, since it wasn’t too crowded.

Daisy’s Rating: 4 – I was happy with our table. That said, there probably aren’t enough seats for a full happy hour crowd.
Emma’s Rating: 3 – I am getting to the advanced age where I prefer chairs with backs, so I’m docking a few points for the lack of backs.

Overall Bar
Daisy’s Rating: 3 – It was fine! I liked the beer.
Emma’s Rating: 3.5 – Solid beer. Good atmosphere. Not the best food. Lack of chair backs.

The Nachos
Bar-style nachos described by one best-of list as “gloriously messy”.

Cheese
FAKE. CHEESE.

Daisy’s Rating: 1 – This was Cheez-Whiz. I never knew I had such strong feelings about fake cheese on nachos.
Emma’s Rating: 1 – Not a fan of cheese sauce.

Toppings
Cheese sauce, red onion, jalapeños, black olives and choice of chicken or beef. Sour cream and salsa served on the side.

Daisy’s Rating: 3 – I was nonplussed by the cheese sauce but powered through. Did we order them without olives? I don’t remember there being that many olives on ours. The whole thing was fine, but the cheese was a real issue.
Emma’s Rating: 2 – I know we have a separate category for cheese, but it’s still also a topping, right? I think I remember the olives because I was not a fan of them. No “extra perk” toppings like guac or pico.

Portion Size
Appetizer sized nachos. Could easily eat another dish after ordering these.

Daisy’s Rating: 2 – I guess I just like my nachos larger!
Emma’s Rating: 2 – Also a fan of “I can split these for dinner” nachos.

Flavor
Fake cheese and red onion were the dominant flavors here.

Daisy’s Rating: 3 – Nachos are nachos, which saved these from a lower rating. And I like onions. But it really did taste like Cheez-Whiz.
Emma’s Rating: 2.5 – They lacked several essential nacho qualities for me. Still nachos, but definitely not my preferred flavor combination.

Overall Nachos

Daisy’s Rating: 2.5 – While I would return to Valhalla for a traditional Icelandic beer, I would not order these again.
Emma’s Rating: 2 – I think Valhalla is best as a beer place, not a nachos bar.

Summary
Valhalla has an excellent beer menu, and we’d definitely return for more beverages. But we didn’t feel the nachos were worth a return trip. If you’re less biased against cheese sauce than we discovered we are, you may be a fan.

Bar:  3.25
Nachos: 2.25
Overall: 2.75

Up next, we’ll be exploring either Mexican or BBQ nachos, at a location to be determined. Stay tuned!

Emma and Daisy