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50th St-8th Ave (C, E)
59th St-Columbus Circle (1, A, C, B, D)
57th St-7th Ave (N, Q, R, W)
"One of my favorite sports bars in town! a) they have an ice moat at the bar that keeps your drinks cold b) they have this wheel they spin…" read more »
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If you like beer, this is the spot. I walked up to the bar and asked if they had a German Pilsner on tap and was presented with three different options. Apparently they have about 33 taps running at any given point, and the options are constantly changing. Plus, I love the fact that they have dedicated glassware for a lot of the European brews.
I was there on a Tuesday and it was totally relaxed; can imagine this place might get pretty busy on a weekend.
BEER!!!!!!!
There are tons of choices on tap and bottle at this awesome little location on 9th Ave. In fact, they even had Bitburger Pils on tap (served in an actual Bitburger glass), which made me a very happy German kid. The prices aren't bad for Manhattan, and when you compare the quality of the beer to your normal run of the mill domestics, this place is a bargain.
The bartenders were always nice, if a bit distracted. We've never had a problem getting a seat at the bar, and the clientele has always fun and friendly.
We will DEFINITELY be back soon.
The lights are often
too low but the beer menu
is very pleasing.
1. Beer porn
2. Noisy
3. Cheesy music (but I like it, what's that say about me?)
4. Good selection of premium liquors if the beer porn gets old.
5. Bring your ear plugs and/or learn to shout.
6. Bartenders are friendly and knowledgable.
7. WOW...IT'S LOUD IN HERE!
8. HUH?!? WHU'D YOU SAY? I CAN'T HEAR YOU! IT'S LOUD!
9. People congregate by the door of the Men's room which is configured so that if someone swings it wide open the whole place will see you hangin' steak at the urinal. NICE.
10. I'm deaf now.
Great beer place in Hells Kitchen. Chill scene with tons of good beers. The selection rotates weekly, but they often run out of the best beers which is kind of annoying. But overall really like this place and best of all is that its right down the street from Saccos so you can grab a slice and bring it into Valhalla which is awesome.
Beer gardennnnn. A welcome respite for those weary after-workers looking for a picnic bench to park their keisters on and a game to watch while sipping on their favorite brew. Were I a beer-aficionado I'd be way more delighted/enthused - but honestly, the number of beers and the beer-expertise (beerpertise?) of the patrons had me shy and awkward at the bar. Surprisingly, this place was a-hoppin' on a Wednesday night. Loud and full on a Wednesday - that's a sign that the West-siders like heading to Valhalla.
As they should.
Kriek? Framboise? Pecheresse?
Fruity beer, Frenchy chicks, Friendly bouncer (what's that? we're the prettiest girls in the bunch? Why, merci beaucoup mon frere!) - another night of greatness at Valhalla.
Not to mention we probably could've left without paying the tab, but I want to come back here and not have to use my claymore.
One star is definitely for the name itself. Mainly because I am a fan of all things viking, or… Read more »
Ok beer selection but the experiences I've had here with friends are awful on account of the bouncer. A huge dude who likes to throw his weight around and is purposely rude to people to assert his authority.As I already live in NYC and take the subway daily, I dont really need to experience more random rudeness - poor show!!
This place is for someone who really loves beer. I however, am a vodka or tequila girl, so I didn't enjoy the experience as much as my friends did, but it was still a decent bar.
It's very um woodsy? I mean it just seemed like a lot of heavy wood benches and tables, with a long bar that must have had at least 30 different kinds of beers on tap.
Unfortunately, there was only one bartender so the service was a little slow, but the token lonely drunk guy who was taking random pictures of everyone made the night entertaining.
I like this bar. Great selection of beer, and at good prices. They even give you the correct glass for some of the more obscure options. It feels like a miniature beer hall; perhaps not as majestic as Norse mythology would have you believe, but a solid place nonetheless.
However, I believe Valhalla has a fundamental flaw: the bathroom setup.
There is one urinal, and it's right in front of the bathroom door, on the side wall. This means that when you open the door, there's a 77% chance that you're coming face to face with another man's junk.
This would not be an issue, but, as the guy I walked in on warned me, the lock seems to be untrustworthy. I'm not sure who was more surprised when I opened that door.
If Mystikal were to conclude this review, he might say:
Drink your beer!
But watch yourself.
I don't want to see what you're working with.
Once again, I apologize if you've heard me sing, and you just relived the horror.
A drink at Valhalla is vindication that decent bars actually do exist on our fair island. Not to say that every other bar sucks, but they do have their place in the pecking order. For example:
The Weekender - A nice club or lounge. Mucho expensive drinks, beautiful people, and probably a line outside. Fun, but not an everyday affair (unless you're my hedge fund roommate)
The Dive - Pretty much self explanatory. A place to pickle your liver with cheap beer, crummy quality liquor, and sketchy people. Fun, but a self destructive habit.
The Douche - Anywhere in Turtle Bay or Murray Hill. (See Tonic East, Sutton Place, etc). I take my friends from the Midwest here while I ease them into the Manhattan bar scene.
The Faux Irish Pub - It's like Turtle Bay vomited over the rest of the city.
The Everything Else In Between - The magical sweet spot. A place where the true alcoholic can drop by on a Tuesday night, and find solace with other drinkers. A place where the douche factor is low, the prices are reasonable, and the bartenders are friendly. Valhalla fits into this category.
Aside from the dark wood interior, muted ambiance and encyclopedic draft beer selection, I love the fact that the place is reserved enough to carry on a conversation, and sports a spacious bar front (surface area is important whilst trying to ordering a drink). A nice spot for a weeknight casual drink.
"Dude, I so love Beer!"
"WHAT?"
"I totally love Beer!"
"Totally, Bro!"
"And they have a shit-ton of it here, dude!"
"WHAT?"
"They have a bunch of AWESOME beers here!"
"I know. Right?"
"Par-tay!"
**high five**
It's like an indoor beer garden (hi, picnic tables!) for people who aren't very rowdy. Also, it's not TECHNICALLY where Vikings go when they die, it's actually just a bar.
It's like, beer is good, sitting is good, aesthetically pleasing lighting is good, so it's... good. Not "where Vikings go when they die" good, but isn't that sort of setting the bar sort of high? I think it this bar would be "Viking afterlife" worthy if it was located, say, atop a large chariot being pulled through the sky by huge birds. On fire. Maybe I just expect too much. But they do have many, many beers that I don't know anything about... and even a few I do, like Hitachino Nest Ale! Fuck yeah! I will give out stars like pennycandy to any place that has this shit because I looooove me some Nest. And, yes! I AM the kind of person who chooses a beer based on the cuteness of the owl on its label. Hooray for me! So... what were we talking about? Beer. They have it. In abundance! For every taste and economic bracket! Woo!
I will tell you that my favorite thing about Valhalla is the full-length mirror in the ladies' room, facing the toilet. Now I finally know what I look like taking a pee, without having to hire a professional photographer! Thanks, Valhalla! Other than that, I like the "abundance of beer" aspect. And the fact that it's never been a crazy clusterfuck of shrieking B&Ters (sorry guys) when I've been there. Yay!
Though I do hope my personal afterlife involves more "sky chariot pulled by large flaming birds"-type bars... Get on that, Valhalla.
A great beer bar in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. Quiet enough to be able to talk with friends but lively enough to know that you're out at a bar. My Fiance and I have done just about all of their beer flights which are a great way to experience many of the beers they have on tap.
They have a great rotation of beers and many hard to find microbrews on tap. You do pay the price for the novelty of having such rare beers on tap with prices ranging $4-7 per pint. The quality makes it worth it.
Be aware that there's no food which is kind of a downer, but it's still a great pre-dinner or post-dinner place to grab a drink. Of note, when I went with a group of friends we were able to order in some food - pizza, etc. which they didn't have a problem with us eating in the bar.
This place is like a maserati without gas. Each time I've been with friends (quite a few being local), they're out of London Pride, out of Old Speckled Hen, out of Stone Levitation (pouring the final few drops as I type). I like the setup (simple, functional, bare, the way it should be) and the selection is otherwise decent and interesting.
Was in town on vacation and decided to stop in after hearing they had a good beer selection.
The decor is nice, if a little plain, and the crowd of locals were friendly to a large group of inebriated out-of-towners. The beer selection was awesome, with some good staples and a lot of obscure choices, and the prices seemed reasonable for the area.
Valhalla will definitely be on my list for the next trip to NYC.
Looks like a spot you'd find somewhere in the country to me, though I don't know why. Has a good selection of beers. No food though, and that is a downer. You'd make more money Valhalla, with food. Really.
Nice beer hall!
This was one of the first bars I went to after I moved here a little over a year ago, and it's had a special place in my heart ever since.
I LOVE beer, and this place has one of the most varied and eclectic selections I've seen ever, and that goes for both draft and bottled especially. Great ambiance, great service and good crowd. I saw Obama get elected here!
The only thing I would say is that especially lately, it can get very full very fast, so either go early or during the week if you're with a big group.
Nothing fancy about the bar, but the beer selection is great. Not as many as say the Gingerman, but plenty of good quality ones to keep you busy! My friend lives in the area so this has become a last stop of the evening before heading home sorta bar and it does that job well!
In an attempt to maintain my reputation, I absolutely maintain that this is a beer aficionado's bar! There's a long bar lined with a variety of not-your-average brews, including wheat ales, regular ales, and darker varieties. The choice of hops nearly made my heart flutter. If you're new to beers, or just unable to make up your mind, they offer a choice of different beer flights that allow you to try several. The service was great, given the length of the bar; even when it got busier, I never had a problem flagging down the bartender for another round. This is a great spot to bring a group; a row of picnic tables provide a sturdy anchor for a few hours of beer gluttony.
ahem. if you should need an out-of-the-ordinary break from the slew of beer, or are with people who have never experienced certain cocktails, the bar also carries a selection of wine and liquor.
cheers to sipping and telling!
Who doesn't love a bar where a bust of a busty Helga wearing a Viking helmet, complete with horns, welcomes you in?
This is a great place to hang out and try out some new beers. The selection is good. Although they don't always have everything in stock, they're always willing to suggest a substitution.
The seating is ample for most, consisting of some traditional seats at the bar, a few tables, and a series of picnic tables lined up against the wall. There's just something great about sitting down at a picnic table to drink your Belgian/German beer of choice. Now if only Helga were real and could bring my beers to me...
Anyhow, moving on, there's no food but they'll gladly let you get something delivered, and have a range of menus available for your perusal. I tend to think that it's a great way to make sure that everyone's happy. (In fact, right next door is cheap thai food and when you've had a few beers, pad thai always sounds perfect. Mmmmm...)
We hit Valhalla for a friend's moving-out-of-town party. Dozens of beers on tap, and many for just $6 a pint! Awesome selection. It's a little bare bones on the inside, but if you need more than good drinks with good friends to have a good time - don't blame the bar!!
On approach, the place looked really full -- too full. But this is a delightful optical illusion. For some reason, people just crowded to the windows. So on Saturday night, I got in, elbowed past the first layer of people and found a wide-open bar and an open table.
While we were waiting for friends, my girlfriend and I could only guess that the place kept people away with the music, or it'd be packed. Thirty-three well-chosen draught beers and the somewhat terrifying/titillating option of doing "Odin's Extreme Flight," which entails drinking 6 oz. of each of those beers for $80. Sounds like a good/bad birthday idea.
Anyway, if you can handle the likes of "Bittersweet Symphony" and so on while drinking some pretty great beers, you're good shape. I would sooner choose a bar like Lenora's Way in Brooklyn or any number of bars on the LES, but if you need to meet people who live on the upper west side, this is a good bet -- or if you're working at or going to school at Columbia.
Oh, and it has the unwritten Manhattan law of charging a dollar more for each beer than you're used to. So it goes.
Once again I found this place on yelp and was not let down. The few times I have been there the bar tenders were knowledgable and friendly, the beer was fresh and for Manhattan reasonably priced. THey only open at about 4:30though so don't expect to stop in mid day. This has taken the top spot my NYC drinking for me.
This is my kind of bar. There's no bud, coors, etc.. on tap. That's great! virtually all worthy beers, and their Leffe Blond and Brown are very reasonable. 6 bucks! I could see that being my standard. They have maybe 8 Belgians on tap, and then a larger amount bottled. If you appreciate beer, this is the place to be.
I was here around 9-11:30m on a Saturday night. From 9-11, it was fairly calm and not packed at all, which I really liked. Wooden tables and benches, Viking hats, and that sort of atmosphere. I really like this place. No complaints.
I've read positive reviews about Valhalla in the past (I'm looking @ you, Peter D!) so since I was in the neighborhood one Thursday night, I decided to drop by. I was a liiiiiiittle intimidated by the wide selection of beer ON. TAP. I didn't want to look like an inexperienced beer drinker (even though I totally am, but only when it comes to selection. I'll beat you in chugging any day, sucka), so I had a pint of whatever I could make out on the chalkboard across the room (lion's head). Pretty good. I love that they have different glasses for different beers. That's legit.
Vahalla apparently translates to heaven. Now if your idea of heaven is wide variety of beer on tap, 3 different beer flights, exposed brick walls and wooden furniture...then maybe you have met Nirvana.
Twas the perfect location for a Saturday night battle with my boy (he pissed me off, I pissed him off, and we needed to make up in a neutral environment.)
Got there at ten, when it was kinda deserted, so we chose to sit at the bar. Wise choice, in retrospect, because by 11, the place was packed with chicks eating faux-philly cheesesteaks at the picknic tables along the wall, while midtown meathead men were crowded around us, trying to watch some soccer?basketball?cricket? game. Whatevs...we're here for the beer.
Maybe we're just co-dependent alcoholics, or maybe Vahalla was just awesome enough to serve up the liquid lubricant that made us call a truce, but either way, three months later we're better than ever.
Thanks, Vahalla!
My husband, his cousin and I stopped in Valhalla for some beers on a Sunday evening when we were in town on vacation. It was located near our hotel and we just wanted a place to sit and have a few drinks so we could catch up with family. We definitely lucked out with Valhalla because it was such a cute and trendy beer bar with a casual feel. There was a guy with a guitar singing when we first got there and he was awesome (he did a great cover of Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah) and once he was done performing the place emptied out although it wasn't too crowded to start with. There were also a few TVs showing baseball so it had something for everyone. The beer selection was large, varied and ranged in price from $6 to the double digits.
For those staying near Columbus Circle, it's a nice laid back bar if you just want to enjoy some drinks and chat.
Nice little beer place - they have a great variety of beer on tap, including some really unique ones. I like this blueberry beer they have - I know, it's probably really girly to order a beer like that, but it's actually quite tasty and not overwhelmingly fruity (and honestly, I'm usually the kind of girl who orders Guinness).
The bartenders have always been very friendly. The patrons are mostly 20s-30s young professionals. They have a few tables here and there, and a couple TVs. Music is decent (played a lot of late 90's rock at a tolerable volume). The ambiance is very low-key here, which is exactly what I like (not the typical after-work, pick-up scene). Great place to grab a beer and catch up with friends or relax after a long day with your coworkers.
Nice-ish beer bar full of yuppie-ish folks in nice clothes. My friend considers it one of her "neighborhood bars," so we felt we had the liscense to go-as-we-were.
It's a bit pricey for my taste, though the beer selection WAS quite nice. Lots of picnic-y type tables as well as some cafe tables sprinkled throughout...not too loud, no blaring tvs....nice-ish spot to spend a few hours.
A decent pub around Hell's Kitchen. I came in mid-Friday night to find the place about a quarter-full, with a bunch of tables still available. I came to catch up with a group of close friends, so Valhalla suited my requirements well. The tap is decent, with a number of micro-brews on draft and bottle.
We ran into Valhalla as we were looking fo a happy hour in Hell's Kitchen. Happy hour was just getting started, so it was still fairly empty and they had a table big enough to accommodate all 7 of us. They even brought out an extra bench so we weren't crammed together.
In a nutshell, Valhalla is a beer bar, but you can definitely order other drinks here. There was a diverse selection of beers from around the world -- beers on tap, beers in a bottle and they also have a series of beer flights so you can sample their selection. I had a nice, cold, delicious Stella, while others in our group opted for more fruity Lambics.
The bar's open layout was spacious but could also get really noisy when it's filled up with people. There's a couple flat screens that actually show HD programming, not stretchy SD like at many places. Big ups also for the faux sculpture of a topless viking woman. :-) Also, thought it looked fairly new inside, we had managed to sit ourselves under a water leak and didn't find out about it until one of our party got dripped on. So if you make it over to Valhalla, look up before you sit down.
Beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer! I love beer. Belgian beer, American micro brews, German kolches, English stouts, HOORAY FOR BEER!
There are lot of great places to get good beer in this town. The Blind Tiger, Ginger Man, Burp Castle (stupid name, good bar) are a few of them. Valhalla is one of my favorites because it's rarely crowded even on a nice summer night, the whole front of the place opens making the indoors more like an out door patio. They have a great selection and there's this blonde bartender who works there and she makes me - as Jimmy Carter once admitted - "lust in my heart".
The selection - the last time I was there - had mostly Belgian beer, smaller selections of English, German and American brews. There were some exotic taps I have never suckled from before. I was impressed and wished to hand over my paycheck for a season's pass. If only they had one.
Decor is simple in order to focus on the open air atmosphere and....THE BEER! Beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer......
I hated my apartment when I lived in this neighborhood, but I did like pretending Valhalla was my tricked out abode. Sure there was an abundance of coke head stock brokers, meat heads, and women haters there but a 5 buck top shelf gin and tonic and Red Devil? I'll deal with all that thank you. The bartenders are trying to screw you up two drinks in, and though they aren't exactly hyper eye candy they're quick.
Overall, it's a good place to have a casual drink over wooden picnic tables and tea lights.
I've had my yelping eye on this place for months and I finally got to go!
It was everything I hoped for---cozy ambiance with an excellent beer selection. I liked the dim lighting, the dark wood tables and the endless row of taps behind the bar to choose from!
I'm really indecisive when faced with tons of good options, but at Valhalla, my first what-to-drink decision was too easy. I couldn't resist trying one of their beer cocktails because the only other place that I've been that has beer cocktails on the menu is the Brickskeller in DC (it was actually a pretty disgusting mix of a stout, a whiskey, lime juice and possibly even hot sauce BUT, being a huge fan of beer and orange soda together, I'm totally down with the beer-as-mixer concept and want to explore it in more depth).
First I thought about the Belgian Peach (with Leffe Blonde, peach schnapps and peach juice for $9) but instead went for the Snake Venom (half cider, half porter for $7). It was a little sweet for me but still interesting. Valhalla has a lot of cool options on the menu (including beer flights!) to keep me coming back.
Another plus at Valhalla is the bathroom situation. After my first Vol de Nuit experience last weekend (one unisex bathroom, LONG line, no TP), I was thankful for Valhalla's TWO bathrooms and AMPLE supply of both toilet paper AND paper towels. In a fight between Valhalla and Vol de Nuit, Valhalla wins the bathroom contest, probably wins the beer contest (in both selection and creativity) and I'll grudgingly give the ambiance contest to Vol de Nuit because of the couches and patio. And the smell of fries. Vol de Nuit also wins for its Wash Sq. location because I am never near 54th and 9th.
I love that there are SO many beers on tap, all lined up, and reasonably priced considering all the imports. As someone who only recently started appreciating beer, Valhalla has a ton of options to choose from, and plenty of helpful bartenders to make suggestions. They also have flights of beer, but no one in my group was willing to get one (I was especially interested in how great the $80 one might be). The atmosphere was dark (appropriate for a beer-based bar), and it was so crowded early on a Saturday (~9:30pm) that it was not easy to get a table. No matter, we had a perfectly great time hanging out by the bar. This is a great option if you're planning a birthday party for a guy.
THis place has a great atmosphere, a great selection of beers, good specials, and plenty of room. But what really makes this place stand out is the location. There is absolutely nothing like Valhalla in the neighborhood. It would be a great bar anywhere, but on the corner 9th and 54th its like some sort of oasis. Good prices and good service too.
Amazing beer selection. Would have loved to try a beer flight but was a little spendy and we were getting hungry. Great atmosphere, love all the wood on the walls and floor.
I like this place because it hits all the points I care about.
It's called Valhalla and has naked viking chick hanging over the drinking area.
It's pretty roomy and has solid wooden tables with alot of area. The walls are veneered with light wood, which gives it a nice feel.
THE BEER SELECTION IS HUGE.
The sell "flights," which I assume are tastings of a large collection of beers.
not too expensive.
Nice HDTV's with no volume on.
The crowd was a little yuppie-ish, but there was a nice mix.
It's a beer bar, it's that simple!
Ok, so I'm a bit of a beer novice, but when you move to this city and you discover that a vodka or glass of wine will set ya back $10 - $15 plus tip (this Aussie chick is used to paying AU$6 for vodka or a glass of decent Aussie wine) well... a girls gotta find an alternative!
So, here's a great place to start. Valhalla has heaps to choose from. And the bar chicks are really helpful at giving recommendations... which is important (don't pick things because you think the name is cool or you will end up with a bottle of nasty berry flavoured beer).
For something a little on the light side (taste, not carbs or proof) try the Ommegang witte or Corsendonk Pale Ale.
OH, and they don't serve food but are happy for you to bring some in with you... so make sure you have supplies if you're planning to settle in for the afternoon...
Cheers!
Birthday Person Drinks Free!
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
happy hour 11 am till 7 pm
Neighborhood: Murray Hill
Neighborhood: Hell's Kitchen
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Hell's Kitchen
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Pubs
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Theater District
Category: Bars
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