Three Vikings — Restaurant in Edmonton

My friend and I have been there a total of 5 times between us. This is a fantastic gastropub and if you bring friends they will appreciate the venue's thick wood tables, giant pictures on the wall and the effort the owners have taken to give you an experience. 5 The staff is certainly efficient but some are oddly terse. The serving staff did not affect our experience and although this could have gone either way I have to give it 3 because (no mention of specials, no check up to see how the food was (asked if we needed anything else instead), and no interaction with us at all. We were definitely treated like numbers not people. The point of eating somewhere is to be be appreciated if you want your customers to come back. Food. 3.5 I was eating with a red seal chef and my Wifey is a foodie that I cook for so I am a pass/fail kind of reviewer BUT I do pay attention to detail and give points for effort even if it doesn't come out perfect. The menu has a page and a half of food and then four pages of drinks so gastroPUB for sure. The food was unique enough to please but not to impress. My RSChef buddy slyly mentioned they must shop at IKEA for groceries as I had some lingon berry jam to go with my pork schnitzel which was thin and breaded very well but dry oh so dry which was good because it wasn't oily and there was that jam BUT also disappointing because I couldn't taste the pork, there wasn't enough jam, and there was no fat/unctuousness/umami or salt! Hahah. None on the tables either.

Sigh. I am a turkey but I have hung out with foodie eagles for thirty years now. At this near 20 dollar price point there are better places to eat (like right next door at Woodshed) but with the drink specials and venue this is a charming place to drink or take...

Everything was good, the service, the flavours, the atmosphere, but based on my first visit to three Vikings I'd say the value is missing!

My $15 Fenrir "poutine" style fries were shockingly small (for the price...) They were served in a bowl, normally a good sign for a sauce lover like myself...it didn't need to be though, as once you ate the top layer, which tasted and looked great, you were left with just plain fries, but the real issue wasn't the lack of sauce, it was portion size, the bowl was small, I'm assuming in attempt to make the portion look larger... like if these were the only bowls I owned and I wanted some fruit loops for breakfast, I'd need 3 or 4 of them, but most likely they'd end up only being used for sides or sauces for dipping, yes I could just be a pig who eats too much fruit loops and everyone else that has ordered the $15 fries has been very satisfied, so maybe it was a mix up, maybe I thought I was ordering a large "poutine" style fries for $15 but instead received a small sample sized side and was billed for the full size?

Please someone else go have the Fenrir fries for $15 and back me up, something is wrong here...either the price is way too high for a side sized fries, or the portion is way too small for $15, now to be fair to Three Vikings, everything I ordered was under the "Snacks" column but for $21 total as I also ordered a pulled pork slider ($30+ with drinks and tip), I expected a large snack!

So to be fair to my wallet and my half full stomach, I doubt I'll return, if the snack sized Fenrir fries were, let's say $7-$9 or substantially larger, this review would be a...

What a delightful surprise. My son said he had heard about this place but could not remember where. It was close by so we decided to give it a go. Easy access just off the corner of 124th Street and 107th Ave. Open and airy setting with regular seating tables, bar stools and high tables and stools along the wall and window. It was open seating and the staff were attentive, courteous and helpful. We arrived after 1:30pm on a Sunday (apparently they only just recently opened for brunch) and I was lucky enough to score their last brunch special, two poached eggs on shredded potato patties with thinly sliced salmon, with mayo and a cup of fruit on the side. I like a heartier brunch, so next time I might opt for their version of Eggs Benedict with roasted cube potatoes that my son had. Definitely more suited to those with an appetite. The chalk board menu listed an interesting selection of craft beer, but we stuck with coffee for this visit. The surprise you ask?? We were treated to a group of seven gentlemen playing guitars, ukeles, fiddles and banjos for the better part of an hour. I did not recognize any tunes by name, but they had a real hoedown, toe tapping sound and they also looked the part. When they wrapped up, they stayed for a meal, so I don't know if they're regulars, but it's worth going back to see if they'll be there as well. Very enjoyable afternoon / late...