Viking Pit — Restaurant in Gauteng

Viking Pit – You Didn’t Disappoint!

When we first read some old reviews, we were hesitant to visit Viking Pit. However, we decided to give it a chance because everyone deserves a second shot, and we are so glad we did! From the drinks to the food, the atmosphere, and the service, Viking Pit exceeded our expectations.

Service

Hannah, our fantastic waitress, truly elevated our experience. She was attentive, friendly, and went out of her way to accommodate our table’s needs. With someone in our group requiring gluten-free options (despite the kitchen not being fully gluten-free), she liaised with the kitchen to adjust certain dishes. Hannah, thank you for your outstanding service—it made everything so smooth!

Food

The food was exceptional and worthy of its Viking-inspired names. • Thor Hammers (2): As you can see in the photos, these dishes were visually stunning and tasted just as incredible. The tender meat fell right off the bone, and the enormous portion of fries and creamy mac and cheese made it a feast fit for the gods! The birthday boy and his friend loved it so much that they even had leftovers to take home. • Freyr’s Feasting Platter: Perfectly priced for the portion size. It included spicy wings (which were amazing for a spice lover like me), crispy fries, and perfectly cooked deep-fried mushrooms. Every bite was delicious and well-seasoned. • Smoked Ribs and Mash: Though I didn’t try this one, the person who ordered it was very pleased. • Freydis Burger: For our gluten-free guest, the restaurant allowed her to bring her own burger bun, which was very accommodating. She thoroughly enjoyed her burger and appreciated the flexibility.

Drinks

The cocktails were delightful, with a wide selection to suit every taste. We loved the variety of beers, though it would be great to see more Scandinavian options to tie in with the Viking theme. My 1L Weißbier was perfectly chilled and hit the spot. A small suggestion: a shooter list with Viking-inspired names would be a fun addition to the drinks menu.

Dessert

Though I didn’t try dessert myself, I heard glowing reviews about the brownie from others at the table. Next time, I’ll save room!

Atmosphere

This was one of the most enjoyable restaurant environments I’ve experienced in a long time. The atmosphere was calm and relaxing, with no unnecessary chaos or loud noise. The music was at the perfect volume to complement the vibe.

The layout was well-thought-out, with separate smoking and non-smoking areas. As someone allergic to smoke, I truly appreciated this setup. The bathrooms were clean and located conveniently—not too far from the seating area but far enough to ensure dining wasn’t disturbed.

Overall Experience We are thrilled we took a chance on Viking Pit. This restaurant is a gem! From the friendly service to the generous portions and calm atmosphere, everything came together beautifully for a memorable experience.

A special shoutout to Hannah for making the day so special for our bonus dad’s birthday. You were truly a star!

Suggestions to the Owners

•Incorporate more Scandinavian and Viking-inspired decor and atmosphere. Having lived in Sweden, I feel there’s a missed opportunity to lean further into the Nordic theme. •Add more Scandinavian beers and perhaps a shooter menu with creative Viking names.

Thank you, Viking Pit, for a perfect birthday celebration. We can’t wait to return...

I have visited Viking Pit twice now, last weekend was my first visit, my first impressions were very good, I arrived on my motorcycle and initially turned in to early noticing it was the guest entrance and not the parking entrance, I turned around and proceeded to the parking lot, a lady I assume the manager of the establishment guided for me to indeed enter at the guest entrance, after parking I was told they’d preferred if I parked inside as to prevent my motorbike from being stolen, this was very thoughtful and they gained huge brownie points.

Further more the evening was great, the food was amazing, the beer selection impeccable, the general vibe very chill and perfect for a good night out. The waiter was friendly all be it inexperienced, serviettes were an after thought and the burgers arrived mixed (we had to figure out amongst ourselves which was which), at the end the bill was also mistaken, in our favour but incorrect none the less, we informed the waiter that he was a bit short and he went to fix the bill, this took a while as the bill is hand written😅 Never the less this is ok as the waiter was clearly inexperienced and the food was amazing so it wasn’t going to stop me from coming back 😁

However, yesterday I took some new friends to Viking Pit, I told them the food was amazing but they should be patient with the service and we should probably order food with the first round of drinks as we were hungry.

We had a different waiter this time, but I could see this waiter was even less experienced or just worst, we saw the waiter three times over all, each time about 40min apart, 3 of the burgers arrived with the fourth arriving almost 10 minutes later. Ordering more drinks was troublesome as our waiter seems to just disappear. Towards the end we waited and waited, dirty plates and empty glasses standing for 15-20 minutes, by this time we just wanted the bill, we asked another waiter and he informed us that our waiter had left and handed us over to another waiter, he was shocked that the waiter hadn’t informed us, we asked him if we could just get the bill as we’d like to go, he informed the other waiter who was busy with a larger table, eventually the new waiter showed up with our bill, again hand written, he asked if it looked like our bill, it did, he mentioned he would return as the previous waiter didn’t add the prices, when the bill arrived eventually it was wrong, there was five burgers (we were four) there was also a beer short, by now we’ve waited quite a while, we informed the waiter that we’d be paying but we won’t be waiting for him to fix the bill again, we paid what we ordered and added 10% tip but we asked the new waiter that the tip would go to him and not the previous waiter has he ruined the experience.

Again the food was amazing, the beer was amazing and the general vibe is brilliant, however I really wish the service was on par with...

The burgers were great but unfortnately that is all there was to it really. 1- We were seated down by the fire pits, there was not a lot of light so when we asked for some more candles as the previous ones already on the table were burnt out from previous use, we were informed that they didnt have any more, so we ate in the darkness. 2- Being a group of 13, we all had seperate bills, my husband's food arrived 10 minutes before mine (my order was incorrect and incomplete as well). They stated that the rest of my order is still being prepared - after yet another 10 minuted nothing was received so I told them not to bring it anymore and to leave it off the bill. 3 - The waitor was not really briefed on what is on the menu as he could not answer some simple questions we had, he also seemed to not really know what was going on - he was confused. 4 - After all this and some more intances another waiter seemed to be helping him by now as he was getting all the orders wrong and some people had not received their food after maby an hour since the first dish arrived. The 2 waiters were not comunicating and even more things went wrong (they started blaming each other for everyting in front of clients, keep in mind that this was not a busy night). 5 - Some of our friends did not receive their food at all and once asked for it they stated that the kitchen forgot about it, they then just settled their bill for the drinks and went home. 6 - One of our friends asked to speak to the manager in private (the manager declined and said he was too busy) 7 - NB NB to be confirmed by the manager/owner @vikingpit. On the menu it stated that a mandatory 10% service fee will be added to the bill already once issued, we were informed by a regular that the 10% fee does not go to the waiter but instead to the kitchen staff, so therefore if you as the client are not informed of this the waiters do not get a tip. I myself have worked in many restuarants and I have never heard of this anywhere and find it quite absurd.

Please note that what I mentioned above is not everything that went wrong but what I wanted to highlight the most, I would appreciate feedback regarding number...