Walking down Copenhagen this place will certainly catch your eye. We wanted to try Danish cuisine and what better place to try than one with Viking in its name? Honestly, it didn't stand out as anything unique. Sausage, mashed potatoes, pickled cabbage. read more

Red Viking Restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Solvang, California

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The menu looked good, so I decided to try the Red Viking. The restaurant was clean and there was plenty of seating. Waitstaff was lukewarm during this slow Monday afternoon. I ordered the open-faced meatball sandwich. The portion was extremely small - a sliced up meatball on a single piece of white bread with instant potatoes and brown gravy. For $17 I would have hope for a bit better than that. The food tasted fine, but the portions won't fill a grown man and, unfortunately, not worth the price. read more

My girlfriend and I recently stopped by Red Viking Restaurant in Solvang hoping for a quick lunch while walking around town. Since Solvang is such a tourist-heavy area, we expected it might be a little busy, but the restaurant is small and we were seated right away, which felt promising. We knew exactly what we wanted and placed our order immediately -- two burgers and two sodas. My girlfriend received her drink quickly, but I had to wait about 20 minutes for a Shirley Temple and eventually had to ask another server for it. During that time, the person who took our order never once came back to check on us. We tried to stay patient and understanding. We know restaurants can be short-staffed, especially in a busy town like this. However, after waiting over an hour for two burgers, a younger server (who was hustling the entire time -- cleaning tables, seating guests, running drinks) came to check on us and look into our order. She was the only staff member who showed any sense of urgency or attentiveness. At that point, we asked to speak to a manager. To our surprise, the original person who took our order came over -- and she was the manager. This was the first time we had seen her since placing our order over an hour earlier. I calmly explained that while we understood it was busy and possibly short-staffed, the lack of communication and attentiveness was frustrating -- especially from a manager. Instead of taking accountability, she told us there was only one chef and that she could "only push him so much." She said she had sent others to check on us and bring drinks, and that the situation was largely out of her control. She even told us that the chef kept saying "a few more minutes" for every order and that she wasn't sure how accurate that was. At that point, we decided we no longer wanted the food and asked to just pay the check to the food and leave. She said she wouldn't charge us, which we appreciated. However, as we were walking out, she pulled aside the younger server -- the only one who had actually helped us -- and began reprimanding her in front of customers. She wasn't yelling, but it wasn't discreet either. It was uncomfortable to witness and felt extremely unprofessional, especially considering that the younger server was the only staff member who showed initiative and care. The manager implied it was that server's fault that I had waited so long for my drink, which didn't align with what we experienced. This experience could have been handled so much better with simple communication. If we had been told upfront that there was one chef and that food would take a little longer to come out, we would have adjusted our expectations or chosen to dine elsewhere. A quick check-in or acknowledgment from the manager would have gone a long way. We understand that things happen and restaurants get overwhelmed. But leadership and accountability matter, especially in hospitality. Unfortunately, this visit left us disappointed, frustrated, and uncomfortable. I hope this feedback is taken constructively, because with better management and communication, this could be a much better experience for future guests. read more

Worst food I've had in a long time. I ordered the schnitzel zero flavor, chicken was very hard, steamed vegetables tasted frozen, and the mashed potatoes were clearly from a box. Paying $29.95 for this was painful. My friend ordered the same dish and ended up with a stomachache and vomiting. My husband's cheeseburger was just as bad dry, tasteless meat and frozen fries. Now I understand why this place only has 3 stars. Nice customer service and a homey place, but the food is terrible. Worst of the worst. Stay away. read more

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We got the Danish Swedish meatball and turkey slub sandwiches to split. Both were just okay. I prefer the Copenhagen Beer Garden or one of the bakeries for food read more

Red Viking Restaurant - Danish meatball sandwich - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Solvang, California

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Allen was our waiter and we had great service. However the food is just mediocre at best and overpriced. Someone in our group has gluten allergies and it was a pretty big deal to substitute out bread for sliced tomatoes. They don't do substitutions which is fine, but should prob have some gf alternatives. We tried the Æbleskiver with sausage, the breakfast sandwich and the monte cristo sandwich. Everything was ok except the Monte cristo was a waste of calories and money. Didn't taste like much. This place just didn't do it for me, wouldn't come back. read more

Red Viking Restaurant - Monte Cristo - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Solvang, California

Such a good experience at this little Solvang Cafe! Fast and friendly for sure! I had alot of "adatations" to my meal- they were quick to accommodate! Its kiche- perfect to duck in and get warm and have a bite! Service up traditional food but they had no idea what cheese bread was) The autumn sou was a little spicy but everyone loved it! The traditional beef plate had homemade mashed potatoes, red cabbage slaw, a salad and a smile! We will be back! read more

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Having a great meal in Solvang is so much more than good food. It's the warm atmosphere and friendly environment that creates wonderful memories when visiting Solvang. Good old fashioned menu options are the only challenge you will experience. Fast service and hot, tasty food will make the table quiet as you enjoy the food. read more

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Home-cookin'! That's what we got during our visit to the Red Viking: familiar comfort food that feels like it came straight out of your grandma's kitchen. Hearty vegetable beef soup, meatballs (Swedish or Danish), sausage and sauerkraut, mashed taters...what's not to love? The Red Viking is a humble little establishment that apparently has been here in Solvang for quite a while, and after our meal here, it's easy to see why. The food is unassuming, understated...but fantastic. It's hard to articulate, but the feelings that washed over me as I was enjoying my meal reminded me of Thanksgivings at my grandma's house, surrounded by family...back when we had one, anyway. It was a wonderful feeling, and the fact that the food here was able to transport me to a time and place so far away, and in the past...that's pretty special. I'm sure some people won't have a clue what I am talking about, and probably won't see the modest fare being served here as being anything special...but for those of us who DO get it, a dinner at the Red Viking is more than just a meal: it's also a memory. A good one. read more

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If you're in Solvang, you've got to try the Red Viking's æbleskivers. The walk-up window has a nice, busy holiday vibe, with the smell of warm pastries in the air. I waited a bit, grabbed three with jam and one with ice cream, and sat on a nearby bench to eat them. They were warm, fluffy, and just sweet enough--the ice cream one was a fun twist. Definitely a must-try if you've never had them before. read more

Red Viking Restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Solvang, California

Big family visiting. Came by this nice place. Food was great, steak was surprisingly well seasoned. Other egg meals were good too. My nephew really likes the eggs benedict! Only complaint -- not everybody's meal came together. Some were almost done with their meals when others' were just arriving. read more

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I've been to Solvang probably two dozen times and had never eaten here, only had my son take photos with the wooden Viking out front. We stopped in today for lunch. Restaurant was clean, the service was friendly, and the food was good! They have a paper placemat with some interesting information to read while waiting, as well as decorations on the walls. We ordered aebelskivers to start. I love the raspberry sauce that's pured in top. I had the roast beef sandwich with au jus and a side of potato salad. The roast beef was thinly sliced, had a nice au jus to dip, and the roll was delicious! I enjoyed the potato salad, it was very creamy. My son ordered the Knud sausage sandwich which came on the same delicious roll, with sauerkraut and he had a side of fries. It was a good choice! read more

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Great food and drinks! The service was great with friendly staff! Had amazing food and drinks! The space is roomy with colorful decorations and warm ambiance! read more

Red Viking Restaurant - Delicious warm Sausage platter! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Solvang, California

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We wanted to try danish food and figured this would be the best place to go. Staff were friendly and helpful. I got the red pepper soup and it was delicious and creamy, just like warm, I wish it were warmer. I got the danish meatballs. They were fine, nothing special. This is a fun place to visit for a danish experience. read more

Red Viking Restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Solvang, California

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It's 3 pm, most of the restaurant are closed, but The Red Viking is opened. So we decided idea to eat here. We have our fur baby with us, we weren't sure if they would let us in. But they have no problem with that. They put us toward the back of the restaurant away from other customers which is totally understandable. We ordered a Reuben Sandwich with coleslaw and a Beef Dip with Fries. Both sandwiches were good. The coleslaw and fries were good!!! Server was attentive. Would definitely come back. read more

Red Viking Restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Solvang, California

Probably never going to eat here again unless I'm desperate and hungry. This restaurant is in Solvang next to many shops and a few other places to eat. I just wanted to add that there aren't that many places to eat in Solvang. The only reason why we came to this restaurant was because the wait times were very long at the other restaurants and I couldn't find a reservation anywhere nearby. Solvang was filled with visitors that day so maybe I came on a wrong day? My family and I were seated immediately. Unfortunately, it took an hour for the waitress to hand us a menu and another hour for our food to come. My daughter ordered the beef with onions. When they served it, there were 3 pieces of beef and nothing but onions. She was disappointed. I ordered the sausage with sunny side egg, with pickled cabbage. It was very bland. No seasoning? I tried to like the food, but the horrific wait time, small portions, bad service, and bland food just didn't sit right with me. We ended up leaving hungry. At least I tried. read more

Red Viking Restaurant - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Solvang, California

I love strolling Solvang for their cute quaint shops. The heavenly smell of fresh Æbleskivers drew me in. My friends and I have been here a couple of times, we love checking out their large menu and trying a new Danish specialty. Definitely order a plate of their Æbleskivers, poured with raspberry sauce on top. It's best eaten hot! Other plates we enjoyed were their corned beef hash and Danish meatballs. Their coffee and drink menu are pretty straight forward for a casual eatery. There's usually a line out or a bit of a wait, but I love ordering at their to-go window as well. The staff are kind and try their best to handle the crowds and serve everyone timely. read more

Well, my wife and I had high hopes for the Red Viking Restaurant, as one of the places we had planned to visit. I had the Norwegian Salmon, unfortunately for the price the salmon was a very small piece. The temperature was luke warm and very bland to the taste as we're the mashed potatoes. Definitely needed salt and pepper. The carrots and broccoli were steamed to perfection. My wife had the combination plate and the Danish meatball and sausage had absolutely no flavor. I have had both from my Danish cousin so very disappointed. The soup of the day was clam chowder and was fine. The ambiance was very basic and not wholly inviting. Service was fair but nothing out of the ordinary. Our server was nice but we were never checked on for refills other the initial meal delivery. On the whole I would pass and not recommend this restaurant for anyone who asked. read more

We were hungry after driving into town and checking into our hotel and this place wasn't crowded when we walked by. My kiddo and I tried the salmon plate and also, a hot open sandwich beef plate. Service was attentive, atmosphere was okay. Food was okay, just nothing to write home about. read more

Our group of six arrived yesterday morning and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at this establishment. We arrived right when they opened. We all ordered something different and everything arrived on time. I ordered the danish omelette, which was excellent. It had the eggs with the cheese over the top and tomatoes over that with bacon. It was absolutely delicious. It also came with house potatoes , which were so crispy. They were so good. Everybody loved their meals. The staff was very courteous and friendly and helpful. We will definitely return next year. read more

This was my first visit to Solvang. This restaurant is old looking smelled a bit musty. Service was okay there were plenty of tables available. Waitress was attentive and friendly. I ordered the open face hot beef sandwich and mashed potatoes.My brother ordered the BLT with fries. The food all tasted like fried fish, and stale oil. Pricey and very small portions. Not appealing to taste or look of the meal. We couldn't eat any of it. Things are so expensive especially when traveling it was a big disappointment. read more

We came here for brunch because a local told us that this was THE place on Solvang to get ebelskivers (if you don't know what those are, I can't help you!) We had an excellent brunch and the ebelskivers were delish!! I completely don't understand the reviews complaining about the portions, what?? I was so full! We were all stuffed. And the prices are very reasonable. Great for a casual meal, great for families, a Solvang gem. read more

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Been to solvang a dozen times and my first time trying this place. It was just amazing , I enjoyed my food and the service was great. read more

Red Viking Restaurant - Turkey club - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Solvang, California

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Been here before, service & food were good. Came today, and needs improvement. Ordered a sausage to go, received cold Also I ordered a (kids) meatball meal, cold read more

I just ordered the aebleskiver here but the staff were so friendly and were really nice! The aebleskiver were really good with the raspberry jam! And the ambiance is nice as well we sat in front of the restaurant! read more

Red Viking Restaurant - Aebleskiver with raspberry jam - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Solvang, California

Solvang offers many restaurants to dine at and my parents and I stumbled upon Red Viking for lunch. The restaurant looks small but you'll realize there's an area in the back with more seating tables. The host was kind and explained the menu to us as it was our first time dining. We wanted to experience Danish food so we ordered the Liver Pate, Sausage Platter, and a Sandwich which had Danish sausage. Judging the food based from a perspective of my culturally diverse background, the food tasted good, but was bland in flavor. The pate was good, sausages tasted like sausage, onions and peppers tasted like.. well onions and peppers. Not to say it tasted bad, it just tasted like what it was. I'd definitely come here again for the experience of eating Danish food, also after doing research about Denmark and Danish food, you'll learn that the cuisine was rooted in peasant dishes. Don't judge a dish by its flavor but appreciate the culture that it came from! read more

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This is a YES! I drove up to Solvang because I wanted to try and find a butcher or shop where I could buy some real danish liver pate or in danish, leverpostej. Sadly, as I walked around and went to shop after shop, no one really knew what I was talking about. It seemed as though the true soul of Solvang had been long forgotten... Until... I sat down inside Red Viking Restaurant. The menu listed TRUE DANISH FOODS!!! I was in Danish food heaven. I had my choice from Frikadeller to AEbeleskiver. And YES, double high five emoji, I found real homemade leverpostej. This place even had, and gave me a shot of, Aalborg aquavit!!! Massive shout out for having the higher end gold version! Fist bump emoji to the owner for that one. I had asked for no mushrooms since I'm allergic, which was no problem according to my server, but my liver pate was not served with bacon and the crunchy onions I was expecting. Instead it was served with red cabbage and potato salad. It was still delicious and I was so excited that I didn't even take a picture. I just dove right into the food. This one little danish restaurant is holding down the true origins of Solvang!!! read more

This place was pretty slow today. Got seated had their main four meals with alcohol margarita. Good was good. Service was good. Good setup for tables read more

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If you like good food, walk away from this place, fast. Food couldn't be worse. Borderline inedible. Mashed potatoes came from a box. Fries came cold. The "Pesto Chicken Sandwich" was dry as hell. We could hardly swallow it. The bacon on it was limp as a deflated balloon. The plate came with a slice of orange???????? The "Pork Roast" was a disgrace to all things pork. Red cabbage came soggy and cold. The soup of the day was old, definitely from a can, and everything in it was soggy. The allegedly homebaked bread that came with it was drier than a week-old crouton. The best part was the beer that helped us forget how horrible this experience was. Service was okay and very fast, probably because it only takes 60 seconds for the food to be warmed up in the microwave. The server was nice and attentive, and we felt bad for them, but not as bad as the people walking in, expecting authentic danish food. read more

Ordered pickled herring and enjoyed it very much. Great menu choices and good service.

Loved that we didn't need to wait for a table. The servers were great and checked on us often. I had a turkey sandwich on sourdough and while I'm used to my bread being toasted, this was a pleasant surprise. I could tell everything was freshly made and that makes a huge difference in the taste. My fiancé had the French dip and couldn't stop raving at how delicious it was and that we HAD to make this a place to stop at on our next visit. They offer a full bar too. It's really small but fully stocked! The restaurant was very clean too and they give you a little complementary bag of cookies with your bill. read more

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Nothing wrong with this place. The food is great for lunch. And the staff is very friendly. The princess cake is absolutely phenomenal...DO NOT SKIP THE PRINCESS CAKE! Giving this one 3.5 stars. Give it a try if it's not too busy. read more

Red Viking Restaurant - Princess cake!!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Solvang, California

First time visiting Solvang and came across this restaurant. Never had danish food and this was a lovely experience. The staff was welcoming and accommodating. Will definitely visit again ! read more

Service initially was fine but food took a while. The sausage sampler was not bad. Sorry no pics. Side order of fries could have been a little more for the price but Caesar salad was a solid A. read more

Came here for lunch today with my family. We waited 45 minutes to be seated. Server took our orders. Our drinks came quickly. Our food took a bit of time. The rest of my family received their orders but my club sandwich was missing. They still had it listed on our receipt...my husband had to tell them that I never got it. No apologies from them. We were just told they would take it off the bill. Never coming back. read more

The Food was good but the service was horrible. Horrible They took our order then the food is sitting on the counter. We had to ask for it We never saw anyone agin until we finally asked for the bill read more

Dined a couple days ago and $28 for meatballs and then there are just TINY clumps of meat, and not great, potatoes tasted like instant, meat tasted like it was heated up in the microwave.... good service however read more

Red Viking Restaurant - Big clump of potatoes, two tiny clumps of meat - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Solvang, California

This is the only Danish restaurant open midweek after 6 pm. Since I am only familiar with Ikea and cruise ship Danish dishes, I felt I had to eat at a Danish restaurant in a Danish town. Service was great - felt welcome; staff was friendly; wanting to please; clean and well lited; and hostable. I told them I only had an hour to eat. They took my order and I was done within an hour. The marinated red cabbage was absolutely delicious - great mixture of the vinegar and spices. I ordered the combo of one sausage and one meat ball that came with a soup, a bread basket, mashed potatoes and gravy. Gravy and potatoes were on the thick side - not creamy nor fluid like. The portion was ample. I took out an order of aebleskiver because I wanted to know what it was like. Aebleskiver are puffy Danish pancake balls. Mine was quite disappointing. The three balls ($4.95) weren't fluffy. I felt it was super condense with no taste. I only had one bite and threw the rest away. read more

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I've never had Danish food before other than the similar IKEA meatballs so I was really excited to try the food here. We arrived around 1 p.m. and it was already half full. It's definitely a cozy Mom-and-Pop looking like restaurant. Our servers were all super nice and checked up on us often. I want to give a shoutout to the girl who was hosting, she was not only hosting, but also taking orders, cleaning tables, and running checks. Our order was the combination plate and the sampler. The combination plate had a sausage, meatball, mash potato, gravy, pickled cucumbers, and cabbage. I thought it was all very good. Tasted like your standard IKEA dish and the portion was pretty decent. The sample was your All American kind of sampler with onion rings, wings, and cheese curds. I'd probably skip that if I were you. read more

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Came here for a Saturday lunch on a gloomier day, and there were plenty of seats inside! I've been wanting to try this restaurant every time I drove up to Solvang. The ambience is homey and service was good. I ordered a Danish sandwich (first one on the menu), which seamed to have a meatball in it, some lettuce, and red cabbage. It was served with potato salad and a slice of red beat. To be honest, I wasn't that impressed-- the bread seemed a little hard/gamey and the portion was quite small. However I'm also not well-versed in Danish food, so that might play a factor! The American sandwiches might be better portion-wise. That being said, our table also ordered some aebleskiver for dessert, and it was so delicious! It was still warm and fresh, so soft and the jam went so well with it. I would recommend getting them for sure! read more

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