Explore this Viking-themed cafe in Chesapeake

Don’t raid the fridge. Invade Viking Cafe instead.

The maritime warrior-themed breakfast and lunch spot is a surprise tucked inside Chesapeake’s Battlefield Corporate Center near Volvo Parkway and Battlefield Boulevard. And a nondescript Greenbrier office building was not where I expected my taste buds to get conquered.

Inside, the cozy dining room — with red and tan curtains resembling sails — is warm and inviting with a large communal table and bar window seats (with a parking lot view). The menu plays with the Viking theme, offering entrees such as Thor’s Omelet (South Pacific omelet wrap) and The North Sea Catch (tuna salad sandwich) and items such as Viking Blood coffee and Raven muffins.

The All-Father’s Reuben sandwich, named in reference to the chief deity and god of war in Norse mythology, satisfies the heartiest of appetites. It came with a balanced ratio of tender corned beef on toasted rye bread — a Scandinavian staple. Melty Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing forced me to surrender to the deliciousness.

Co-owners Lucinda and Richard Olson at their Viking-themed restaurant, Viking Cafe, in Chesapeake. (Bill Tiernan/For The Virginian-Pilot)

“The Viking theme came about because it’s my heritage,” co-owner Richard Olson said.

His grandmother was Scandinavian and his grandfather was Celtic, from the Clan Gunn of Northern Scotland that claims descent from the Norse “Jarls” of Orkney in the 10th century.

He and wife Lucinda Olson had started a food truck called Viking Blood in 2021, but they used it for only a few events. They purchased Island Cafe in November 2024 from owners who had been in business for more than 20 years. The name changed to Viking Cafe in September.

Richard Olson, the pastry chef for Viking Cafe, graduated from the Culinary Institute of Virginia in 2022 after spending 21 years in the Navy as a nuclear engineer. He said he loves the science of baking, his lifelong pastime. This explains why the cafe sells a nice selection called Pastries of Valhalla, including apple turnovers, loaf cakes and cookies — the red velvet was my favorite.

Breakfast done right: The Viking Quick March breakfast. (Bill Tiernan/For The Virginian-Pilot)

Another solid meal on the menu includes The Viking Quick March: two scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, two pieces of crispy bacon and toast. Breakfast cooked right, no complaints.

I also tried the Shieldmaiden’s Crispy Chicken Salad. The chicken arrived hot and seasoned but not crunchy, which is sometimes difficult to achieve with an air fryer (the cafe doesn’t have a traditional fryer). When I ate the rest later at home, the breading had separated from the poultry, leaving a lackluster texture. This could’ve been caused by the to-go container trapping the steam inside. Everything else about this salad — hydroponically grown mixed greens, other vegetables and hardboiled egg — saved it from being discarded.

Viking Cafe still won this belly attack, and I plan to come back.

Rekaya Gibson, 757-295-8809, rekaya.gibson@virginiamedia.com

The Shieldmaiden’s Crispy Chicken Salad at the Viking Cafe on Independence Parkway in Chesapeake. (Bill Tiernan/For The Virginian-Pilot)
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