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Valhalla is located in a basement on the Rice campus.: Marc Brubaker photo
Valhalla. It is an esteemed and legendary place. It has been called a great gathering hall, where those assembled eat and drink and are replenished. And in Houston, unlike Norse mythology, people don’t have to die in battle to arrive there.
A Norse god watches over Valhalla.: Marc Brubaker photo
Founded more than 40 years ago, the local Valhalla is a fixture of campus life at Rice University. Originally helmed with the mission of providing a place for graduate students to relax, unwind and socialize after a trying day of school or work, the grand vision has changed little over time. The bar is still staffed with volunteers — both graduate students and alumni — and, because of that, the beer is still the most affordable cup in town. True, it’s not the 25 cents a cup it once was, but a 95 cent Lone Star is as thrifty as it gets.
Tucked into the basement of Keck Hall, this small bar full of intellectual warriors features five taps, each offering a brew at dirt-cheap prices. The selection rotates frequently, and the cooler houses another 30 or so beer options. Local breweries make regular appearances — both Saint Arnold and Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co. employ Rice alums — and other brews from around the state are often available. There are some beer-savvy folks on staff that keep the stock constantly updated, bringing in ales and lagers from far and wide.
In addition to the fermented offerings, there’s a selection of cheap snacks, and visitors can sometimes score unsold sandwiches from the lunch hour. While patrons needn’t be current graduate students or even alumni, they will need cash — Valhalla doesn’t take credit cards.
Patrons belly up to the bar.: Marc Brubaker photo
The interior isn’t large — a space about the size of a pair of living rooms, and it fills up on busy evenings. That puts drinkers in close proximity with some brilliant minds, and it’s safe to say that the collective brainpower inside at any moment probably is of greater wattage than the clientele of many other local pubs. This provides the potential to engage in — or at the least eavesdrop on — some interesting discussion.
When the inside becomes too stuffy, drinkers can escape outside, where plenty of tables and chairs are nestled beneath the sprawling branches of Rice’s live oaks. This idyllic spot is a perfect place to down a cold one and chat with a friend, especially as the summer heat dies off and the more tolerable fall weather returns.
Valhalla: 6100 Main, 713-348-3258, valhalla.rice.edu
Hours: 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Mondays-Fridays; 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Sunday; closed Saturdays.
Marc Brubaker is a freelance writer.
valhalla is a bad bad place, stay far away. bad service, mean bartenders. i'd rather pay $10 for a lonestar than have to deal with those people. bad smell, bad beer selection, really just a bad place.
To the people out there: bartenders at Valhalla are actually super nice, I mean, really nice, and some of the coolest people I have met. But it is not like any business, if you are an asshole, bartenders won't suck up to you. This is after all a non-profit bar run by graduate student volunteers. They are not there for the money, and if you are used to treating retailers poorly and getting away with it, you are up for a surprise.
To the person who posted this bad comment: hope you have fun with your $10-beer! There is no shame in being so nasty that you have to pay an extra $9 on every drink to get a smile out of the person who serves you. Also, here is a free smile for you :) Sounds like you need it.
Bravo and well said. The people who work there treat you with respect if you do the same.
I second what "This Dude" says. If you didn't like the bartenders you met the last time you were there, come by on another night. Or just wait an hour and there will be new ones. There's over 40 of us. I'm sure that not all of us are jerks. As for our beer selection, we have our off nights occasionally. Maybe our managers were busy writing their thesis proposals that week and forgot to order new kegs of Real Ale, Southern Star, Pyramid, or any of the many other awesome beers that make it into our rotation. Plus, we have plenty of premium bottled beers, and most of them are just a couple bucks. 95% of the time, even when it's busy, a bartender would be more than happy to help you pick out a beer that suits your taste if you don't see anything you recognize. We also let our patrons have a taste of what's on tap so that you don't waste $2.50 on a premium beer that's just not for you. But we're not perfect, so you might have to ask.
I agree. Terrible, terrible ... turrible. You should stay away and not go there. ever.
and no parking ever.. not worth it
I went to valhalla once. The apathetic volunteer bar tenders would only acknowledge me after I shouted at them "can I get a beer". To which they replied a firm "No". The short round dirty blonde girl, whose bra size only contended with her belly size, then proceeded to to mock and make fun of me. That is when i left, never to return.
Haha that sounds great.
Hey Ranger Rick, if I came to your house while you were having some friends over, didn't bother to introduce myself, waited and fumed for about 10 minutes, and then yelled out at you "can I get a beer", are you telling me that you would smile, run to your fridge, and get me a cold one? No, I don't think you would. If you want big breasted small waisted women serving you lousy beer with a smile and a giggle now matter how much of a jerk you are, go to Hooters. I'm glad we won't be seeing you around anymore. I think I'm going to go give that dirty blonde haired girl a high five when I see her at the bar this afternoon.
but you are a bar..............not someones house. you are supposed to be attentive to your customers. apples and oranges sir.
Looks like a sausage fest inside.
LMAO...Rice U itself is a sausage fest...ever been on campus??
Marc Brubaker must have been high when he went there, (just like the staff most of the time). I've given this spot a chance multiple times and always regretted the decision. The bar, and i mean that in the loosest term possible, is only full of horny old men. Add to that it smells bad, much like the clientele.
I feel like the last two comments are from guys desperately looking for a drunk hookup. Do your egos a favor a just stay off the Rice campus. The women there are too smart for you anyway.
i've been twice and both times the bar tenders were efficient and friendly enough. i really don't go to bars to socialize with the wit staffs, so i never really noticed whether they were friendly or not.
i went to valhalla after runs around campus. it was convenient and affordable. i went to be with friends, not to try for a hook up.
with this said, if you're looking for a hook up or fancy bar with a large drink selection, this likely is not your place. if you're on campus and want a drink, you'll like it.
think about it, they sell beer in plastic cups and t-shirts of che guevara wearing a viking horned helmet. should you expect appletinis and grey goose ?
Could the Chron review some places around UH? Believe it or not, there's another big-name university in Houston. Like China Star, Montague's Deli, Cranberry Farms, Kim Son To-Go, etc.
Could the Chron remember that there's another big university in Houston called UH? Hardly ever any reviews of the restaurants at or next to UH. I don't think I've seen reviews of Chinese Star, Eric's Restaurant (Hilton UH), Barron's Restaurant, Burger Studio, Little Kim Son (To-Go), Montague's Deli, Cream Burger, Just Like Home and several others. Only one I've noticed was Ray's BBQ and Frenchy's.
Really? You want the Chronicle to review the crappy-a$$ offerings of the UH Satellite?
Here's my review of Chinese Star.
One star too many.
It must be a racist bar. Only white people are in the photo.
I dunno Never Been there But sounds Like a Weird Joint. Ofcourse most of the places in the Village are Weird Over priced & Hard to get to.
Yeah this bar sux..and its always a major sausagefest
So sad about all the Valhalla naysayers!
I am a Rice grad student and frequent Valhalla-goer. In three years I have never once encountered a rude bartender there. But I don't confuse it with a normal bar. FYI if you ask for a Bud Lite, you might be taunted. Drink better beer.
Yes, parking absolutely sucks. It is largely patronized by Rice grads, alums, staff members, and groups of joggers. If you aren't in one of those groups, there isn't a compelling reason to go. It's an on-campus pub, people. Also, I am a woman. Women go to Valhalla.
And I agree that UH has much better food. Frenchy's is the best fried chicken in Houston. Rice is a food wasteland, which is why I am often at Valhalla's for lunch buying Les Givrals bahn mi.
I'm curious why the chron decided to review what is for intent and purposes, a "private club". Not that you have to have a Rice connection to get in, but it's hidden and as noted above, the parking situation is dismal. Next up ... Allison Cook will review the burgers at CoHo for Burger Friday ? Parking there is moderately better.
If you're looking to hook up or chase skirt, head for Kay's or the Marquis. Valhalla is home to intelligent conversation and lively debate on all manner of topics. Try to get involved next time you stop by.
I went a few times when I was in college (at UH over 20 years ago), and I remember it fondly - I always had a good time! I was told that it had closed, and I'm glad to see that is not true.
nice cozy place to have a beer on a slow night. on busy nights... forget about it.
You can also use saveonbrew DOT com and find great deals on beer in the Houston area. Sometimes you just don't feel like going out. And it's safer, too.
I went there a few times back in the 1976/1977 timeframe as I was assisting a professor with some research at the Rice library at the time. But I remember the place as "Willie's Pub" and the coeds were most appealing.
Willie's pub is the undergraduate bar in the student center. It's still there. Valhalla is underneath the chemistry lecture hall and has generally been more geared toward grad students and faculty.
Doesn't look like much fun
Willie's Pub is the undergraduate pub in the student center. Altogether something other than Valhalla. Valhalla hasn't changed much over the years other than replacing the carpet on the walls. That's right.
I'm glad to see this article. I've got a pretty large group of guys that go out once a week and we've been looking for a new place. We'll give it a shot this week. Hope they're stocked up on Lone Star!
Valhalla is a bad place. Why would anyone want to drink in a small, crowded, noisy, smelly former paint locker? The bathrooms are rough, the music cannot be danced to, the chairs are broken, and the parking is really expensive. Plus, there are no signs anywhere to guide you to Valhalla.
Let's talk parking. $1 per 20 minutes. The cost of the parking is greater than the cost of the beer. On-steet parking? Forget it. The man in his little cart will be by to ticket you. Park in the neighborhood outside Rice? No way, they have put up No Parking signs just for that reason.
Stay away, people. Just stay away.
"the music cannot be danced to"
---------------------------------
I'd put that in the pros column not the cons. Parking does sound like a pain.
Sort of like a more rough version of the The Tombs in Washington. Meh.
Willy's Pub was the undergrad pub and was located in the basement of the RMC. Valhalla is under the stairs leading to ChemLec. Completely different building and completely different clientele and food/bev offerings.
The people who go to this bar are:
A: Intentionally trashing it to keep you away.
B: Happy that it is being tashed to keep you away.
WHEW! I was scared when this made Chron front page but I'm glad to see all of the negative comments. As pointed out, it can seem like a bit of a private club. Grad students/alums, professors, and shaving cream covered folk are the only ones who will probably feel truly at home here.
It is a great place for intelligent over your head conversations, you won't get laid, and parking does suck. It helps to know the bartenders, and acting like you're at a sports bar and itching for a bud light with everyone else isn't a strategy to get a beer here.
I was kind of surprised to see Valhalla reviewed on the front page of chron.com as it is not really a commercial operation and prefers to keep a low profile. Valhalla is a great watering hole, certainly worth going to if you are already on Rice campus as a student, faculty, staff or visitor. But it is a minimalist bar. If you want a sports bar, a fancy bar, a convenient bar, then go to one of the many other options in Rice Village nearby. For posters who complain about the staff or the facility - you are missing the point. This is a bare bones watering hole, and the patrons, including myself, like it that way. If you don't like that, then do us all a favor and go somewhere else.
Sux
I'd like to thank all the people posting negative rants. The last thing we need is a douchebag influx into Valhalla so thank you for doing your part to keep people like you from taking over this beloved landmark.
Seconded. I am not a Rice alum, and I go to Valhalla at least once a week. Good beer, good prices, good company.
Went there about 10 years ago to meet up with a friend who was a graduate student at the time and working as a bartender. I didn't go to rice but everyone welcomed me in with open arms. We hung out there all night long and had a great time. Met lots of nice folks that I will probably never talk to again. I would go again but wouldn't shy back into a corner and expect for someone to wait on me. Those that are complaining need to realize that the help is volunteer and the atmosphere is very informal. Get up and go talk with the bartender if you need another beer.
I've never been a RiceU student but I've been going to Valhalla for about 20 years. I first heard about it from someone I worked with at HMNS. It IS hard to find, perhaps purposely so: it's a dive, yet has an impressive beer selection for its size and is usually full of intelligent people. A bunch of shallow, drunk, rabble from off-campus probably wouldn't fit it in there. As for it being a sausagefest or clique-y, it can be that, like any bar you go to. Remember, it's staffed by volunteers, so service, attitude, and music change hourly; it certainly changes every year as people come and go. I was a bartender, too, for about 18 months, and it was one of the best experiences in my life. As for meeting women, I've met plenty there and even married one. Friday night is probably when Valhalla is at its most open and diverse, so you'll see a pretty mixed crowd then. And yes, parking does suck, but it's not much different than trying to find a spot downtown. Just be patient, open-minded, and respectful, and you should have a good time. Cheaply!