Skål to the Nordic Roots of Ballard!
Come Skål with Us!
Skål (meaning “Cheers” & rhyming with “Bowl”) is our modern interpretation of a Viking meadhall. The meadhall was the center of the community – a welcoming spot to gather and to host visitors from afar. It was the hall where stories of adventure, exploration, and new ideas were shared and debated over food and drink. It was filled with cheer.
As a Ballard resident of nine years with Norwegian and Swedish ancestry, I aim to honor the neighborhood’s Nordic roots through a relaxed, communal beer hall experience – what we envision a Viking meadhall would be like today. This is our “Viking Living Room” for the community to gather and a tribute to my Berggren family ancestors from the fjords of western Norway.
I am a student of history and care deeply about tradition. The streets of Ballard were once lined with bustling Nordic businesses. Sadly, only a few remain. Skål is our way of keeping the Nordic tradition alive.
We aim to provide the most diverse craft beer lineup in Seattle, both in whom we feature and range of styles. We celebrate the many breweries of Ballard, the best from across Washington, and hard to find Nordic imports. Outside of beer, our house focus is on the versatile Scandinavian spirit, aquavit, and the drink of Vikings, mead.
Our open kitchen features dishes that explore wild flavors from the woods and sea. Imagine gathering near a roaring fire at the edge of a fjord. Here is where you’d find our food.
This is not hundred-year-old traditional Scandinavian food. What we’re trying to do is reach back more like a thousand years, and use ingredients and techniques that would have been available and popular to the people living in Scandinavia at that time, and then try to prepare those in a way that’s exciting and interesting given what we have available to us in the PNW.
Come have a bite. Pair it with a beer, mead, or aquavit. Sit by the roaring fire or in our outdoor street cafe. And celebrate life and those who have gathered with you!
Skål!
Adam McQueen, Founder & Owner
Skål Honors the Nordic Tradition in Ballard
We Team Up with the Seattle Kraken
Vanishing Seattle & Converge Media Tell Our Story
Take a Tour Inside the Beer Hall
Community is at Our Core
We pride ourselves in being an active participant in our community. Through the beer hall, we have been able to connect with the Scandinavian community in Seattle, the PNW, and across the globe and create a platform for us to collaborate, celebrate our heritage, and build awareness for what makes us unique. Our beer hall was partially funded by a massive crowdfunding campaign, and we were kept afloat through the COVID pandemic by the support of our loyal patrons and partners. For this we are incredibly grateful!
A visit to the beer hall is intended to be an experience beyond food and drink. Whether you are a guest or a partner, you are part of our community, and we want you to be a part of the journey with us. We take the time to understand the passions and craft of all our partners and make every effort to relay that story to our guests. Here are some of the wonderful people and organizations who help us thrive!
Sons of Norway Leif Erikson Lodge
The center of the Norwegian community in Ballard, the lodge is a fraternal organization promoting Norwegian heritage.
National Nordic Museum
The National Nordic Museum in Ballard shares Nordic culture, values, and ideas with people of all ages and backgrounds.
Scandinavian Specialties
Since 1962, Scandinavian Specialties in Ballard has provided Nordic goods to the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Sidhefire Arts
Sherry Kirk creates handcrafted small batch pottery, including all of the Viking tankards at Skål Beer Hall. She has a special passion for creating historically inspired vessels.
Beast & Cleaver
Named one of the top butcher shops in America by Food & Wine magazine, Beast & Cleaver supplies all of our hand-crafted sausages.
Kaffeeklatsch Seattle
German bakery in Seattle that hand crafts all of our pretzels and some of our breads. Prost!
Northwest Danish Association
The NW Danish Assoc works to enrich community life experience through cross-cultural exchange and social outreach. Our events and programs put the spotlight on Denmark to showcase Danish society, culture, history, and innovation
The Swedish Club
The center of the Swedish community in Seattle, the club is a fraternal organization promoting Swedish heritage.
Gård Vintners
Gård meaning “farm” is a tribute to this family-owned vintner’s Scandinavian heritage and farming tradition.
Preservation Meat
Preservation Meat Collective sources and provides the highest quality and well cared for protein a Chef can find from heritage, heirloom and sustainable growers.