Little Viking Drive-In has been one of my favorite things about moving to a small town after living in the suburbs my whole life.
Not only is the food AMAZING (be one with the grease, or you shouldn't be eating fries, chicken strips or burgers) but the staff is exceptional as well.
I have been to new establishments that try to mimick what LV has going on here; and I never realized how far off those places were from the real deal.
My usual is chicken strips with onion rings while my husband goes for the tots and Western burger. All the fried foods are perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection for deep frying. My husband's burgers are so huge, he usually doesn't finish it all, which is saying a lot about the portion size.
We are always greeted warmly, quickly and with a sense of belonging that is hard to find when you move into a close-knit community.
All in all, Little Viking is in my top 2 favorite chow spots in town!
I've been coming here for 30 years, and I swear that nothing has changed. The food is good, low key, tasty and a decent value. In the day of $10 burgers....the average $5-$8 price works for me.
Milkshakes are good, fries crispy, burgers seasoned and flavorful. This is NOT the place where the Portland elite will feel comfortable. All the more reason to stop on in. Good honest folk, non-assuming and worth a repeat.
Great Food and Great Service!!! I have come in here many times and they always make my food to order no matter how many substitutions I make and seem to remember every one of them!!!! Ice Cream selection is huge, they offer outdoor seating as well as a drive thru, perfect for stopping in after camping on the way home!! They even have old school video games like Varth and Ms Pacman!!! Keep up the great work and I will keep coming back for the great food!!!!
Review Source:We mentioned to our friend we wanted to grab some grub before kite surfing in the Gorge. He recommended LV for the best chicken strips in town. So we strolled in (because a "Drive-In" doesn't exist), ordered the strips & sat outside while sipping our root beer. The wait wasn't long & we were notified our order was up. The strips are large & there were five or six of them. These were extremely hot to touch & quite greasy. I could only eat one because of it. The breading was odd & it fell right off the meat. The fries were undercooked & just as greasy as the strips.
We later commented about our dissatisfaction to our friend & he said we went to the wrong place. Come to find out Texaco, yes Texaco the gas station, serves up the best chicken strips in Stevenson, not LV. The best thing out of the whole experience? The root beer.
With burger baskets consisting of processed potatoes & thin pre-made beef patties, the only thing old school about this place is that it's been here a long time. Imagine a restaurant in a small town like Stevenson buying local ingredients: beef, lettuce, potatoes, etc. It would not only mean great tasting food, but the place would put more back into the local economy.
But the food is clearly pre-packaged and made elsewhere. If someone said it was all from Costco, I wouldn't be too surprised.
The staff was less than friendly and at 6:00 PM on a Friday night one would expect more than just myself in such an establishment. That probably says more about the place than anything I could write.
The final insult: For a burger basket with small fries and a medium coke, you're going to leave over $8 at this restaurant. If it was going to the local economy for local ingredients, I'd be OK with that. But to basically be a pass-through for big corporate food processors, it really stung to see that come up on the register.
And worse, overall the burger was barely warm and got most it's taste from the sauce slathered overly generous on a bun that hadn't even been brought up to room temp.
Great place to stop for lunch after a few days in the woods.
I got a BLT and fries, he got a cheeseburger and fries.  Then I got a ridiculously large  scoop of maple nut ice cream, and he got a chocolate dipped cone.  Saw some great looking chicken strips at another table. Â
Old school, no frills, mom and pop-type place, with a large menu of burgers, sandwiches, sundaes and shakes. Â Props to the woman working the place solo.
Little Viking is not gourmet, it is not "Portland food scene", and it is not as cheap as Mickey Ds. It is an honest to goodness good burger and fries at a fair price. Like many places out this way, what really sets it apart are the people.
Food: I got a cheeseburger and fries, the same thing I get at every burger joint. $6.75 with fries I believe. It was not the best burger I've ever had nor the cheapest, but it was solid thin to medium patty, flame broiled but not burnt at all, tons of good cheddar on top (they had 4 or 5 choices of cheese), real romaine lettuce, red onion, pickles, tomato, plenty of sauce, the right size for a medium dinner or big lunch. The fries were perfect, classic American thick generic steak fries, no skins, no seasoning, they would not be acceptable at a brew pub but perfect for a drive in. Cooked to perfection, soft inside, ever so slightly crisp on the outside. The staff said they are happy to cook the fries however people want them! Medium amount of salt.
Place: Stevenson is a beautiful town and beautiful drive. The building itself is classic hole-in-the-wall, maybe 5 or 6 tables, ice cream freezers serve as a counter, cinder block walls, old arcade game in the corner. I believe they have a drive-through too. The inside was empty (about 1:30 on a thursday) except for the staff. They had lots of ice cream, didn't try that yet though.
People: Saved the best for last. I came in with a magazine and didn't read more than a page. The staff (mother and daughter, they've owned it 30 years) were friendly, funny, and made the cold cinder block feel like a warm home. We joked about how everyone is trying to make burgers gourmet and different now days and sometimes people just want an honest burger at a good price from good people. They encouraged me to come back and said they'd remember my order, wouldn't surprise me if they did, these kind of folks are why some choose to live out here, everyone is treated like family.
If this was portland and the burger was portland priced, it'd be a 4 star, but for the people, value, and honesty I give this place a full 5. Check it out, it's what life out here is about.
This place is a regular stop for campers heading home. I remember this place for having the biggest scoops of ice cream ever. Plus they always had bubble gum ice cream, which is my favorite. Â Finally stopped in there again and not much has changed. Â Giant scoops with a pretty decent range of flavors. Â Pretty bummed they didn't have bubble gum though. Â Â The decor is very retro and the giant sign outside is a pleasant sight to see after a weekend in the woods.
Review Source:Little Viking Drive-In has been around since Adam and Eve. Â Take-out or eat-in.
For a mom-and-pop operation, lots of burger and ice cream options. Â
On this day, there was just one gal covering both the counter and the kitchen. Â She was amazing and despite a quite a number of customers, she maintained a cool and unflustered composure. Â Â And the orders came out surprisingly fast!
The burgers we ordered were quite decent (but were flame-broiled, a minus). Â I did like both the fries and onion rings. Â Also liked the purple onion on the burger. Â Good prices, since you automatically get fries or onion rings with your burger for under $4.
Relic Ms. Pac Man in the corner to play while waiting for your order.