Viking Brew, now Viking Brew Haus, has crossed the street and moved into bigger digs.

The corner coffee shop, a favorite for Poulsbo locals and visitors, originally opened on the first day of Vikingfest 2014 as the first coffee company in Poulsbo to roast and serve its own coffee beans.

“At the time there was no place I could go to get a dark roast espresso. Everywhere I would go it had moved to this third wave of light roast espressos, and I just decided that I needed to open my own coffee stand so I could get the espresso I wanted,” said Eric Dietz, owner of Viking Brew Haus.

That want for a dark espresso still leads Dietz’s mission today. “I really just wanted my dark roasted espresso, and it’s barely even into the dark genre. I really wanted that but I also enjoy other blends and styles of roasts, and we just didn’t have the room in there to offer anything else,” Dietz said.

The shop originally opened on a small corner lot on Jensen Way and Front Street but has moved across the street below Mama’s Armenian Kitchen. “We were happy with where we were at, but we always knew if we had the potential to grow it would be a real benefit to the company to offer more than just coffee,” Dietz said.

At its previous location, Viking Brew could only offer a handful of premade and pre-packaged snacks. Now it can offer fresh baked goods, breakfast items and even ice cream. “We couldn’t pass this opportunity up. It’s just the perfect location for a coffee house,” Dietz said.

The full menu will be available later on. For now, customers can enjoy bagels, avocado toast and other small items. Viking Brew Haus also will offer entertainment. Dietz is inviting local artists to play their stuff – both just for fun and for regular gigs. “If they feel like jamming and play their music. We’re also going to set up some formal nights and an event calendar. The plan is to liven it up and bring some sound down to the downtown area,” Dietz said.

Like most businesses, Viking Brew Haus is having to adjust to a post-COVID-19 world and is struggling to hire employees as the extra unemployment benefits are still in effect. “I think it will be a whole different story by the end of July beginning of August, and people will be fighting for jobs by then,” Dietz said.