Had such a lovely time here!! Drinks are CHEAP, service was great, and they've got three pool tables. Will absolutely return. As far as bars go, the noise wasn't too crazy too and we went on a pretty busy night. read more

19 Bar - Gay Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

This place before the fire was great. The guy working the door tonight felt it was upon him to lecture(scold) me on Knowing better than to bring a water bottle ( GIANT STANLEY) into a place of business. I am industry I had just gotten off work. It's not like I was trying to sneak something in. I offered to dump it out either outside or drink it or dump it with a bartender. Well I guess not acceptable without a lecture. Yet through out the night I saw more bottles come in but yet he hugged those people and even kissed those guests. Guess you have to be his friends to feel welcomed. Will not come back. Lost my business over this caddy, petty " it girl" business. The bartender was amazing. F that door guy though! Not doing his job equally and fairly. Will let my friends know that this place only accepts you if you happen to know someone that works there. Seeing the " security door guy" drink and take shots really set into place that their rules are selective and also selective with the people they use them on. Hard forever pass! read more

As the Duke of the 19, this is my local stomping grounds. With Big Buck Hunter, pinball, pool, pull tabs, jukebox and darts- the 19 has all the classic dive bar games and entertainment without the toxic masculinity and objectification of women. The bartenders have been consistently friendly and welcoming, even when the place is busy! 5 starts from me and 5 stars from my straight roommate. Likely will see me there this weekend. FYI Cash Only, but ATM inside. read more

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bartenders are so nice. drinks are affordable. best pizza. crowd is always lovely. i love u 19 bar

When for my birthday and was immediately in discomfort in the way that people act there maybe because I'm straight and I was there with my wife and it happens to be a gay bar was looking to shoot pool with my wife and my friend and his wife the lady at the door came out to my wife complaining to her about me and my friend joking in there but she had no place doing so I would never be going back there did talk to the manager. That was there. He understood a little bit but still I felt uncomfortable and it's not the fact that it was a gay bar. I was literally just trying to have a great time with family and friends. I told him I would be reporting this to the Better Business Bureau but I yet to find them on that site so they'll never see me again. Complete waste of time. read more

Pleasant place, was there on a weekday evening. Close knit regulars but also friendly. Just a nice place to relax, there is a patio out back

Casual dimly lit bar. This is a gay bar where you can talk to someone without yelling. And actually chat with people who are open to new faces. Friendly atmosphere! read more

19 Bar - a neon sign in a bar - Gay Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

The drinks are dirt cheap Stumbling distance from my place See ya again soon I'm as straight as the day is long, but I definitely like having the 19 Bar in my new neighborhood. One of the most darkly lit bars that I have ever been to in my life. Prepare for sun shock when you walk out at like 1:30 in the afternoon on Saturday. Staff is super friendly, the beer selection isn't great, but it's like a buck fifty to two bucks for a beer. Coors, Miller and Budweiser are pretty much all that you will ever find here. I would have to say that it is the epitome of a gay dive bar. Will be back again when I'm looking to drink on the cheap. If it's still around anyways. Most nearly everything around it is being torn down and replaced with something fancier. read more

One of the best local bars in all of Minneapolis. Love going here after work to wind down, talk with other patrons, or just talk with the bartenders. If you want music, there is a jukebox in the corner, or listen to local station the system. I enjoy that they keep the lights down as usually when you leave, it's pretty dark outside and you're not trying to adjust your eyes when you go back outside. Do know that it is a cash bar only; there is an ATM to get cash, so don't be alarmed if the staff mentions this to you as you try to pay via card. (Great reason to buy a drink because the prices are better than most other bars) If you're there early, and it's nice out, enjoying a beverage out on the patio is nice, (even if you don't smoke....as mostly smokers are outside) but do be mindful of the local neighborhood and don't be rowdy. One can play darts, pool, pinball, video games, or buy some pull tabs while enjoying a purchased drink. Usually they host pool tournaments, but haven't seen one advertised since they've reopened after the pandemic. Over the years the staff has had to deal with a lot of craziness (bar fights, shootings, drunks) and have always been extremely professional in dealing with some of the weirdos who decide to not purchase a drink from their establishment. Having been to many bars all over Europe, South America, Asia, I still love to come in and have a drink at this local neighborhood bar where everyone knows your name. Lol (even after the last years pandemic closure) Thank you to all the staff for being great. Watching them work when it's busy is amazing how they communicate with each other and keep everyone moving. read more

Cheap (and strong drinks), good people, great service, and a year round patio. What's not to love?

So I knocked over my drink and they cut me off as drink? Lame. over reacted bar tenders. Stupid.

Pleasant atmosphere, lots of silly little menu items; and very tasty bar food, definitely made for a pleasant night out tehee! Might have to come here with the girls sometime read more

felt like good ol bolero. cash machine and gourmet pizza by the slice. there are no girls on the football field every sunday. read more

19 Bar - bdsm that smells. essential oil baby. - Gay Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I used to live a mile away and never knew this bar existed. I moved all the way across town and had to join a meetup group that met there to know about this little gem. It's your standard dark bar with strong-ish/cheap drinks, pool tables, an enclosed outside patio, and great customers. I am such a big fan! read more

This is a great hole in the wall for anyone that wants to hang out with a pal or two without all the drama and antics of other gay bars like the saloon and the gay 90s. Dont get me wrong, those bars can be fun. They are more in your face, louder, busier, drag queens, dancing. Soon to be 34, I realized there is an age threshold in my mind, being my reasoning not liking the saloon that much anymore. At 34, I'd rather just play it chill and chat with friends while playing pool, darts, or buck hunter. This is a great place for that. Easy to meet new people. Everyone is friendly with writing their name on the board to wait their turn for the next game of pool. Its in a cozy spot at the edge of downtown next to the Nicollet diner. There is a parking lot across the street that is free after 10pm! The bartenders are friendly and like to joke with you. Cash only bar, but beer is very cheap. $3 pints, $10 pitchers. If you are looking for a gay bar that is lighter, friendlier, a tad older, and with some career focused individuals, you cant miss The 19 Bar. read more

19 Bar - Gay Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

It's amusing to read reviews and hear from acquaintances about the "creepiness" of the 19 Bar. It's as if the idea that a man might flirt with you at a gay dive bar is somehow as difficult to process as theories of dark matter and the multiverse. Yes, if you spend an evening in a gay dive, there's a chance a gay guy will - GASP - make eye contact with you. That's how all bars, hetero and homo, work. Get over yourself. Besides, my mother tells me I'm handsome all the time, and only one man has ever hit on me at this joint - and he might've only been trying to cut in front of me at the jukebox. This is a bar with character and history. These can often be ineffable qualities, but you know it when you feel them. Good bars have auras. The moments you experience feel inevitable, built from the momentum of incalculable events over the years that give the inner workings of the place its own, magical logic. I felt that here. I'm sure plenty of people have ducked into the19 bar for what they thought would be a novel experience, if not an outright freak show story they could relay to friends in the future. "Guess what I did this weekend... I WENT TO A GAY BAR." Well, be drawn by the spectacle if you must, but be won over by the soul. First tip: go during a weeknight, or if you visit on a weekend hit the bar early. The line for drinks tends to stretch after 11 pm. The bartenders handle the bustle with grace and aplomb, but the wait can be significant due to the volume of customers at peak hours. The drinks are very well priced, and the bartenders pour like they're throwing a heavy switch. I had myself a whiskey and split a pitcher of beer. I went with another straight dude and a woman, and none of us felt anything but welcome. Well, that and drunk by the second round. I went on a Saturday night (yep, against my own advice), and I had a full experience: played a game of darts; spent half an hour refamiliarizing myself with the old school Pac Man game; struggled through a couple games of pool (try not to clog up the tables, people are waiting); sorted through the gay ass jukebox. When I say gay ass jukebox, I mean: AWESOME. Look, at the risk of being accused of generalizing and stereotyping, gay people know how to have fun better than straight people on the whole - unrestrained, unfiltered fun. I think there's something about a lifetime of persecution and living on the margins that frees a person up where you might think it would shut him down. The jukebox reflects that: a lot of upbeat music, dance music, 80s and 90s guilty pleasures. Fantastic. I love evenings that begin or end at the 19 Bar, and evenings that begin or end in that area in general. The area has a very strange feel to it, a postapocalyptic vibe - it often feels to me like there's a limitless potential for adventure or mishap. In the afternoons and early evenings the sky is full of jumbo jets and the noxious smells of a city too busy to clean up after itself. Traffic is an endless cycle of Somali women in headwraps driving minivans. The highway runs through the heart of it all, and there's steel, hardness, the constant hum of noise pollution. The location looks surprisingly vibrant in the day, peculiarly bleak at night, overwhelming darkness interrupted here and there by pockets of unforgiving florescent light from doorways and street lamps that look one strong storm away from falling over. There was such a storm the other night, and the bars were packed because so many people had lost electricity. The 19 Bar was open because... well, because of course it was. I went home from the bar with a woman who I initially assumed was a lesbian. We did what silly, drunken, confused people in their early 30s do, and the sad truth is she passed out in the middle of it. I can't remember her name, and I doubt she remembers mine. Her face tapered inward from below her eyes to beneath her cheeks, giving her the look of a light bulb with a tuft of hair glued on top. She was thin to the point of fragility. I don't usually go for brittle looking women; in general I like to feel that I am pressing into something when I have sex, like a key into a mold leaving a memory of itself for later replication. Anyway, in the middle of the night I sat still in her bed while she slept and let myself be seized by the sounds in the Steven's Square neighborhood, carried away from my own thoughts at times, deeper into them at others. Whenever I crash in this hood I'm struck by the unique noise of nights here: a sort of lost and depressing spiritual, the sound of decay. An occasional animal-wail of lamentation or a deranged laugh cuts through the night. The world starts to feel like a decision I got wrong. I went way off course with those last two paragraphs. Let me end this review now. See what the affordable pours of whiskey at the 19 Bar will do to you? read more

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The only dive bar and in my opinion the best damn watering hole on Eat Street. I am not sure of which between the 19 and The Townhouse is the oldest gay bar in the state, but nevertheless, this is a kick ass dive bar that caters to everyone. Dart boards, pool tables, awesome smoking patio, strong drinks and YES, $8 pitchers. Lively entertainment, mostly the hipsters, and of course the occasional middle aged libertine who is as horny as a toad. [Shout out to the 37 senators (& Gov. Dayton) who passed the legalization of same sex marriage...to the 30 opposed, y'all must be sweatin' now like a pedophile in a nursery] read more

$8 pitchers? Pool?! Outdoor smoking patio with chairs and a 'roof' for inclement weather?! Overall the 19 Bar won't be for everyone, it's not supposed to be. The overly nit-picky, faux socialite gays that seem to frequent other bars tend to not come here, so you get that Cheers style feeling after spending a few nights here. I feel perfectly at home walking around the small bar area, playing the cheesey video games, and occasionally a round of pool. This place is my kind of bar! Leave your pretension at the door hunny's, pull up a stool, and just have a good time! Just because you're going out, doesn't mean you have to go ALL out. read more

Oh the 19. What a dive. What a pit. What a dream come true. The lighting is kind to everyone here. You will not be sure who you are drunkenly slurring at next to you, but that person will be friendly and more than happy to get you the next round. The booze is cheap and plentiful, The pool is fun til you can't really figure out what you're doing anymore. And it is really relaxing if you come here for the last leg of your epic evening. The only downer is that it can be sorta sketch in that area around bar close, but keep your head down and head for the hills. read more

Gotta love the 19. Literally my favorite bar. Drinks are strong, people are dope and they have a smoking patio. What else could you possibly ask for? read more

When gearing up for my trip to Minneapolis, I kept on hearing how nice the people are there. "They're so friendly, so welcoming." Honestly, the only time this was the case was with the homeless or crazies on the street. Midwestern charm seems to be very fake here. When venturing out with my co-worker after a long day of meetings, we were looking forward to finding a cool (and divey) gay bar full of friendly midwesterners. He kept saying how he needed to get his flirt on....I was just coming along for the booze. People here? Not so nice... Honestly, the bartenders were curt and unfriendly. At least throw a smile in our direction. Crowd was alright, again no friendly midwestern charm to find here. Yet, the place was not threatening or intimidating. I guess it would be a cool place to hang out in if you had a larger group of friends...not so good when your silly co-worker wants a cute boy to talk to. Bar itself? Divey, with a touch of 80s and 90s memorabilia charm. Drinks were cheap, yay drinks! There is a patio if you actually still smoke...its an ashtray out there if feel the need to wander out there. And you can play pulltabs here. Apparently, this is the oldest gay bar in Minneapolis... guess that's cool. read more

This is the gay VFW in the Twin Cities! Domestic pints are always $2 and a pitcher is $8. They have darts, pool tables and a hip juke box. Staff is incredibly friendly and they know everyone. The 19 is perfect for small groups or your lonesome. Not to worry if you show up alone, you'll find a friendly face...or should I say, a friendly face will find you ;) read more

Great dive bar just south of downtown Minneapolis. Cheap beer, three pool tables, mixed crowd, generous (and semi-sassy) bartenders, good times. read more

I've been here twice now. The first time during gay pride last summer (when it was too packed to give a review, as I couldn't hear anyone and didn't bother to buy a drink there). However, I went again recently, as one of my friends didn't have his passport (i.e. ID) on him, and my other friend said they didn't really check ID. So, of course, they checked our IDs (after we'd been inside for about 15 minutes). That's totally fine, and I was happy to leave, but the bartender said something to the effect of "and it's not like you've bought anything." As far as I know, other bars don't kick people out for not buying a drink, but whatever. It's also rather dirty there. If you don't like to play pool or go there frequently enough to know the other people, you'll probably be bored. On the plus side, they had Robot Chicken going on the tv. read more

After reading some negative reviews about possible dirtiness or dinginess of this place, it was much better than I expected. Bigger than it looks from the outside, and has 2 (3?) well-kept pool tables. Also a Big Buck Hunter game, extremely cheap beers ($2), and the usual music you would expect to hear at a gay bar (Madonna). Bathrooms were perfectly clean on my one visit, contrary to what some other reviewers have said. I have only been once, and it was Halloween, so that was a lot of fun due to it being very crowded and having a costume contest. I get the impression that this is a home base for older gay men more than younger, seeing as how the best costume of the night was Inspector Gadget, and almost no one knew what that was! (Maybe young people don't know this either anymore but these were not young people inquiring). It smells old and there are no windows, but that's what you want in a dive bar right? read more

Bring cash. When I was here back in August, they still didn't take cards. Maybe this has changed? I enjoyed sitting out on the back patio. I don't remember seeing a menu, but the pizza that ended up in front of us was really good, and really hot. It was really dark inside...I like the patio. read more

Boyfriend and I walk by this place all the time to go to another pub and finally bit the bullet and went in on a Thursday night. I don't know why, but I expected a record player to come to a screeching halt and eyes immediately drawn to us (I'm black, he's Jewish, we're holding hands). Needless to say, nobody gave a crap! :) It was fantastic and totally awesome. We got a couple stroooong drinks and played on the little game machine thingie and pinball. They also have darts and pool tables. I'm ashamed to think we wouldn't be welcome but the opposite couldn't have been more true. My bad-we'll definitely be back! read more

I like the 19... it's casual and the drinks are great. Pool tables are available. Its a great place to hang out with friends and make new ones. One thing that amused me was that in the middle of afternoon during pride, a group of us decided to go there after hitting the festival. At 2pm, we walked in and could barely see. They keep it pitch dark, even during the day.... perhaps shaking up the daytime atmosphere versus night crowds would help with the "creepiness" factor that some other folks describe... make it a little more inviting. read more

standard gay dive. well priced pitchers, friendly clientele, a slightly tougher time getting a drink if you're a woman. I'm giving it 5 stars under the pretense that it's a dive, not because it's where I want my wedding reception held. I like it here because it's casual, gay, and even though it's male dominated, nobody's ever been a prick to me for being a gay girl in a gay man's world. read more

19 Bar - it's dark in there. - Gay Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Dark, but friendly. I've never found it "creepy" inside, (in fact if things get sketchy outside, it's nice to know it's there!) just dark and divey and very uninterested in expanding the clientele to straight voyeurs versus the odd straight visitor. I don't mind you guys really, as long as you shut up and do as in Rome to some extent, we're totally fine. Cheap, reliable, very much what-it-is. Music hasn't really changed since 1987. It's a guy's crowd primarily, but sister-friendly enough. You will NOT be hit on or treated as exotic fauna, Yay! read more

I came here with a few other Yelpers after the Yelp du Nord event. The drinks are cheap and strong and I appreciated that the crowd was attentive to the music selection. Also, pool seemed to be a big thing there so try not to get in the way while socializing or watching. read more

Wish I could give it 10 stars. The 19 Bar is the alcoholic equivalent to your favorite greasy spoon. It's a dive alright...but that's what makes it so great. No attitude from ANYONE. Service is great, patrons are cool, great conversation is easy with people you have never met. Sure...they could deal with some new bar stools and a few more tables...but I would recommend 19 Bar to anyone. read more

Outside of the bar looks a bit creepy since there aren't any windows that let you see inside, maybe that is for some historical purpose since it has been around for a long while. Inside is a cozy and dark drinking space. I often forget that 19 Bar is a gay bar. Crowd is diverse, cheap pitchers of beer, a handful of pool tables and a jukebox. Good place to go with friends to shoot some pool and relax. read more

Drinks are strong and cheap. Great place to go if you want a very accepting atmosphere. Most guests love chatting you up. Never gone there and not made a new friend. Don't expect a traditional gay bar. If you want a club like atmosphere hit up Lush or The Saloon. It's divey which is, for me, the best part. Very chill neighborhood type of place. Crazy busy over PRIDE since it's a block from the park. I smoke when I drink and their heated patio is a god send in cold weather. Bartenders are very prompt and always running around clearing glasses/emptying ashtrays. read more

Waaahhhh shut the front door!!!! A jack and coke for under $5, I felt like I was robbing them! The drink prices here are awesome, but cash only so come prepared ( although there is an ATM on site) Super cool and chill crowd, the type you can just find a seat at the bar by yourself and have some great conversations with new folks! Parking is super limited as they have a tiny parking lot but street parking is abound. judging by how inexpensive the drink prices are I will be definitely ubering my behind next time! read more

Always have a good time here! The drinks are strong and cheap which is what brings me in. The atmosphere is great if you like a friendly, accepting dive bar. I love the patio and the heated winter patio. Always lots of characters here, lots of friends to be made. read more

Cheap and strong drinks! I didn't find the bartenders to be the most attentive which is why they don't get 5 stars. No frills, cash only, pool tables, pinball machine, video games, darts, jukebox. The regulars seemed to get really good service so if you plan on being a regular, def worth checking out! read more

As another reviewer said, this isn't a five star review because it's the classiest place i can think of...It's just very comfortable with a variety of characters, plenty of games, good music, and active environment. Friday and Saturday nights are very busy, but go in before 4p on any day and you've pretty much got the place to yourself (which is great if you want to snag some games of pool). read more

Good atmosphere, a diverse crowd, and a great patio. I want one in Des Moines yesterday.

Alright, it's better than 2 stars. Billiards is $.075 after all, a pitcher of Schell's Dark is a mere $9, the "hip" jukebox has like 5 songs that qualify as hip, otherwise it's gay club beats, remixes, and top 40 with a nod to gay icons like Madonna, but $1 gets you 4 plays. It would be nice if the jukebox embraced more diversity instead of mainly offering the same narrow selection of music as any other gay bar. There are some glaring omissions from The Ramones to Cocteau Twins to My Bloody Valentine to name a few off the top of my head. Just sayin' not all of us fart glitter and want to wave glow sticks around. read more