Heard nothing but amazing things from friends and social media about this place, so we had to check it out! Street parking available, but it fills up quickly on busy nights! Very large indoor and outdoor dining space, complete with a kids play area and a live music stage! We had a short wait for a table of four during the Saturday dinner rush! Service is QR code with runners to deliver your order, which keeps things moving! The BBQ was phenomenal...as both the Pork Plate and the Beef Ribs were absolutely delicious! The tangy white vinegar sauce served alongside was delectable! I will say the Green Spaghetti was a miss for me...not enough salt and kinda bland. The Coleslaw was by far my favorite side dish...so tasty! Make sure you come for dinner, as the star BBQ is not served during lunch! Don't forget to finish with the Banana Pudding, which was wonderful as well! read more

Animales Barbeque Co. - Barbeque Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Wow. I really thought I was going to love this place. They have consistently received rave reviews from magazine and newspaper food critics. I know that they had a food truck, but had never tried them before. So I went in with a very positive mindset. I was actually shocked by how many things I didn't like. The place is very large, but their parking lot is tiny. Which means parking on the street. I can see that to be a challenge considering we were there early at about 4:45, but it still looked like the parking at the State Fair. We were lucky and snagged a spot right when someone pulled out. Bullet dodged. We were seated right away (bullet #2 dodged, because I've heard of multi-hour waits), and were sat at a large communal table. The person who sat us explained that we could use the QR code to order, or a waitress would be by. After a few minutes, a waitress appeared and we were ready to order. She advised us to use the QR code, or "she would come back in a few minutes." I'm not a fan of QR codes, but used it anyway. I dislike that the screen is not in menu order, so there is a lot of searching. The text gets cut off when you view it on a phone, so there is a lot of clicking and guessing. Strike One. While waiting, you can't help but notice all the signs (including one on the table) hyping that "Animales does not accept tips on our food & beverage" except that they automatically charge 20 percent on every item. And, oh, we really want you to order using QR codes, so that we don' have to do it. (Strike 2). By the way, in order to get refills of pop, I had to go up to the bar and have them do it, so again, serve yourself, but give us 20 percent as a service charge (Strike 2.5). OK, but I bet the food, is GREAT! Not so much. In fact, I might have cut them some slack if the food was good. To me, the stars of any barbeque place should be the beef brisket and the pork ribs. I can't comment on the beef brisket because they don't even make beef brisket (they weren't out of it, they don't carry it). That's a solid Strike 3. OK, well, certainly the ribs are going to be fantastic, right? They LOOK great. Wonderful dark bark. They were on the skimpy for a $18 half rack with no sides, except for some shavings on onion and jalapenos. The good news: they were very tender. The bad news is that they were HIGHLY over salted and there was hardly any meat on the bones. I asked the person next to me (at the communal table) how he liked his ribs and he said, "Eh. Very salty and skimpy." We live in an Instragramable world, looks great, so the taste doesn't matter very much. They offer two sauces (which taste very similar) (and ketchup) and they helped cover the salty taste, but that's not the point of good barbeque. This strike was an automatic game lost move. (Did I mention that I had to ask the bar to refill my $3 pop each time?). If you are a BBQ place and don't have fantastic ribs, you ain't a good BBQ place. Period. Full stop. My wife had the cheese steak sandwich she said was "OK" but I tasted it and it just seemed (again) salty and mushy. (No strikes this time, but no more than a single.) Lastly we ordered "Memphis Fries" which are not explained on the menu and google didn't seem to think "Memphis" Fries ($10.46 with tax) are a thing, so a little menu help would be nice, since you can't ask the non-existent wait staff. They are battered, seasoned fries that come with a white dipping sauce and are cooked in tallow fat. My wife rated the fries as 5 out of 5, so I won't take off any points for the fries (I would have rated them lower, but they were OK to good and I'm trying to be fair). For a happy hour sandwich, the "half rack" of ribs, the fries, a beer, and a glass of pop, our bill came to $64.24, which I think is pretty expensive for mediocre food, and difficult parking and a mandatory service charge for no service. My recommendation: Go to Famous Dave's. Pay less, get more, and have a much better food experience (and you can get brisket too). Sigh..... read more

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New place so I'm just figuring it out! Nice menu, my group had salads, ribs, and a burger. All the food was very tasty, really glad we tried this spot! The seating area is very big, probably more than the parking lot can handle in cars for diners. It's right next door to a brewery so I can imagine can be a real issue. Service was friendly and prompt. The order system uses a QR code, I struggled with it so the server just took our order. Sorry about the bad photos, we were so excited that we ate before the camera could read more

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We were so excited for this to come to our neighborhood! We've been longtime fans of their food truck and our area desperately needed a restaurant. YAYS: - The space is HUGE! We didn't have a problem getting a large table for lunch on a weekend. I'm sure evenings are different. - They have a live band stage with rotating acts and performances (note: if you don't want to hear live music/are going to chat with friends, look ahead and pick a time they aren't playing) - They have a large kids' play area! We'll come with my niece and nephew to take advantage of this. I wish more local spots had this amenity! NAYS: - No BBQ until 4pm. I didn't realize this, and the group I brought in from out of town was pretty bummed. - I was not a fan of my chopped salad, and options were limited since no BBQ. - Prices were a bit steep, especially notable with sides like the beans and fries. UNDECIDED: - The burger didn't quite hit the same as from the food truck, though we'll test again! The two sandwiches our table got were good. - It's a little funny leaving a review for a BBQ joint and not being able to get any, so we'll be back to try it at dinnertime. - Is there a way to bring more BBQ energy to the lunch menu? I think that would be a win, but realize the limitations of fresh BBQ. read more

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Love everything about this place. First of all it's HUGE. A great spot for larger groups. The staff is so amazing. Even though it's QR code ordering, they are quick to be helpful. The food is good! Maybe not as good as it was with the truck, but I'm still not mad. The burger is classic and the sticky ribs were tasty. Can't wait to go back for dinner! read more

Animales Barbeque Co. - Barbeque Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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So glad they have their own location now! I loved when they had their food truck at Bauhaus so I'm happy I can get them all the time. First, seating is community style which wasn't an issue for us. The three of us were seated at a U shaped booth with another group of three. You don't have a classic server but you order at the table and there were staff there to greet us and let us know they'd be helping in our section if we had questions. I got the brisket with Mac n cheese, the chip: and queso, and then we shared the carrot cake. Everything was super good and there were several over things that caught my eye so I'll definitely be back. Be warned that parking can be tricky but they do have a lot that's around the corner a block or so. read more

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Killer egg sandwich. Soft milk bun, piled high with ham. Swiss cheese. Soft egg soufflé. Best egg sandwich I've found in the twin cities. read more

Animales Barbeque Co. - Menu - Barbeque Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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I was underwhelmed by the food and I thought the ordering system was unnecessarily difficult.

Food is amazing! Just be prepared for a lot of kids. it felt like Chuckie Cheese in there. I love kids and happy parents have this place but be mentally prepared. Or, take food to go. read more

It's in-grill-ievable not ordering BBQ, which is what they're known for but we couldn't wait until 4pm for the BBQ options to open. We were still pretty happy with our orders. The live band on Saturday was great, the kids loved them too. Though I wouldn't recommend this place if you're looking to have conversations, it too loud. But loud enough where people are just cool with your kids being kids. read more

Animales Barbeque Co. - Smash Burger - Barbeque Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Had a great first experience at Animales. The place was hopping but it's a large space and they know how to accommodate. Stop at the front desk to have your ids checked/hands stamped and get your name on the list. The bar is first come first served so that can be quicker than waiting for a table. This place has a brewery type vibe with large tables and so many of them. Their patio opens in a couple of weeks which will add even more seating. They had live music n this adorable stage on Friday night which really brought the ambiance. Because this place is known for their bbq we went with the platter to share. It's a lot of meat but it was all delicious. I wasn't crazy about their sauces but also know the bottled sauce we're used to isn't truly authentic. Menu offers great options including drinks. This is a great place to go with a group potentially rent out for a work event!! read more

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It's was a beautiful day. Sat outside. Didn't know we were going to be sharing a table with another couple. The hostess didn't tell us we needed to order via QR code. So we sat there for over 15 minutes not knowing. Finally saw the QR code. Honestly didn't know this place was known for bbq. We were just going to La Dona next door. The beers are served in a plastic cup. Highly disappointed. Hush puppies were super dry. The chips were dipping in oil. Not super impressed for a first timer. read more

Animales Barbeque Co. - Chips and queso - Barbeque Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Great food. I loved the ribs and pulled pork. Mac and cheese was good, but I've had better. Cole slaw wasn't my favorite, but others seemed to enjoy it. It's a cool building, designed for family's. Overall the service was fine, but it's a setup where you order online and they drop it off. read more

I'll first preface this review, by saying ... I went to this place for Bbq, but most everything was sold out, so we ended up getting some "regular fare". My guest had the smoked beef cheesesteak and I had the Wagyu smash burger. My first bite into my burger, it was incredibly and overwhelmingly salty... I winced, but never wanted to state out loud my dismay. I hoped it was just the outer edge and would get better, as I dove deeper, but nope. Just insanely salty throughout. Couldn't even finish it. I finally revealed my dissatisfaction when my guest, made the exact same claim on his cheesesteak. I tried it, and he was right. What a bust. Great space, but the menu is lackluster. I hope the bbq is truly remarkable, because this would be hard to recommend to anyone. One thing I was happy with, was the fuzzy flowers marg. But that was it. Hope this was a fluke, but considering two grown men didn't finish either sandwich, just tells you it's bad. read more

Animales Barbeque Co. - Barbeque Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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If I can give a 4.5, I would. Went on a Friday night where there was live music. Very spacious and the service was good for how busy it was. Food wise, super good. I would go for the green spaghetti over the Mac and cheese just for that zestyness. The fries are like the crackfries from hop cat (if you know what I mean) and the pork shoulder with the sauce is phenomenal. read more

Animales Barbeque Co. - Top - green spaghetti Left - fries Right - half pound pork shoulder Bottom - good old Mac and cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Animale's BBQ has a vibe that's all about family and community there's even a kid's play area! We didn't get to try the full BBQ menu since it's only available 4-9 PM, but the sticky ribs we grabbed were solid. The beans leaned more Tex-Mex than traditional BBQ, but honestly, the bone marrow stole the show rich and perfectly cooked. And the banana pudding? Full-on homemade vibes, none of that artificial stuff. The staff were amazing, super attentive and friendly. Definitely a spot for good eats and good energy! read more

Animales Barbeque Co. - Barbeque Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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@animalesbarbequeco in the Bryn-Mawr neighborhood in Minneapolis. Animales has been a favorite of mine for quite some time! I first had them at Able Brewing and then @bauhausbrewlabs where they had a burger and bbq residency for quite awhile! In October 2025 they opened next to @ladonacerveza in the building where Royal Foundry previously occupied. This was my first visit to the new building and I LOVED it! It's incredibly open and I can't wait to head back for live music and the get their BBQ. It was a great first visit in that I had their beautiful Smash Burger, Mac N' Cheese, and a beer! SMASH BURGER wagyu butter burger, American Cheese, dill pickles, dijonnaise, milk roll + @animalesburgerco Mac & Cheese @56brewing Freaky Franks IPA Can't wait for the next one! Cheers Animales! read more

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We went to try this new restaurant in Minneapolis for lunch. They have a small parking lot, otherwise it's street parking. Big restaurant with a stage, huge bar, and lots of seating. The server told us the booths and picnic tables are community seating. It was giving us foodhall vibes. Also bbq is only available after 4pm, they cook the meat daily and will sell out. We decided to try the other items on their menu. I was able to introduce bone marrow to my friend and also try their banana pudding, which was highly recommended. read more

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Went for the first time on a Friday night, the place was a buzzing - great spot, most tables were filled and the 2-man band was playing on stage. Huge restaurant with lots of seating both at the bar and in the main dining room. Sitting also available outside. The atmosphere in this place is a 10 out of 10. You can have a cold beer or a good cocktail and really enjoy your evening. The food is good to great with some of the dishes being just good, but not memorable. Some of the dishes were on the great side - ribs, steak sandwich, mac and cheese. Not the best Barbeque in the Twin Cities, but an outstanding place to go and hang - stick with the Ribs and drinks. read more

We've been waiting for Animales to open for ever! We arrived on opening night to find a 70 minute wait time and no take out options. We ended up leaving and coming back over the weekend. We walked straight in and got a big booth for 6. The menu changes from the day time to night time- a little bummed not to see a large bbq presence during the day but we tried plenty of other offerings. Green spaghetti, poboy, hotdog, Cesar salad, chicken skewers, queso, and fries. The food was decent, but not totally blown away. However; it came out fast and quick and there are plenty of other things we would like to try. They do show the normal price and the. The prices with the surcharge/no tip needed. I was a little confused at first but makes sense. The main draw for us was the kids play center. Having a place where adults can hangout and the kids can play is a rare find these days. This was really well thought out and a millennial parents dream. We'll be back- check it out if you're nearby and have kiddos. read more

Tried the new location they just opened! We got their pork sampler and chopped pork half pound with one side. The meats were great! Loved the chopped pork! The ribs were very flavorful. We tried the crab hush puppies and those were not a hit. The sauce they came with we liked but no one at the table liked the hush puppies. The sides we got were the dill green beans, they're served cold and almost pickled like, very tasty! The Mac and cheese, my fav!! Then we had the fries, these were almost sweet and just alright. There was no room for dessert but looked great! This building was a great spot and very kid friendly with an entire kid play area. There was an area for a band but we left right before they started. The service was great! We did wait an hour but they just opened and was to be expected. They had a decent area for parking. read more

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Overall would visit again! Want to provide some feedback though! The ribs and shredded pork were some of the best meats I've ever had! I would definitely recommend getting a little of each. They only have one BBQ sauce, which I think is a mistake! I thought it was good but not a hit with the whole table. The mac and cheese was fine! A good bang for your buck sides wise. Speaking of prices, they were honestly better than I expected. Definitely reasonable. I do have beef with the cocktails/drinks haha. Wayyy too much ice for being $15+. I'd recommend beer. I was sad to see they weren't carrying their neighbors beer though! You order via a QR code. There may be a better way to set up the app as our table struggled a bit with this. Definitely would prefer a server but I get it. Staff is friendly if you need em. The space is huge. HUGE! Some cool booths, long tables, bar spots. I felt like the lighting was way too dim. It's loud, conversations were tough. Check the live music schedule if you do or don't want that. The band that was about to come on for us sounded really good in practice. It is superrrrr kid friendly. There's a kid play area. Kids were running around everywhere. Do with that information what you may haha. There was a very short wait (15 mins) when I went on a Thursday night! Food came out fairly quickly too. I visited 3 weeks or so after their opening, so I'm sure there's some growing kinks. Soo tasty though! Glad to have a BBQ option on this side of town. read more

Burger ok but includes 20% tip. Pop is expensive and not refillable. Not for me read more

A millennial parent's dream. So pleased with their brick and mortar establishment! I've loved their BBQ since the days in the trailer outside Able Brewing in NE and was thrilled to see they've included a play area for the littles. Visited for Sunday lunch and was one of several cars pulling up for the doors to be unlocked. It filled fast and even though the dining room is massive all tables were taken by noon. Ordering is easy as you can do enough captcha at your table so super easy with groups and kids arriving and having needs at different times and no splitting check issues. The only disappointment is the full menu isn't offered until 4PM and we were really looking forward to brisket. That said, the lunch menu was really good and we enjoyed the pimento dip, smash burger, shrimp po boy, beef flank salad, and the fries! The kids also did love the Mac and cheese! Full bar available too with a lot of fun sounding cocktails but didn't try them this time around. Enjoyed my Diet Coke though so always happy to see coke products! The play place is fantastic! Lots of wood toys, a mini bus and grill, climbing space, slide, a book nook, and really allows for a little something for all ages. We had kids from 1-10. This may become a staple for us as it makes eating out easy and fun. read more

Ok I wanted to give this place 5 stars so badly because the food was AMAZING!!! But we really hated the ordering system. Having to scan the QR code and order through that was really annoying and a hassle. Our sever was lovely and came by to ask if we needed anything and we couldn't even tell her if there was a request because we had to order through the QR code. Please please get rid of this system it's honestly horrible and might be a reason we don't come back. Also they claim to be so family and kid friendly and there's no kids menu......? We paid $4.50 for our 2 year old to take one sip of lemonade. I just don't get it. This place def needs to shape up in terms of convenience and ease. Interior was super cute though and we loved that they had live music! overall it really was a fine experience but please take my comments into consideration!!!! read more

Animales Barbeque Co. - Barbeque Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Overrated ass fkkkkk . Nasty food ...plan Macoronnni n coleslaw sour ass picke nasty ass fuck . Ribs are just plane n basic ; no real flavor Drinks over priced and they add a charging fee for waiters 15$ like wtf goodbye read more

The statement, "I have never had good BBQ in the state of Minnesota" is still true after going to Animales BBQ Friday night in Minneapolis. Or as my daughter said on the ride home paraphrasing all of us, "'If I come back, I am getting the burger' is not a something you want to hear when the place is supposed to be a BBQ restaurant" We decided to go to the much hyped in recent local media Animales BBQ just west of downtown Minneapolis near the impound lot Friday night. We had had their bbq at the food truck in the past which was ok and we really liked their burger truck at Bauhaus Brew labs. We met our oldest who was already there and had put our name in for five people. We dropped off our daughter and her twin brother off and my wife and I searched for parking because there is none. We ended up parking around the block. Upon entering, our kids told us we needed to get our hand stamped to buy a drink or beer so we stood in a slow moving line of at least a dozen people with others coming and going bumping into us as they passed so we could get stamped. The wait was about an hour so we walked to another line at the far end of the bar and ordered. They have a decent drink menu and my oldest got a drink called "the Sauce" served over a single cube of clear ice. (reason I mention the ice will become clear). It was a decent whiskey drink even my wife who doesn't drink whiskey liked. I ordered a Fallling Knife "Verbal Tip". A pretty good hazy NEIPA I enjoy. It was served in a what I estimate was a 12 ounce glass. NO PINTS HERE. We found a high top to stand at while we waited for a text that our table was ready. The restaurant is a mix of boths and long picnic type tables with padded seats. The space once a bar decorated to look like the London underground is now a fun space with a bar across the back, a space that can be only described as a McDonald's PlayPlace as big as some actual McDonalds in the far corner and there is a stage with live music that you could not hear very well over the crowd of people. We arrived a little after 6 and the place was packed with families with small children. I counted at least a dozen strollers and there were a few screaming children probably being pulled out of the McDonalds PlayPlace because there table was now ready. We got a text that our table was ready and we were seated at picnic table that already had 4 people around it and we were promptly told to order through the QR code on the table. (There is no wait staff, but they will charge you 20% on top of your bill for the privilege of ordering with your phone.) I told the guy that seated us I had questions about the menu and he rather snootily said someone would be by. When no one came, I flagged someone down and I asked about the bbq ribs. She said she would be right back and came back with a big binder and read to me what it said which didn't answer my question. So we set about going through the arduous task of ordering through their website from the QR code (I stopped going to Blue Door because you had to order via QR code). The twins both ordered the smash burger. My oldest order pork shoulder, my wife ordered the pulled pork sandwich. I ordered the factiously named St. Louis style ribs with a side of coleslaw. My wife, my oldest and I ordered more drinks as well. I decided to chance it and order a Negroni since it was on the menu since my son's drink had come with a single clear cube before. This drink came with your basic restaurant ice filled to the top of the glass and the drink itself was an icy watered-down mess devoid of any taste. It tasted like that runny mess you get from a fountain drink after all the Ice melts. The only places I have actually had a decent Negroni served to me is the now closed Ann Kim Back Bar and Dino Bars that were part of Kims and Young Joni and oddly enough Town Hall Tap on Chicago. The food came. My plate was 3 smallish ribs with about half the meat I would expect to see on a normal rib from a bbq place with an sort of reputation and huge bowl of cowl slaw drenched in a vat of some tangy sauce. I know what good southern slaw is and this was not it. I cannot recommend it as a side. The ribs themselves were light on meat and flavorless. I put the provided Animales BBQ sauce on them and that helped to a point, but the sauce itself iwas runny and too tangy to be real bbq sauce in my opinion. I do not believe it was tomato based or vinegar based as you would get in the South. Both of which I enjoy. And the bottle of sauce was the only bottle for the table of 2 parties of 9 people total. My meal was $20 not including the 20% My wife enjoyed her pulled pork sandwich and I had a bite. It was certainly better than my ribs, but the burger was the clear winner out of everything we ordered. I would order that if I found myself there again, but I am not going to actively going to go back. TLDR: 7/10 or a C grade read more

Sampler platter was spot on. Everything was good but the sausage link was my favorite. Must get the banana pudding.

The ambience was nice, and the staff were friendly, but unfortunately my husband experienced stomach issues later the same day after eating the pork ribs. While we can't say for certain what caused it, we wanted to share our experience so others are aware, but this did impact our overall experience. read more

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Food and drinks were great! We went on a Friday night, so parking was tough and it was very busy, but the food came out quickly and the staff were friendly. Would definitely come back, maybe on a slower night. Very kid and big-family friendly. read more

Live music while you eat. Now that's something. Waiting for your table? Pop over to brewery next door. Have kids...hand out in play area. BBQ ran out before we could order it. You order on an app not via wait staff. App glitched while we tried to pay several times. The experience seems better than the food. Most top of the line BBQ places have you wait in line because it can't sit for 4 hours waiting for someone to 'order it.' read more

The pork belly and the banana pudding will make you feel like nothing bad happened in your life

awesome smoked ribs hands down best in twin cities !!! wish they would do smoked beef brisket. read more