We thought we would try this place again after having poor service/bad food two years ago. Big mistake. Turns out, nothing changed. Remember school cafeteria food? That's what it tasted like. We couldn't get out of there fast enough to get something else to take the gross taste out of our mouths. I had the rodeo burger and my husband had the rueban. Neither was good. The fries are worse than what you buy frozen at the grocery store and I think the bun expired last week on my burger. We tried drowning the fries in bbq sauce to help, but it didn't since their homemade bbq sauce is gross too. Yuck. read more

I want you to take a moment and think about nachos. Think about what you see in your mind's eye when you think about nachos. Do you see chips, covered with melted cheese? Great. Do you see anything else, maybe tomatoes or onions or jalapeños, also covered by that cheese melted all over those chips? Awesome. So now let's go to Pub 500 and order their BBQ Pulled Pork nachos, hoping for a sweet and meaty counterpoint to the salty and spicy chips, cheese, and toppings. Sadly, things are about to go wrong. When my BBQ Pulled Pork nachos arrived at the table I received some chips with slightly-warmed tomatoes, onions, jalapeños with a mound of pulled pork on top, drizzled with a watered-down BBQ sauce. What I didn't see was any melted cheese. I had to go digging to find the cheese, maybe a tablespoon of cold wisps of cheddar lost somewhere under the meat pile. Think about that a minute. Nachos, with almost no cheese. That's not a world I want to live in. That's the thing with Pub 500. They have a big menu, and I've tried a number of different dishes, but while every dish I've ordered technically hits the marks there's no real style or effort put forth to make the food memorable or even good. It's slop. read more

Good beers in a pretty cool bar. More of an upscale adult bar I would call this. Quite different from a lot of the other bars nearby. The interior is very nice, quite a few tvs and a variety of bar stools, tables and booths, they even have a nice outside patio. I've been here for burgers and beer one time and a live band the other time. Both experiences were good. Good service, fair prices and plenty of beer. read more

Read through most of the reviews here about good ol' Pub 500 and would like to add my one and half cents. If you're looking for a place downtown and you are a full grown adult who knows how to drink without vomiting and acting a fool - this is the only place for you. FYI as a public service announcement: Mankato is a college town, the downtown is loaded with bars, ALL of them are college bars EXCEPT Pub500. Good news is the college crowd pretty much ONLY hangs downtown so any other part of the city will be fine, for the most part :) Most of my time at the Pub have been warm summer afternoons to enjoy a cold beer and an appetizer with friends on the patio - but have spent my share of freezing cold Minnesota winter evenings at a barstool. Service: patchy - honestly at times the bartenders seem annoyed to serve you but other times its great. Table service has always been fine but we usually sit at the bar. Food: nothing special, I like the taco salad. Menu is heavy on the deep fried bar food variety which is not our thing so we just tend to have beer. There are complaints on other reviews about the price but honestly I don't recall ever thinking the prices were out of line. Beer: Hands down the best international beer selection in town. Beer list is arranged according to origin and I so enjoy ordering and sampling beers from around the world. Nice tap selection too. Last time I was there they had one entire tap set dedicated to Schell's, yes! I honestly don't think I've ever had a mixed drink or wine - the beer's too good. Atmosphere: Would call this an upscale sports bar on par with an Applebee's type crowd without the little kids. Hope that makes sense :) Lots of friendly folks at the bar, I think they have strong crowd of regulars. Parking: Never a problem, I think this is the only place downtown where parking is easy as they have thier own lot. Overall recommend but don't expect a fine dining experience. read more

Pretty average. Came in at 6:15 on a weeknight. Waited about 5 minutes to be acknowledged. I selected the white cheddar and onion burger. The bun was hard, the burger was greasy and rather tasteless, the cheese was not at all melty, and to top it off...the pickles were sweet pickles (like who does that-eww). The pub fries were pretty tasty. Perhaps I just made a bad food selection. read more

It's been a while since we moved from the Mankato area, yet I still sometimes sit back and reminisce about Pub 500's pulled turkey sandwich. How they can make a sandwich so freakin' delicious with just turkey and a bun is beyond me. But, as I understand it, the turkey is just slowly cooked by itself to perfection. It is juicy and delicious and the bun sops up the juices and it is just damn good. DAMN GOOD, I say! The restaurant itself is cool, too. There was live music several times when we visited, and the atmosphere is just nice in general. Good place to hang out, have a couple of drinks, and eat some good food. If you haven't tried the pulled turkey sandwich you are totally missing out!!! read more

Pub 500 is one of our family's favorite places! Great menu with lots of vegetarian options and a HUGE beer list. Very nice place to bring the family for a Saturday breakfast or Sunday brunch - often with terrific live music. We also often find ourselves at the Pub for business lunches or evening refreshments with friends. FYI, Pub has one of the only patios in City Center Mankato. read more

This is a great place to meet up with people and pass the time away sipping a cold brew, play a little pool and have something to eat. Or just relax after a hard day at work. It's heavy on with heavy wooden accents and sofas in front. While the food is good, a wide variety of beer selections makes this a bit of adventure if you let it. They usually have specials from August Schell Brewery in New Ulm. They have live music almost every night and breakfast on Saturdays & Sundays. read more

This is one of my favorite places to grab some dinner and hangout when I'm in Mankato. The atmosphere is very cool, the service has always been good and the food is awesome. I especially love their wings and pulled pork! Plus, during the warmer months it's a great place to sit outside by the fire pit! This isn't fine dining and isn't trying to be. It's a pub with a cool environment, an excellent selection of brews and great food. read more

Great evening with family. Service was good in spite of being slightly short-staffed. Menu was diverse and tasty. walking distance to Hilton hotel. read more

Good burger joint. The service was good, the food tasty and fresh, and the atmosphere nice and bar-lite. Can't say much more. Solid.

Easily the classiest bar in downtown Mankato, but that's faint praise. Regardless of its surroundings, Pub 500 is a pleasant-enough place, but it's also deeply flawed. First, it's grossly overpriced. This is obviously an intentional device to keep the crawling, sprawling douche-crews from infesting the place, and that's a credit to their business model. Clientele is thusly older, calmer, and, well, socially adept. Problem: The food just isn't very good. (Aside from the chicken tender platter, which is probably the best one in town. For 13 bucks, it should be.) Burgers are meh and the pulled pork / turkey sandwiches are only saved by condiments. There's a wide selection of world beers, but most are bottled. And terrible. There's a half-decent tap selection, but if that's what you're looking for, jump across the bridge and find salvation at NaKato. They have half the beer selection and 3x the quality. Great atmosphere and friendly bartenders make this a welcome oasis from the downtown madness, but the kitchen isn't holding up its end of the bargain. (Also, if there's a live band playing, look out. It's usually Wonder Bread college music of the tamest variety. Avoid.) read more

I went here to try the Impossible Burger and it was incredible! The only critique on the burger was the pickled onions, they weren't wanted but otherwise the entire burger was delicious!! My father even loved it and said he would eat it again. It is worth a try and we were not disappointed!! Recommend trying this amazing substitute for anyone who is curious about the Impossible Burger! read more

Pub 500 - Tastes just like meat! Loved it! - Pubs Near Me - Mankato, Minnesota

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Great place for lunch or brunch. Good live music options Great pulled pork or turkey options Beer options for those who enjoy beer. They have cheap beer too ( bud, miller) read more

They had the delicious veggie burger called the "impossible burger". Honestly one of the best veggie burgers I've had in the Midwest. Our server was so nice and accommodating with all of our travel questions, questions about the city, etc.:) Would recommended this restaurant to friends. read more

I've come down to the bar a few times when they have special beer release events. The last time I was down, a couple months ago, I was hungry and the Rodeo Burger was listed as the special, so I gave it a try... To my disappointment. The burger was probably on the level with a McDonald's patty, I couldn't even taste the barbeque sauce flavor. It was a bum deal for about $8 or so... However the staff has always been friendly so I will still drive down for events, if not just to have a beer. I'll obviously order something else next time...as I feel every place deserves a second chance. I mean they're the only place you can get a few select Schell's beers and they continue to be selected to host beer events so I'm sure the cook was just having an off night... The bartenders have always been friendly, which counts for a lot of the experience in my book. read more

Pub's a good place for the older members of the community to grab a beer and burger across from the zoo that is downtown Mankato. However, although the beer is good and the food is pretty decent, the service has always been lackluster when I've gone. Refills are slow and it can feel like you're forgotten by your waitress at times. Atmosphere is alright though and if you don't mind being patient, go ahead. It seems the main complaint here is the service, and that's very true in my opinion. Otherwise great place. read more

Amazing food and great atmosphere, especially for working professionals. You have to try the deep fried Mac and cheese bites and a lot of on tap beers! This is a must go to place. read more

Went there after graduation and had a reservation however the server didn't put food in as one ticket and my entire table got food at different times some of us sat for 30 minutes without food! We had people leave and couldn't eat because it took so long! Super sad for what we had thought would be a fun meal out together turned into a patchy mess. read more

Monday evening. On reservations needed. Ordered some chili soup which was excellent and some fish and chips which was good, but the portion was small. Finally we had a desert. Bread pudding, again good taste but even smaller portion. read more

Great beers great people but they play the shittiest music at night and the best music in the morning. Get with it and play good music, whoever is in charge of the night music has shit taste read more

Food and service was good. The issue was desert. I ordered the whipped raspberry cheesecake cake. It came in a glass slightly larger than a shot glass. Some Graham cracker crumbs topped with whipped cream and a ground up raspberry. No hint of cheesecake. $4. I mentioned it to the manager and he said he would bring it up at the next meeting. This pretty much ruined my experience and I will not be going back. read more

Got the cheese and onion burger. The top bun was hot, the cheese curds were cold and the bottom bun was cold. It was a weird burger experience, which I don't think is a good thing. The fries were good though. Overall, no love in the food. Go elsewhere. Not sure why it rated so high. read more

Had way higher hopes for this place. Food was sub par, bartender has no idea how to make an Old Fashioned and service was inattentive and distracted. read more

Do not order a $13 salad as it's the size of a side salad at any other restaurant. I'm not looking for a massive salad but this was ridiculously small. read more

So so food, spotty service. I went twice. First time:. I went in around 7 and ordered a drink. I asked for an alcohol they didn't have Pendelton whisky. When I asked what whiskys were available, the bad attitude started. I went with the only whisky I could see, crown, with a coke back. The coke had no carbonation, I mentioned it (assuming that it just ran out and they didn't notice) and got a second flat soda. I had the Ruben, it came burnt to a crisp, I mean several minutes of burning, just awful. Commented to my server when she appeared, and someone came and said that never happens and they covered my bill (the only reason I tried a second time). Second night: Also around 7. Completely different people, had the taco salad, tasted like everything came from a bag. Wasn't bad but couldn't be called good. Came back later (around 9) for a drink and people were nice and attentive. Just as a warning to myself in the future: Any place that cheaps out on napkins(you get one, none in sight otherwise), carbonation, or any other items that are dirt cheap is almost always going to be sub par. read more

My boyfriend and I were in town to see the Kiwanis lights and Pub 500 was recommended for dinner. We arrived before 4 as we hadn't had lunch and ordered the chicken pineapple bowl and the fish and chips. The bowl was very tasty, I did comment that it could use a touch more sauce as the rice needed it, and our server, John, brought a side for me to add the my meal. The fry on the fish was great, not too much breading and perfectly crunchy. Very happy with this recommendation. read more

Trivia on Thursdays is great. I enjoy going with friends and hanging out. The food however, is not so great. I am almost positive that most of the things I have ordered off the menu were once frozen. Overall, the experience is okay but I have definitely had better food. The burgers are really only okay, the fries were once frozen, and the breakfast food is not good and over priced. I do have this positive thing to say: Service is wonderful! Start going regularly and the servers will start to learn who you are. They are pretty good at remembering what you do and don't like and working with you the best they can. I go for trivia. Not the food. read more

I live in Kansas City but make regular visits to the southern Minnesota area and find Mankato offers a nice variety of places to shop and eat at. Located downtown, this is a nice little find. Not mindblowingly great, but over all enjoyable. I liked the atmosphere of the place. However, my first impression was a tad off putting. A male server came up to our table and asked my mom if she wanted anything to drink to start. She said no. He abruptly walks off before I even had a chance to look up from the menu and the drink options to answer. Hint to whoever asks for drinks at the beginning of the meal: DO NOT assume that one person is speaking for the whole table. I couldn't tell if he was just having a bad day or if he's just a poor employee. As a vegetarian, I found the options here limited, but I am glad they offered something. I ordered the veggie sandwich with fries. The veggie sandwich was nearly one of the most bland sandwiches I've had in my life. There was just no flavor. The fries, on the other hand, rivaled the best I've had in just about any place I've been in. SPOT on with the fries! The sandwich had whole steamed veggies on it. Not exactly what I expected. I've had a lot of veggie sandwiches before that slice the veggies so they layer on the sandwich better. Whole veggies fell out of the bread while I tried to eat it. Not a bad thing but it wasn't the best veggie sandwich I've had and I see room for improvement. When I mentioned the bland taste of the sandwich to the waitress she was genuinely shocked. So I am hoping I just had an off batch and normally it's good and most people don't complain about it. She cheerfully brought me some sun dried tomato sauce and I dipped the sandwich in it and the flavor was good, but a bit on the salty side. An improvement but not a home run. Overall...I would give this place another chance. My mom got the fish and she only had a complaint about the coleslaw but seemed to enjoy the rest of her food and also raved about the fries. When in Mankato again I would love a chance to try their black bean burger. It would be nice if they added a few more vegetarian options on the menu and rethought their veggie sandwich. I've had veggie sandwiches before that sliced the veggies so they layered on the sandwich better. And maybe some options for sauces/veggies...honey mustard, bbq, pizza sauce, chipotle ranch...I could think of a handful that would make the food pop. Over all, recommended. read more

Our daughter had her wedding rehearsal dinner at Pub 500. Clean. Plenty of space to accommodate approximately 40 people. Good service & food. Would recommend. read more

Overall great experience!!! Callie took care of me and my Marines!!!. Her professionalism and friendly service was exactly what we needed after a long day. Food was great. Beer was cold. And everything was excellent!!! Great Job Callie and the Pub500 crew!! read more

This place is basically an overpriced Applebees, food is just mediocre. Ignoring the food, the service is excellent. Place seems like it would be fun at night though, large patio area and very spacious inside. read more

Pub 500 has a great selection of beers and they rotate quite a few of their taps on a regular basis. A very good place to meet people and it doesn't have a college bar atmosphere, but has more of an upscale feel to it. The owners are very receptive to patron comments and I've always had great service at the bar and at tables. John makes a mean Bloody Mary and is always good with his beer suggestions. Their home-made potato chips with Chipotle sauce is amazing. Love this place. read more

I love this place so much. Adam is the best bartender I've ever come across, Bailee is the best server, and the general manager, Peter, is amazing too. I recommend coming here so much they make me feel like home great food too Jason does an awesome job. read more

Came here for brunch. Great location with plenty of private parking. Clean and new interior. Definitely a sports bar type of place. The drinks and breakfast were unique and tasty. I will definitely come back next time in town. read more

I stopped in with a large group. There was a pretty decent beer selection. A lot of people in my group got the pulled turkey sandwich and all stated that it was really good and moist. There was barbecue sauce on the table, so you could adjust how much sauce you had. I got the Portabella mushroom with quinoa and rice. This was drenched in teriyaki sauce. Overall, I couldn't taste any flavor beyond the sauce. It probably would've been a pretty good dish, but was ruined by the amount of sauce. Just a good restaurant overall, not great, not terrible. read more

Great place! Menu has a wide variety of items. We had sweet potato fries, avocado stuffed, wings, and burger with homemade chips. Everything was fantastic! read more

Great restaurant the food is so good and really cheep the workers are really nice and are good at what they do

Great food, great manager and service. We have come here several times for group events and they are always accommodating. The latest was a group of 20, and they took great care of us. The manager came over personally to make sure everything was ok. The food is fantastic as well - great burgers and the fish & chips is fantastic! The buffalo chicken wings were so good they disappeared in about 5 minutes. Will definitely be back! read more

Checked out Pub 500 while in town visiting relatives and really enjoyed it! The menu had tons of appetizing choices and it was a hard decision - everything from hearty comfort food to healthy bowls and salads. Our server Mary Beth was very friendly and attentive with good suggestions. Would definitely return! read more