Great music. Huge whiskey selection (at outrageous prices). Decent beer selection. Nice people…read more But for the love of God, learn how to make an Old Fashioned. The. Worst. Ever. I mean, you charged me $30 for a Rare Breed Rye Old Fashioned and somehow made it taste like lukewarm tobasco. How in the world could you ruin a whiskey like that? My lips are still burning, and I drink that stuff neat. I dumped over half of it. Wow, folks.

I've been going to this place for 50 years. I realize it's not the same venue but 150 whiskeys…read moredon't make it good. I miss Christensens Big V.

The interior of this place is incredible, such a cute spot with moody lighting, intimate seating,…read moreand vibey music. It's a great place for drinks and appetizers. The drinks were good, and they also have a solid selection of beer on tap. The food portion are a bit small imo but I will say the Mac and cheese was pretty darn tasty!

I'd seen rave reviews about this place, so we decided to go here to celebrate a personal…read moreaccomplishment last weekend! It's a really cozy moody interior, with *no big lights* aka great low lighting and comfy seating options. When we went, there were just a few other parties there so pretty quiet. I liked that we had a whole corner to ourselves with a sectional couch of sorts and some chairs. They close at 10pm on a Friday night, which felt absurdly early for a cocktail bar. But, we were able to order and drink one drink during the ~45 minutes we had. They closed up shop promptly at 10pm. They had a classics and a "rumors" section of the menu. I didn't think the signature drinks were overly unique, with classics like Paper Plane making that menu side. I had a pomegranate mojito which was good! Consensus was that the cocktails were good not exceptional, especially for the $16-17 price point. We ordered churros for the table which were a table favorite! I wouldn't go out of my way to come here again, but we enjoyed our time and could see this being a good option if you lived in the neighborhood and don't mind the early close hours.

This is a fabulous music venue, as seen dozens of shows here. It's an old dive bar, literally been…read morearound for decades. Easy to find, light rail will take you to the front door or there is parking in the back. Food is always good, big portions, menu is limited to apps and handheld sandwiches, but has a fair amount of options to please everyone. Love the servers, bartenders and door staff as well. They all appear to be happy when at work and are certainly friendly and helpful. Make sure you check out the clown bar in the basement!

It has been 8-years since I visited this venue. The Turf Club is an established staple to MN as…read moreit's part of First Avenue on the Saint Paul side. I was pumped when my upcoming wedding band Clean Plate Club (CPC) got to open here which is my reason for visiting. I'm not much of a concert girly so this was a big step for me. There is a tiny parking lot in the back, otherwise, a few blocks down in the residential streets there is complimentary parking - just ensure you follow the sign rules as it goes by odd and even sides based on the date. To lead with parking confusion is why I'm giving this venue 4 stars. Walking as a single woman for a night show by University is not something I would ever suggest unless you have a buddy with. For this venue, I would recommend the buddy system or Uber. The venue has a normal bouncer, ID check and tickets can be purchased in advance via the AXS app or onsite. Once inside, the venue is breathable and long. The stage sits at the opposite side of entry and there is a long bar on the side wall, a few tables in the back, and then standing room for most concerts. My friend and I ordered a drink from the bar and then weaseled our way to the front to support CPC. The sound, lighting and stage was the best! We had a great time. Looks like there is a basement here (I never visited it) and that food is served. Also can't speak for this but something to look into. Thanks, Turf Club!!

Bad Julia. I was so busy enjoying myself that I failed to take pictures. Anyway, this is an awesome…read moreplace. I came in to enjoy some live music with a couple of amazing local bands, and I am absolutely sold. Highlights include: tons of street parking nearby, superior selection of drinks (more on this later), and awesome people. Everyone, from the folks behind the bar to the other patrons, was ultra welcoming. I'm pretty sure this is the neighborhood Cheers. Seriously--amazing vibes, and it's great for solo people. (I realize that might be ambiguous, so what I mean by "great for solo people" is that you won't feel uncomfortable coming here alone. It's easy to chat with people if you want to; it's easy to just enjoy the music if you want to.) Okay, I know you want to hear about the drinks. They have a great selection of beer on tap. They have tons of cocktails, including a selection of barrel-finished cocktails. Not drinking tonight? They have plenty of THC and even a CBD-only option (winning!), along with some non-altering choices that include switchel(!). There's a huge outdoor patio with fire pits that I will probably check out next time. Anyway, this is a great spot!

The White Squirrel Bar was just okay to me. There was live music going on, which was a nice touch…read moreand probably the highlight of the visit. The inside of the bar is pretty small and felt a bit cramped, especially with how busy it was on a Sunday. They do have a back patio that is fairly large, which I appreciated, but during the day it did not feel very inviting. Without lighting or much going on, it came off a bit plain. As for drinks, I tried a non alcoholic half and half with lemonade and iced tea, which I actually really liked. I also had a mojito style cocktail that was not my favorite and tasted a bit too strong for me. The overall vibe just was not really my thing, but I could see it being more fun at night or with a bigger group.

They have food truck and indoor food (pizza, etc). The service and ambience is fun loving people…read more The staff is energetic and engaging. I recommend that the GLBTQ community give it a try once again.

Ready for the best RuPaul's Drag Race viewing party in town with the beautiful, incomparable B…read more LOUISE!!!!

We were in the area and finished with work sooner than planned. My daughter asked for oysters and I…read morefound this restaurant, plus they have oysters on their happy hour menu! Located in the area by the private colleges, they have a small parking lot on the right. Inside of the restaurant is colorful and dimly lit. I see the restaurant is known for craft cocktails and was excited to try. We sat in the front room since we didn't have reservations, I would recommend for party of 4 people or more.

Such a fun cocktail bar! Deliciously curated and unique drinks, and the food is actually very good…read moreas well, great spot for date night! We tried a couple dishes and drinks, both for the Halloween pop up and on their main menu, and loved everything. The only issue we had is that there was some miscommunication/ aggression regarding last call and closing time - I think those things could be better communicated by servers early on, as many parties were kicked out of the dining room with food and drink still remaining. But besides that, we had a great time and will be back!

This is a neighborhood joint if I've ever seen one. I love this place. So local, so consistent. The…read moreservice is usually pretty good, food is always good, sports is always on and it's just a happy place to be. A little parking lot on the side and in the back, otherwise plentiful street parking.

The bartender had changed us for extra drinks on my bill and a friend with us had extra drinks on…read moreher bill. Calling attention to the bartender she admitted it was her mistake my drink order would had been $14 more plus a mix drink. My friends bill had an extra wine charge. Prior to that we ordered a sandwich. She asked what we wanted for a side. We ordered to find out later it was a $3 charge for the side. She made it seem that we had a choice with our sandwiches until the bill came with the extra charges. I like the bar but watch the dishonest staff It's such a shame for a comfortable setting to be ripped of from the bartender at our table. It wasn't appreciated and I will look for more honest staff to spend my money.

Always hoppin @grovelandtap in St.Paul, for good reason. Great food. They have done some updates…read moreover the last year or so and have a year round patio out back. The menu has done some recent changes but classics are still there, just make sure to peep the daily specials to see what days some things are available if you're hankering for something specific. With some updates I asked the server their favorite item and went with the suggestion and wow... this burger was top notch. Tapped Burger (it was so tasty and a perfect mix of some sweet in with the salty. Bourbon bacon jam, truffle aioli, white cheddar and iceberg lettuce on a brioche bun big yum factor) Pickle Fries and Homemade Ranch (these are the good good ones. Cut the long way, crunchy batter and really good ranch yes please. NOTE: only there on Thursdays) Sweet Potato Fries and their Chipotle Peanut Aioli (I enjoy sweet potato fries but everyone does them differently so I usually let someone else get them and take a mental note. Went for it and so glad I did. These were PERFECT. Tasted like a real sweet potato was cut and lightly fried to make soft but solid fries, the dip is pretty awesome too, you just gotta get them) Also pictured is their cheeseburger with an extra patty - all of their burgers and sauces are delish. Seriously. not pictured but a classic here is their Chicken Tender Melt (available on Wednesdays) If you haven't been, you gotta. If it's been a while, check out the menu updates. If you already love Groveland, we can be friends. For more awesome food spots check out the account mallorymademetryitmn on Instagram!

We stopped by Groveland Tap for lunch after a birthday sauna session at Awaken for Wellness. I'd…read morebeen here years ago, but this was the first visit for my husband and daughter. We went on a Monday around lunchtime. It was busy when we arrived and got even busier closer to 1 p.m., but we were seated immediately in one of their cozy high-walled booths. My kiddo especially appreciated how private the booth felt. We ordered queso and chips and boneless wings in lemon garlic and Creole dry rub as appetizers, then the patio burger, cheeseburger, and chicken bacon ranch wrap, all with fries. Drinks were root beer and fountain sodas. The boneless wings were our favorite. They tasted like they were fried twice, super crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Both the cheeseburger and patio burger were excellent and very flavorful. We were honestly relieved, since we've been to other places lately where the beef felt totally unseasoned, but that was not the case here. Our server was awesome, attentive, accommodating, and genuinely kind. My daughter has a peanut allergy, and our waitress made a point to notify the kitchen to prevent cross-contamination, which we really appreciated. The fries were just okay for us. They're crinkle-cut, which can be hard to get truly crispy without burning. The root beer also tasted a bit flat, which was a small disappointment. That said, overall we kept commenting on how good the food was, and my family is already talking about coming back for burgers and milkshakes next time. We were just too stuffed for dessert on this visit. We'll definitely be back.

I love the space. Done with a feeling of openness and the seating is great. A long bar to serve…read moremany local pub brews. I found the menu limited but with some good choices. The staff needs to get more interactive with the customers and serve food with a greeting or at least a smile. I noticed that with the staff overall. It is fairly new so learning to be professional takes time. They were courteous when going to the bar for service. The open windows and views of the stadium are phenomenal. Very well done.

This bar in the Alliaz Field stadium is nicer than a ton of normal standalone bars! The place was…read morejam-packed for the Aston Villa vs MNUFC game so we didn't eat here but we were able to grab some beers at the bar. A LOT of families with kids here so that's nice you can have a meal and sit down instead of trying to eat a meal in your stadium seats. They have tvs at the bar too showing other games which is pretty neat. We even saw the mascot come in and hug/high-five some kids. Overall, pretty cool place!

We had a wonderful meal here last night. As usual, we enjoyed a warm welcome and excellent service…read more(thanks, Makenna!) with the customary great food. For this meal, we were all especially pleased to see persimmon gracing the menu. This lovely winter fruit added bright color, texture, and flavor to the dishes that it was incorporated into (I highly recommend them). I had it in the second course, a lovely salad that also contained endive, pear, radish, pine nuts and a wonderful layer of creamy taleggio. It was unique and very delicious. For my third course, I ordered the masa dumplings, which I have had before. Spoiler: they were just as good this time. With a pleasing firm but tender texture, these wonderful little dumplings hit just right. The Calabrian chili in the sauce adds a pleasant rosy color and a bit of warmth without being spicy (it's totally safe for your most Minnesotan dining companions). As always, it was beautifully plated. For my next course, I ordered the toasted farro, which is delicious, hearty, and comforting. The chewy grains combine beautifully with the umami from the cheese and porcinis to make a wonderfully substantial flavor and feel. Underneath it all, a bright basil pistou adds a pop of color to remind you that even though it's winter, spring is just around the corner. This is just a perfect dish for a cold, dark winter night. For dessert, I tried something new: the cream cheese tart. I chose wisely: this was a lovely winter dessert that was somewhat reminiscent of cheesecake (but definitely better). It was just the right amount of richness and perfectly balanced by a delicious pear compote and a layer of balsamic vinaigrette. Absolutely perfect. As always, I appreciated the awesome selection of N/A beverages. (The paNOma? Still my favorite!)

Absolutely incredible. Wonderful staff, so kind and welcoming. Beautiful and tasty plates. Fresh,…read morequality and exceptional food. Thank you for the hospitality, we will be back.