I definitely see why this place is popular. It's got a nice relaxed vibe and a super cool patio with wonderful overhead heaters that help keep you warm even if it's a cool night. I really enjoyed the atmosphere at Sweeney's, but the rest of our experience was kind of so-so. First of all, parking is a mess. Near the intersection of Selby and Dale, street parking can be tough. There is a lot, but it's small and there's only one entrance/exit, so it's easy to get stuck in there if there are no spots available. Second, though the atmosphere on the patio is lovely, that's about all. The beer selection is decent - a nice selection for beer lovers. But it really turned me off that the beers are served in plastic cups. I know we were on the patio, but really? A plastic cup? That is so NOT the same as an ice cold frosty pint glass. I also felt that the beers were small -- not the normal amount of ounces either. So I've got a small, warm beer in a plastic cup that I'm being charged the normal $5 or $6 for that most bars would charge. Third, the food is just OK. We sampled a number of the appetiezers, including the chicken fingers, both kinds of egg rolls, the spinach and artichoke dip. They were all mediocre and overpriced. I doubt we will be back unless some of our friends want to go there. And even then we might try to persuade them to go elsewhere. read more

Sweeney's Saloon - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

This is one of my favorite neighborhood pubs. The patio is gorgeous and a great place to hang in the summer. There is a solid beer list. The food is typical pub fare but very well done. Because I like this place so much, I reserved one of the event rooms for a baptism luncheon this past summer, and was very happy with the catered food and service. The event staff was pleasant to work with and the price was very affordable. I would definitely host another family event here in the future. read more

This place is such a hidden gem! The food here is way better than expected every single time, yet not overly priced like other joints in the area. Drinks are delicious and well poured, yet also much more reasonably priced. Beer choices are endless, atmosphere is super cool, local, and relaxed. The people that work here are so chill and nice, feel like you made quick friends! Hubby and I love this place more each time we come, and I'd say we've been here about a half dozen times. read more

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Stopped by for dinner. Good food, and service. Prices reasonable, and decent beer selection. Had the hangover burger--good bun and cooked the perfect medium--which is rare. Quesadillas are very good and just different enough. Tried the soup of the day too--holy flavor (it was green pork chili)!! Will try and come back for highly recommended happy hour and tacos, since everything was great tonight! read more

Outstanding service. Food is fine, it's just classic St Paul bar food. Lots of beer on tap. Neighborhood feel, very cozy and warm. Can be very loud, uncomfortably loud, if that's challenging for you - avoid this place during busy hours. Patio is beautiful, really a great representation of the neighborhood. St Paul staple, swing by for a happy hour, stay for dinner type of place ;) read more

Great fries and Paloma! Had an enjoyable sit with my little sister at this venerable old bar. Charming

Came here for just a drink after dinner and was happily surprised to find this little gem of a patio. Really cool layout with multiple elevations of a wooden patio with cute lighting and a really casual and comfortable environment for a chill evening. Also, always love when a restaurant has a parking lot! My friend and I were easily able to get a table on the patio on a Friday night. Our drinks were pretty standard, fairly inexpensive cocktails that were refreshing and satisfying- they seem to have great happy hour deals as well. I would definitely go back to hang out and try some of their food! read more

the $1 tacos from 3-6pm are amazing!!!! all the bartenders and servers are so kind and helpful. If you're new to the St. Paul area, come here!!! #sweeneys!!!! read more

Long time patron; I should have reviewed earlier. Sweeney's is an enigma. Great bar, great patio, relatively creative menu. Super location and space. Why can't they get service right- specifically drink and menu service on the patio? I mean we've been 3 times in the last few months and each visit the service gets worse. It didn't start at 5 either Wish I could rate it higher, with the loss of Ferns, Kelly's Depot and others - true neighborhood grill and bars are definitely on the endangered list. Luckily Sweeney's atmosphere remains friendly and the food is palatable. Otherwise, the turtle pace and noticeably grumpy staff are becoming inexcusable. Also get some kid-friendly options. Expand your base. Survive! read more

As others have mentioned, Sweeney's is largely known and adored for its patio. And that's the way it should be - it's a great spot to relax on a summer day (or even a cool fall day given the fixed overhead heaters). The interior is more classic neighborhood bar, but still cozy. Sweeney's menu, tap list and specials mirror that of fairly typical bar fare. From a food stand-point you'll find the usual suspects - burgers, wings, nachos, etc. and they're fine for what they are. The draught list usually has about a dozen or so beers available and there's usually a few decent choices among them (usually slanted towards local). Overall it's a nice neighborhood spot, and given its proximity to other watering holes like the Muddy Pig, Happy Gnome, etc. it's a good bookend to one of my favorite parts of St. Paul. read more

When craving a fun night on a patio... And needing some good bar food... This is your place! The nachos are covered in topping. Beans, cheese, meat... Seasoning... Wowser! The fries are my other staple. Salty and thin sliced decadence. With my Whisky ginger with lemon and lime.... Fries and nachos... Half beef half chicken... I am ready for an awesome night with friends. Sweeny's never fails to deliver on a night of laughs and good food. They offer a poor mans special which I think is last nights special... Thank you for having options but like most places I stick to the same thing! Fries and nachos is where my heart is at. Everyone knows when I go somewhere with good nachos.... I am getting them. I eventually learned to share but trust... That was not easy! read more

As everybody else has mentioned, the patio at Sweeney's is great. In fact, it's downright magical. It's a perfect oasis off the street covered with trees and pretty stone fireplaces. I can't think of a better patio to enjoy a drink on, honestly. Their wings (we got cajun-style) were VERY good and quite large. The skin was perfectly crisp-just how I like them. I'd go back for the wings alone. We also got an order of nachos, which were really underwhelming, and they charge 0.75 cents for sour cream. That's insane to me. We also had a waitress that was super inattentive, which really soured my perfect patio buzz. But, the summer is young. I'll be back again for the wings and the patio. read more

Sweeney's Saloon - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Love a place with a large beer selection and a chill bartender. Good vibes, good food, good beer. Can't go wrong here!

They've got a great outdoor patio, and if you come on a Sunday for lunch you might have it all to yourself...minus 1 or 2 people. Which is strange cause you'd think this place would attract a bunch of hipsters, The outdoor space is enclosed with high walls. It's almost rustic/garden like, with no garden. I've came here a few times during the summer months only, the inside of the place smells like shit, (you know that moldy bar smell? It's like that) I walk through it to get outside and it's enough to make me want to vomit. I've had no desire to come during colder months...but I still like this place. I've also now discovered the entrance in the back to get directly to the patio. Yay. The menu is fairly simple, appetizers, burgers, wraps, fish and chips, the typical bar foods, but I've never ordered anything I didn't like. The burgers are pretty awesome, try the black and blue, or the diablo. The fries with the tangy mustard sauce is damn good, oh the giant wings I like a lot too. They also have a daily "poor man" special. Perfect for cheap people like myself. They've also got a good beer menu that changes often. Service has always been great. They're friendly, fast, and efficient. Once we got a basket of cold fries for the table and the manager got a new hot basket out quickly. She asked if we wanted to keep the cold fries without the charge. Hell yeah. Free is fine with me, they might have been a tad cold, but still crispy. I'll be back this summer. read more

We went here recently for a relaxing beer on the patio at night. Beers were tasty and fairly priced but we moved three times and each time someone sat next to us and started smoking. Signs everywhere saying no smoking, waiter just chatted/laughed with the smokers all night. Won't be coming back here and don't recommend it unless you want to leave smelling like cigarettes. read more

Great neighborhood spot. The menu and food have improved, which means I'm bumping my old 4 star rating to a 5! My husband loves the new birria quesadilla. I am a fan of the walleye. The best part about Sweeney's is the staff. They are friendly and welcoming, and most of them have worked there for years. Also, the prices can't be beat! There are always $4 Coors taps and you can get a "beer of the month" for $5. When it's warm, the patio is the place to be. When it's cold, it's nice and cozy in the large booths inside. read more

Old yet beautiful You are so smooth and sexy I enter you now (Oh, how I miss thee, Sweeney's! Your hearty interior. Your blistering long-island teas. The smiling clientele relaxing on your patio. *sigh* We will be together again, I promise you. Someday...) read more

Sweeney's Saloon - The outside... - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

Fish and chips was awesome! I really liked the tartar sauce. Hand a friendly server. It was great on my trip. I like that they offer two happy hours but nothin too spectacular on the Happy Hour menu. I believe it is 4 beers and .95 cent tacos, didn't try them but sounds like a. Good deal! read more

Sweeney's Saloon caters to two types of eating out: 1. Decent, and fairly consistent "bar food." I have eaten here several times for dinner, and have received a satisfactory meal. Nothing to really write home about, but the food comes out piping hot, prepared well, and with good flavors for a pretty good price. 2. Sweeney's does well with happy hour. 4-6 daily for 50 cent tacos and drink specials and 9-close daily for 60 cent wings (both parts), $2.50 summit pints, and $5 OFF domestic pitchers. The wings come out still crispy from the fryer and ordering "one" wing really indicates you receive what most restaurants would consider "two." I gave it 3 stars and not more because it is, like I said, nothing worth writing home. It is good if you want some quality bar food for a meal, or a good happy hour for drinks and food. read more

If they didn't have a patio, I don't think the reviews would be so hot. I'm going with 3 due to their beer list, they rotate craft beers from time to time so always something to try. The food was a little off the night I was there. The medium burger looked cooked on the outside but was still mooing on the inside. The fries were cold, the bun a little stale. The menu is fairly limited, which is fine if the food is good, but if I was rating on food alone this would be a "meh" When entering - try to sit to the right side of the bar. The left side has this industrial steel wall, and unfortunately we were seated near a couple of loud dingalings whose voices sounded like they were in our ear. read more

Great outdoor patio with a fun fireplace and heaters for the fall. Arguably the best chicken wings in the Twin Cities. I'm also a fan of their cajun fries. For those of you who live or work near Sweeney's, definitely check out their "Poor Man's" lunch special each day. If you are looking for a fun location to host a private event, their upstairs banquet room is great! read more

I'm probably biased but I have moved Sweeney's. This may be because I spent tons of time here during College and Law School. It may be because it just reeks of St. Paul (in a neighborhood not a commercial area). It may be the amazing patio or the fireplaces. Maybe it's the great wings (a bargain since you get the drummie and other part). But to be honest it's the place where I met my wife and that just makes it better. The only thing missing is the Pastrami Pepper Jack Stacker, the best sandwich which left the menu for sandwich heaven about 5 years ago. read more

Sweeney's Saloon - How cool is Sweeney's - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

This place is fantastic. Living right around the corner we eat here all the time. The food is always fantastic, and a good value. They always have a lunch special from 11-3, the "Poorman's" is a whole meal and a beer for $8. Since I work from home, and they're so close by, I end up there for lunch pretty frequently. Their beer selection is pretty good, not quite as good a selection as some of the bars around them (they're within 4 blocks of the happy gnome and the muddy pig, which both have some of the largest selections in town), but what they do have on tap is always top notch. The wait staff is always patient and knowledgable, and they always have a recommendation on the tip of their tongues. If you can't make it for lunch time, they also have two happy hours. From 3 to 6 it's 5 dollar summit beer and 50cent tacos, and a late night happy hour, after 9 $5 off pitchers of some popular beers and cheep fries and wings. The wings are particularly good. When they say chicken wing, they mean the whole chicken wing. For 85 cents a piece they are HUGE, and the sause is great. Overall we love this place. read more

Sweeney's Saloon - Great beer! - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

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best local bar in northeast philly, great staff, great music, great times. I just wish I didn't fart last night, because after I farted i had to go home read more

I really like this place. In fact I can't think of any shortcomings. Parking is a bit tight, par for the area. I have done both lunch and Happy Hour here. For lunch, I'd recommend the truly tasty taco salad. A simple thing yes, but one that too often turns into soggy ground beef and mediocre lettuce. This one is crisp and flavorful. Burgers here are also good and made to order with respectably good bread. It's a bar food sort and f place, but the bar food is good. Check out the patio! Cute, smallish, nice fire pit and comfortable. For peak times there is an outside bar. Service is virtually always good. I commend the staff for handling a full house well. Happy Hours are not the cheapest in town, but a good solid drink, beer, or wine can always be found. The wings and other apps are all good too. Overall, I think Sweeney's is one of the best neighborhood bars in either side of the Cities. read more

My wife and I were in St. Paul last Sunday looking for a place to have lunch and a couple adult beverages. I suggested Sweeney's. Upon arrival, I asked a server if it was ok to seat ourselves to which she said yes, so we did. I could see she she was busy so I went to the bar for drinks. The server must've taken exception to this as she proceeded to ignore us for at least 20 minutes all the while seating and serving others. Finally, I was able to get her attention and she curtly said she'd be back. 10 more minutes of serving others and ignoring us went by. Drinks now empty and stomachs growling, we threw in the towel and left. Ended up having a wonderful lunch at The Gnome. read more

This is SO overdue because I go to Sweeney's weekly. Sweeney's is your quintessential neighborhood bar. It's a place to grab a quick drink with someone (that won't break the bank), it's fabulous for late night food and it has a great (smoking) patio which is nice to go to during the summer. The service is decent, the food is decent, and their beer selection is good. Sweeney's really is just laid back and perfect for a group of 2 or a party of 20. Pros: Late night food menu. Their fries are yummy and their chicken wings are MASSIVE. Patio, but it is ok to smoke which can be gross Cozy and homey without being dingy Cons: Parking can be a struggle There's nothing particularly healthy to choose from. All in all, there's a reason my partner and I go just about every week! read more

Sweeney's has always been a great, comfortable place to get together. After college, we stumbled across the street from friends' Three's Company pad on Ashland. In our -ahem- maturity, it's where we meet old friends. Most recently, I met with two of my oldest, goofiest friends, and I'd like to give a shout out for the awesome service that night. Yeah, we ordered drinks, but I think we totaled three apiece. We asked for menus, which made our waitress perk up, but then ordered two appetizers to split between the three of us, eventually adding one more to the tally. And then, water. Could we please have water? We will plant our butts on this here prime booth seating area, allow you to check on us constantly, order puny amounts of product, and spend hours gabbing like Yorkies on helium. You will be depressed by the lost opportunity for turnover and thus better tips, but you, you wonderful waitress you--you showed not an ounce of disgust or despair, no sign that you thought we should take our minivans and shove off, and even patiently took our picture. Thank you. Sweeney's, you're doing something right. PS. You didn't give us spitters, did you? PPS. AWESOME Not-so-Asian Eggrolls!! read more

Patio perfection is an honor I hereby bestow upon Sweeney's. I cannot bring enough praise to the outdoor deck, complete with a fireplace, heat lamps when it's a bit chilly and a dedicated bar. This is a typical St. Paul hangout for my friends, so I've been there relatively frequently in comparison to other St. Paul bars. It's kind of lackluster in the winter to me, especially because it can get really crowded inside. Summer is great though. I've never ordered any food except at happy hour. And even with that, I haven't had much of the food except wings and tacos, but it's nothing to write home about. It's good enough to eat with a beer in your hand. They have a party room available for larger events and it seems there's always something going on in there. They could improve upon the bathrooms... quite a lot. Being that I grew up on this side of the river, I always run into high school friends at this bar (or at the very least, someone from my group's high school friends). I guess that's good and bad, but has nothing to do with Sweeney's itself. Back to the task at hand. I say again, patio-patio-patio. read more

This was my corner bar for a good while. Sweeney's is a sort of hybrid. They have a coupld nice TVs that you can watch local sports on, but it is not sports themed. The big draw is the patio. It boasts a large fire-place and ample seating. The place is packed from spring to fall. The wait staff is slightly above average and the food is average. They do serve Shamrock brand soda which is a real problem. Stop being cheap and get the real stuff. The happy hour specials are pretty good, and the atmosphere is great. Make your way down to St. Paul for a good time here. read more

Sweeny's is a solid neighborhood bar. The happy hour has solid options for both food and drink. Summer months the patio outback is great. The food is not anything special so I would strongly urge folks to attend happy hour or and try the 99 cent tacos or the. $6 chicken fingers and fries with the mayo mustard. read more

Sweeney's Saloon - Happy Hour Chicken Fingers with fries ($6) in back and Southwest Egg Rolls ($7) in front. - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

I have not been to Sweeney's in over 20 years!!! Yes, hard to believe but I AM that old! :).. Not much has changed; It still looks almost identical to how it did back then which is an exquisite historical building with tons of character. Its in a great neighborhood and I am sure, has a great following of regulars. It was a beautiful night so we opted for the patio. Absolutely loved the patio. It was very comfortable with a beautiful fireplace and twinkly lights. The fireplace was not going last night of course but I bet its gorgeous on a Fall Evening. This is a great place to have an intimate conversation with someone because there are a few tables that are very private. I had a Beer Flight which was not your traditional flight because it did not come in your typical flight holder. I think that is part of the charm of flights is to see what kind of flight "holder" they bring you. Sorry for my lack of a better word on the flight holder but remember, I am just starting my Beer Journey. What you get here, however, is even a better value. Each pour is 9 ounces! For $10, I had three glasses of beer in front of me! It was late night Happy Hour so we ordered Artichoke Dip which was Fabulous and the Offspring wanted some cheese curds so I ordered those, ate one, and brought the rest home for her. Nothing special on the curds but they give you a lot of them! We saw other plates of food, especially nachos and quesadillas and they looked delicious. Apps are 1/2 off from 9-12PM so its most definitely a great late night hangout on the Cheap. I was going back and forth between a four and five star but our server bumped it up to a five since he was phenomenal. He was just a super nice guy who looked like he totally enjoyed his job! That is so good to see! He was super attentive and had a great sense of humor. He made our night so pleasant. I feel so sad I stayed away for 20 years but now that Sweeney's is back on my radar, you most definitely will see me back on the patio this Summer and Fall. read more

I love Sweeneys. The prices are good, the service is great, and the atmosphere is comfortable. I especially love the patio in the summer. It reminds me of when I lived in New Orleans. The whole place has a friendly, neighborhood vibe and it isn't pretending to be anything it isn't. read more

Sweeny's is our neighborhood place. They have two good happy hours, and they seem to be making improvements to their food, menu, and other aspects of the restaurant all the time. We are beer people, so we love their beer selection. Their staff can tell you about each beer and they have giant chalkboards that tell you about what's on tap as well. During the day you can get a very good deal on a meal and a beer during what's called the "poor man's special." read more

Not a bad little joint. Night capped here after my shitty fajitas. They have a pretty good beer selection and from nine to close its five bucks off all domestic pitchers. It was fairly busy but it didn't seem too douchy so it was pleasant enough. None of us ate there but the wings looked like they came from teridactles and they smelled good. Not the best bar in the world and not that close to home but 12 dollar pitchers of Summit were groovy. read more

One star because of one incident. Grrr. Sunday night. 9pm. With our 2 year old and 3 month old daughters. Want to watch basketball game. Sarcastic bouncer won't let us in because we have "minors" in our "party." Really? Kitchen still open, Sunday night, REALLY? If you're not with kids and want to sit on their sweet patio, okay- it's awesome. Get some beer and fried food and chill. read more

This bar gets a gigantic ::MEH:: out of me... Totally boring beer list combined with lazy slow service. The waitress never came back to check on us, so I went to the bar to get my own beer. The bartender looked right at me standing there waiting for him, then he specifically turned and walked to the other end of the bar to shake hands, greet and get drinks for an obvious friend who just walked in. Meanwhile my waitress is standing around talking to another waitress, and I'm getting my own beer??? I didn't even get to order food, but I'm glad I didn't because I'd probably have to step back into the kitchen and fry something up myself. read more

I think the yelpers unimpressed with the bar missed the patio. Because that's where-it's-at. Roaring fire in the massive stone fireplace, effective space heaters overhead, leafy green trees overhead, and tons of seating for convivial imbibing makes this al fresco addict very happy. It is bogus that the smokers can go nuts out here (hmm, legislation banning smoking in ENCLOSED outdoor spaces would be fabulous!), but sit close enough to the fire and smell the wood burning and you can ignore the foul stank. read more

I decided on 4 over 3, but I really want to give Sweeney's 3.5. The dent in the experience was the service everything else was really good. I had never been before tonight and went for their Monday night movie feature to watch Shaun of the Dead out on the patio. Oh, the patio! Busy even on a Monday, we didn't think we'd find a seat until a server pointed out a table that was getting ready to leave right over by the screen, which was sweet. When we went over there they said yeah, they're leaving, but they'd already been waiting forever for the bill and we sat for quite some time more waiting for her to bring it over so we could snag this spot. I thought that was strange that the server knew her table wanted to leave but was super slow in getting over there to take their money. Turns out, we spent a good chunk of time waiting for the server over the course of the night. As we sat and waited, we got to really appreciate how nice the patio is, with its big fireplace, its trees growing through the deck and its huge heaters that will be nice come September. Food was good, nothing too special. Typical bar food is accurate. The beer selection is fairly tame expect for rotating staff, mgmt and customer picks that seem to showcase a secret love of crafts and micros (perhaps nudged along by competition from The Muddy Pig up the street) The night was great and we'll be back when we're in the neighborhood to enjoy the patio again and have some more of their $3 fries! read more

Nice patio. Okay drink specials. Okay as a bar, but I wouldn't recommend it as a restaurant. The food was meh. The service was poor. read more