If I had to choose one word to describe this establishment, it would be 'mediocre.' I've been here on several occasions and never had a stellar experience. The food and service are 'meh.' One server in particular, named Benjamin, totally rubbed me the wrong way. Let me preface this by saying that I've had unpleasant experiences before, but this is the first time I've made the effort to express my displeasure with a server publicly. I would recommend avoiding him if you can (and if he's still there). The only major plus of this joint is the patio on a summer day or night. Otherwise, this wouldn't be my first choice. read more

Typical college bar. Overrun with macho men and sorority girls. The waitresses seem scatterbrained, but I don't blame them given with whom they have to work. Three new people showed up at our gathering and the waitress never came to get drink orders until last call. Happy Hour specials weren't too bad. Half-priced bottles of wine. It felt like being back in Europe if you sit out on the patio. They have an open brick area with a fireplace, wood benches, metal chairs and tables, and lights strung up in the branches of the trees. This is the only thing I like about this place. I might come back to see if it is any different. read more

Great place if you enjoy smoking. The service was great, the food was good, but the constant smell of people smoking was disgusting. I won't be back due to the smoking on the patio. read more

Still a perfect patio. With it's rotating beer list, excellent servers, outdoor bar, amazing wings and fries, Sweeney's deserves 8 stars not just 5. read more

It was ok. Tons and tons and tons of beer on tap so if you're looking for a draft house, this is it. A kind woman near me (with a guy) covered a glass of wine for me which was unexpected and very very nice. This is a great neighborhood dive and the grilled walleye was delish! read more

Oh Sweeney's, you make me sweat . . . literally, it gets so hot inside this bar. However, the beer is icy cold to quench your thirst and cool you down. There is a standard beer menu and then a rotating menu with things like beer of the month, bartenders choice, and beer of the moment. It affords a great opportunity to try something new. The outdoor patio space is great. Crowded enough to make friends, but spacious enough to relax. The service was great: quick, engaging, and fun. Give the basket of fries and the Flamingo Wings a try. The fries are great and the order is quite large. The wings are quite large and also quite tasty, albeit a bit dry so ask for some extra sauce if you like your wings wet. Cannot wait to make a stop during Happy Hour to give the 50¢ Tacos a try! read more

Saloons are a great gift from the creator. Dark, kind of rustic, and bartenders fill big mugs full of suds! The back room is really nice for group events and a server was available most of the time. Do not drink the Angie's Famous Sangria as it tastes like olive and pickle juice instead of fruit juice. Really, really not good. For some reason, I'm thinking that Sweeney's seems expensive, so check out the happy hour specials. Maybe I drank too much when formulating that opinion? Anyway... and sit on their patio. read more

I used to live on Dale and Grand, right next to the cockroach. I really miss living in the area, but I dont think a studio apartment is right choice for finacee and two dogs. Now that you know my geographical living history, I'll move on to sweeney's. being in my young 20's when I lived down there, I stopped here quite frequently on my pub crawls which, happened far too often. Downside of living on grand and dale, is no need to worry about driving, which results in excessive drinking which results in showing up to work hungover...but I never learned. Still with the background, no review. And yet you're still reading, who's at fault. I dont mind grabbing a beer there, but there food is so so. I used to always get their chicken wings until I got a bad batch and I just cant. Their burgers are ok, but nothing spectacular. Nice patio in summer if you can make it out there, although Happy Gnome as my favorite Patio (it was Chang O'hara's when I lived there). It's not a destination place, but good pit stop when doing a pub crawl. Oh, and if you're named Brian Shelly, I wouldn't go there. He's apparently not very popular there read more

Killer patio and happy hour specials. Great beer selection too. I'd like to give it 2.5 stars, though, and chose 2 over 3 because their revered wings recently gave me food poisioning. Avoid the wings! read more

Just met 5 college friends here for drinks on a Friday night. Sat out on the patio and had a great time. Service was friendly and fast. Drinks were strong. Also: around midnight we ordered up some wings & fresh cut french fries - they were AWESOME. The wings are from an adult chicken, not the tiny "chick" wings you get at BW's. The fries rocked too - got a ton of them and a tub of ketchup and a tub of mayo for dipping. Great spot for throwing a few back with some friends. read more

Casual setting. We went for Sunday brunch. Food was good. We both had a Bloody Mary, mix was chunky but tasted good. No complaints. Server was great, will go back. read more

Beer, burgers, and bar-foods. You know the story here. Food not particularly good, but passable. Beer more expensive than I would expect in The Cities. $20 pitchers? Alright. The back patio is a good space if you can find a seat. read more

Had lunch here with a group after a bike ride. Weather was nice so we had several tables reserved out on the patio. The atmosphere both inside and out was friendly and fun. Servers were a little harried by the sudden influx of 25 people, but they were kind and had a sense of humor, so it was all good. Food is standard bar and grill fare--burgers, sandwiches, chicken fingers, quesadillas, gyros sandwich. Everything was good, burger was big and juicy, and everyone in our group agreed that the fries were really tasty. They have a daily special from 11-3. Today's was a pulled pork po' boy sandwich for something like $6 that includes a soft drink. Beer drinkers in our group were pleased with the selection. Parking isn't difficult. Will definitely come here again when I am in the mood for standard American bar food in a lighthearted atmosphere. read more

Lots of drafts & loads of surprises! When we walked into Sweeney's, we immediately were carded and were free to sit wherever. We looked around after the server had greeted us, and saw the draft beer specials had titles that included, mystery, Ichabod, and more... immediately intrigued, we all ventured out of our comfort zones and tried several different beers. The server was prompt and helpful, the saloon was clean, with fun decor, and TVs for the football game fans. I will be back just so I can ask for 'the poor man's special' which is different every day and is apparently 'chef's choice' read more

Sweeney's Saloon is the best in the summer when you can get a spot on the enclosed patio. The patio is often filled to capacity on Friday and Saturday evenings so be prepared to dine inside. Sweeney's Saloon has 16 beer taps, of which 9 or 10 are American craft beers with the rest being standard domestics and imports. On a recent visit, the list of American craft beers included products from Surly, Summit, Bell's, Lefthand, and Boulevard. The food is mostly bar food, that is, burgers, sandwiches, and fries. It is satisfying but not noteworthy. There is street parking and a private, shared parking lot across the street. I've always found a spot in the parking lot. read more

Went on a late summer Friday night around 9:30 for dinner. It was about empty inside...plenty of seating. We wanted to be outside though, so we headed for the patio. It's a really cute space out back, but on a gorgeous night it was pretty packed with tables very close together. If you're really averse to cigarette smoke, this is not the place for you. It seemed like just about everyone was lighting up and there's really no way of escaping a face full of secondhand smoke wafting your way every so often. I don't smoke, but I'm not allergic or anything. I ordered the Greek style burger and honestly it was really really good. Delicious tomatoes and onions. It was messy and I ended up eating it open-faced with a fork, leaving the top bun untouched. It wasn't until the end that I realized there was some kind of sauce on the top bun (guessing like a tzatziki type creamy thing). That probably would have added something, but I found that it was very tasty without it. Service was decent, but kind of surly. One odd thing is that they card at the door - and annoyingly mark your hand up as proof - and then still card you at the table anyway. Seems redundant. read more

Cozy neighborhood bar with yummy food, wine and beer. I love the fireplaces inside and out. I like to go here later at night with a few friends for a drink and a snack to unwind. read more

My review is for the "Dale St Wine Bar" that is on the bottom half of Sweeney's sign. So, uhm... WHAT wine bar? A girlfriend just moved into the neighborhood and we wanted to go out for a casual catch-up girls night, and she mentioned seeing a sign for the Dale Street Wine Bar, so we decided to check it out. We didn't realize, or connect the dots, that it was at Sweeney's until we got there, walked inside and realized they have about 9 wines - total. Not exactly what I think of when I think I am going to a 'wine bar'. I'm sure Sweeney's is fine if you want a beer and a burger. The beer list seemed nice, the menu was uninspired but nothing looked scary. I'm sure they make a good burger. However. They advertised a Wine Bar, and a wine bar they are not. So basically - don't be fooled as we were. read more

I went to Sweeny's with a friend for a good beer, and they had no lack in selection. Not as many taps as I've seen in some places, but they compensate by offering many styles of beer and limiting how many they have of one kind. The only problem is when you look at the beer list, the majority of beers say "ask server for details." Fortunately, the selections are posted in various places around the bar. Unfortunately, since they don't have updated beer lists, you can't read about each of the beers. You just have to go off the name, server recommendation, or friend's recommendations. They have lots of TVs around with varying sports, so that makes for a good atmosphere in the bar area, and they have a back seating area which I didn't get to check out as it was packed when we arrived. We also didn't get to check out the patio, which I hear is a blast. As for the food, it looked promising. You can get any burger as beef, turkey, or veggie so there are options for everyone. I opted for the Philly cheese steak, which was a mistake. It was the driest Philly I've ever eaten, and probably won't be ordering it again. The fries were super tasty, but ended up a bit cold. Not sure if that's because they had been sitting around or if I just ate my sandwich too slowly. The tables next to the booths in the bar area seemed too close together, probably because they were trying to line them up. Whenever a server wanted to get back to the booth across from the table behind me, we all had to scoot in to let him through. Luckily the people behind me didn't stay too long, so that issue was short-lived. You could tell they try to accommodate as many people as they can. They have to because even on a Thursday night, the place was pretty hoppin'. read more

Some friends and I went out for drinks at a local brewery Sunday night with a group of 7. Yes, 7 is a bit large during Covid and we happily ended up splitting between 2 tables. After drinks, we were looking for a nice dinner spot and a friend recommended Sweeney's Saloon. When we arrived we were all wearing masks and were seated at two tables outside on the patio. After the server arrived, we politely asked if we could sit together since the table could easily accommodate 7. The server said "No, and we've already answered that question several times for your party". This was the first time anyone had spoken to him from our party. My friends relectuantly ordered their drinks and I decided not to. After receiving them we immediately asked for our tab and informed the server that the reason was due to his disrespectful comment. While finishing up our drinks, an elderly group of four - who were all rudely smoking several feet from us on the patio - asked my friend to "show some respect and walk further away from him". There was no space to do this on the patio due to empty tables sitting unused on the sidewalk. This business and their employees clearly do not want or need your money and their customers are oblivious to their own behavior. I highly recommend you stay far, far away from this establishment. There are far more that need and actually work for your support. read more

If you are in the neighborhood, looking for comforting bar food and dont want to drink ten buck microcraft beers, you have come to the right place. As everyone else says - the patio is pretty awesome. Inside.... a little less remarkable. Their food is average, but they have their value proposition of Taco HH! If i were (f)unemployed, I would hole up here and work on my "screenplay" while waiting on the HH specials. Alas, stopping by here within their HH window, while gainfully employed is less likely for me. read more

Solid neighborhood bar with a stellar patio, as others have noted. Even on a recent cold Sunday, the absence of the patio was hardly noticed. It was nice to sit in a roomy booth and watch the snow come down while a low key crowd watched the Vikes lose. The menu is standard bar food, with some important additions. Soups are made fresh in house and change daily (get the soup of the day via Twitter if you'd like). There's always a "Poor Man's Lunch" for around $6. It's usually a very decent sandwich of some sort. Add a beer for another $2. I'm also a fan of the happy hour tacos, which make a good and cheap meal when paired with a Summit on special. All of this, and free wi-fi to boot. Please enjoy. read more

Patio perfection for sure - It's a mandatory summer stop on your way through your usual Cathedral Hill watering holes. AWESOME happy hour food deals, great beer.... I tend to avoid it in the winter, to me this place is all about the patio. Servers are knowledgeable and food is good. Nothing crazy, just a great neighborhood place. read more

The bar is made to lean on. Built for it. Like a backwards recliner and for your boozy elbows. That sort of attention to detail pays off, people. Goodness, what a fine place to get a nice MN buzz on on a weekday afternoon. read more

Dear Sweeneys, How I love sitting on your patio 3 seasons a year. The multi-level decks and trees always make me feel like I'm in a tree fort. A very cool grown up tree fort with a bar in it. The fireplace adds the perfect ambiance for late nights spent with good friends, good beer, and good whiskey. The food isn't bad either, I haven't had the full menu, but I've never been disappointed with anything I've ordered (which is more than I can say for your highly over-rated neighbor the Muddy Pig). In the winter when I spend my nights warming up with Jameson Ginger inside, I love the mural (or is that just really wild wallpaper?) on the bar side of the room, the stamped ceiling, and wood all around. It's very cozy and makes the perfect setting for dates with my boyfriend. Keep doing what you're doing Sweeneys, I'll be stopping in again this weekend. Warm Regards, Nora read more

I'll admit that this is a long-time favorite, but the place has managed to keep it fresh with things like high love for Summit brews (over multiple happy hours) and terrific 50-cent tacos during the early happy hour. The atmosphere is always pleasing in that special St. Paul kind of way. read more

Sweeney's Saloon - Summits are $2.50 during happy hour - Pubs Near Me - Saint Paul, Minnesota

This is a 3.5 star review for food selection but rounded up to 4 for the usually strong beer list and the very efficient service. The beer list here is not huge, but usually features a fun option or two, which I like. The food is decent, my only complaint is that the menu is pretty limited. I've attended functions in their rental space upstairs and that is nice. I like this place, and I'm glad I get the opportunity to visit regularly. read more

Patio: Check Location: Check Happy Hour: Check ...Grand ol' Day? Check, if I have to. Went to Sweeny's on the whim that "Hey, Sweeny's is too far for people to walk during Grand Ol' Day...let's go!" Packed to the gills, nothing short of a miracle that we got a table, Their tap selection is good, their menu is good, and they have good Happy hour stuff. Just, as a rule of thumb, avoid St. Paul on Grand Ol' Day (unless that's why you're there...) read more

Okay, so I've never actually been to the inside of this place, but if you haven't already been here, you seriously need to take advantage of this beautiful fall weather (or whatever season happens to not have snow on the ground...) and hit up their beautiful deck! I absolutely love the woodsy feel...come on, you know you've always wanted a deck with trees growing through the middle of it! Also, the beer-inspired wall art truly does inspire me to drink lots o' beer. (Like I needed inspiration!) A perfect place for a hang out with your buddies, or even a casual first date. The atmosphere is sure to put you at ease! I only gave three stars (so far)...because I need to go back...the food/more beer is calling me, so stay tuned for an update! Maybe I will even venture inside... read more

If I would have written this review 6 months ago, I would have given them 5 stars. Unfortunely, due to menu changes and literally the worst service ever, I have changed my mind down to 3. The late night HH used to include really cheap wings and a basket of fries that was delicious and well priced. That is no longer the case. The menu has changed to only include apps for $5-$6, nearly reg price. This is NOT a deal and not entirely worth the drive from the other side of the river. Also, the service we had was miserable. This particular male server was rude and truly did not care about service. It was awkward staying at all. The only saving grace at this point is the patio. They truly do have one of the best in the cities and I'd be willing to try it again and hope we do not get the same awful service. read more

Good rotating beer selection. The best nachos anywhere. I am not exaggerating. Best patio in St. Paul, if not the Cities. .50 tacos and 3 buck Summit beers when we go on the weekend. This place needs nothing else. read more

Sweeney's has been a featured player in my rotation of bars since my early post-college years. I have been here for lunches, dinners, happy hours, Sunday Fundays, and even a wedding reception once. I've always had a solid experience. Everyone loves their patio of course and for good reason -- it's a great little outdoor space that feels almost like you're hanging out in your own backyard, if your backyard was super cool. Sadly, patio months here are limited, but I also enjoy the vibe inside -- dark wood, cozy booths, feels like a classic neighborhood hang. It can get quite crowded in here during prime times. Food and drinks are solid. I think they have a good variety of beers here, and drinks are reasonably priced. I've also had a number of solid meals here. Is it going to blow your socks off? Probably not. But can you get a tasty and filling meal here? Absolutely. The wings are really good here, and they know how to make a good burger too. The nachos are also huge and delicious. All in all, good casual hang and a great place to grab a beer and a bite! read more

I love the feel of this place. It's got a vintage, cozy atmosphere. The beer selection is pretty good I guess according to my husband (I'm not a beer drinker) the wine selection is pretty slim though :( The food was not impressive. I don't think I'd eat there again. The waitress was pretty terrible. Unattentive and acted annoyed to be there. She was rather rude. Over all it was ok, and I probably would go back for a cocktail. read more

This place is great! They have a huge patio with a big fire place which is nice. They also have $.50 tacos during happy hour, yes please! The beer selection is great, lots of things on tap that are rotating pretty often. I had the artichoke dip with toritlla chips, yummy! And the Sante Fe turkey burger...bonus on their burgers, you can select beef, turkey or veggie. I'll be back, this place is excellent! read more

How has a Sweeney's review escaped me for so long? Nice beer selection. Patio in the summer. Can often find a quieter corner inside if you want a little more privacy away from the bar. TVs to watch the game but not "in your face" sports bar crap. Those chicken wings. Big. Delicious. Bigger than it looks. Street parking. Boo. Whadyagonnado. A solid bar in my St. Paul rotation. read more

Some of my friends really dig this place so I've wound up here on more than one occasion. It's not that I particularly DIS-like it, I'm just not sold on it considering it's proximity to some other great places...the place is pretty huge but always seems to be packed - almost uncomfortably so - and depending on where you end up sitting, the vibes are so all-over-the-place that it's hard to know what the night will be like...some parts are well-lit, others are dim, some feel hip and edgy, others feel a bit like a place you'd have dinner with your parents...I don't necessarily know that the variety is a *bad* thing but it's hard to get a read on the company's overall shtick. That being said, they do have some decent happy hour specials (especially if you come hungry and eat meat/cheese...somewhat standard bar food in that respect - a few things if you order off the regular menu, but the happy hour options are more limited...people seem to love their nachos) and the huge (smoking-friendly) patio is pretty incredible. In fact, I'm going to go ahead and say that the patio is what wins this place all 4 stars for me. Happy hour is a contributor, but the patio is the best. Especially if you score a booth spot because the only thing better than a patio is a patio with booth seating. read more

Last night we went into Sweeney's after calling to make sure they were still doing Happy Hour specials. It hasn't been that long since we had decided to go to one of our favorite neighborhood hangouts. But we were surprised to see they updated their menu. It looks like they added some new items (yay basket of fries), but they took away some of our favorites too! The pizza rolls (gasp of horror), the spinach artichoke dip (slap to the face) to name a couple. I think the waitress could tell how desolate we were at some of these losses to the menu. Then, we were charged full, non-happy hour prices even though we had called in before coming to make sure. The waitress was super friendly, but we still ended up paying full price :( Anyway, I don't think I have ever had a bad /sad Sweeney's experience until last night, but maybe I will wait a couple weeks and give it another go. read more

Food was good we mostly had appetizers and some drinks so we didn't dive into the menu too much. Our male server acted like he wanted us to leave. We had to ask for refills and other things that most on the ball servers would have offered. read more

My rating is really for Sweeney's Beer of the Moment: the Imperial Pumpkin Ale by Flat Earth. It was the best pumpkin beer I've ever had! Sitting outside on the patio on a nice fall day was quite lovely, too. However, I gave Sweeney's 3 stars because the food (we had nachos and tacos) wasn't much to write home about... and I'm from Florida. read more

Now that I'm working in regular yelp reviews- it is time I review Sweeney's. We come here quite often; it's biking/walking distance from us, and therefore we like being here. I very much agree with two things others have said; the patio and the declining awesomeness of their happy hour. The patio is fantastic- quiet, cozy, I don't mind the servers, and there is plenty of room for your whole crew. Sweeneys, it is sad you reduced the hours on happy hour. We used to come here often for a summit and 50 cent taco fix, especially in winter. But it's hard for a Minneapolis employee to get here during the week by 6pm. I looked forward to my Saturday happy hour fix- and now I can only do that three small hours on Sunday. Really, it couldn't have been breaking the bank. I've never really seen it that crowded on a Saturday. Bring it back please!! As for the the food- those 50 cent tacos are better than the Bell- but if you can't get them try the chili or the wings. Pretty good for bar food. Oh yeah- the beer selection is pretty good. There's always a nice array of Summit and your craft beer favorites. read more