Great place to eat before our concert. Great food, friendly efficient service and pleasant ambiance

Out of towner here: wasnt sure what to expect i was scheduled 1310pm Twins game, i asked about any pregame specials they prompted me to the Grain Belt Pinrs for $3. Freking sold....its just like Stella Artoiss. Great customer service, wanted food, but held up cuz wanted to try the stadium food. read more

In the Minneapolis area for work and some of my friends that live here swear by the Dragon Wings at The Loon! So, I checked them out and let's see how it went! Atmosphere/Appearance: The Loon, being one of few long-time surviving restaurant/bars of downtown Minneapolis keeps it charm by having that old school vibe. There's neon signs scattered all over the walls, tons of sports memorabilia and just possess that old tavern feel. I can dig it! I mean this place has been here since 1981. Lol. It wasn't very loud when we came since it was like a Wednesday night or something, but it was easy to talk to one another. Service: Kat took excellent care of us, made great recommendations and I had no complaints. Food: Have you ever heard of The Grape Ape shot/drink? Apparently, The Loon Cafe is who invented it! That's kinda awesome! I had no idea. But The Grape Ape is Three Olives Citrus vodka, Buddy's Soda, sweet & sour mix and a splash of sprite. It sounds a bit on the sweet side, but it reminded me of Dimetapp medicine, the grape Jolly Rancher and the grape Skittle. Lol. Next up was the Hot Spinach Con Queso Dip. It's a mixture of queso cheese and spinach artichoke dip. The chips were strong enough to support the weight of the dip even though they looked thin. I did really like this dish though and I feel it was a very interesting mix that I would certainly order again. Next up we had their Chicken Chili ala Ski-Dad which is a thick, rich, spicy blend of chicken, peppers, onions, green chilis then topped with jalapeño cream cheese and green onions. It comes with warm tortillas. This was DELICIOUS. It was a good medium spice which so many flavors in each bite. I really enjoyed the crunch I got from the green onions and I liked how they used cream cheese as a fat instead of sour cream. Quite clever. I loved this. Lastly, the Dragon Wings. These are described as "Our famous "Drummies," tossed in our sweet, spicy Thai Dragon sauce and topped with sliced green onions." Firstly, I was expecting all drums due to the use of that word "drummies" but maybe they just meant pieces of the wing? Also, these were on the small side. So at least I know these are probably organic and/or GMO free. Lol. These were breaded to Hell, but gave a great crunch. The sauce was decent for sure, but nothing crazy. Value: Sports bar-like prices. Nothing crazy at all. I got 10 wings for $15.95. Dip was $12.95 and the chili was $9.95 for the cup I had. A little on the high side, but you are downtown so that comes with a premium. Overall, not bad. In conclusion, this place as cool. It's more of a sports bar and gathering place. I loved the soup and the chili, but the wings were not it. Everyone's different... read more

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Came here for an early lunch this weekend and enjoyed the experience. The place was busy, people enjoying their conversation and a good vibe. I ordered a Bloody Mary that was fantastic, so good. We ordered a buffalo chicken wrap, that was amazing and so well packed. Everything was spread evenly in the wrap and it was amazing. We had cheese curds and Southwest egg rolls as well. I loved the cheese curds so much. A Minnesota classic. The southwest egg rolls were good, but being from AZ I feel like they could have had a little more spice, but nothing negative. This place was sooo good :) read more

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In Minneapolis for a concert. Stopped here for lunch on a Friday, one of the few places open for lunch in the area! Ideal spot by the stadiums and various other venues downtown. The service was great, kind of a pub/sports bar vibe inside. The buffalo chicken wrap was a 10/10, southwest egg rolls were okay... definitely missing something, and you can't go wrong with cheese curds when you're in the Midwest. read more

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Above average bar food, and great chilli. Good ambience, and a nice spot/location if going to an event at target field or the target center

Honestly, the Loon has a great vibe, good drinks (gotta get a Grape Ape) and great location if you are looking to pregame for a game downtown but the food is mediocre at best. With that said, we keep coming back to this place because of the location and vibe. My advice is to order drinks and appetizers - you can't go wrong with that combo. The food isn't terrible by no means. The menu isn't too special, reminds me of something you find at a small town sports bar but with a downtown digs price tag. Those two things don't quite much up. My friend and I ordered a couple of sandwiches and they were OK but the quality left something to be desired. My chicken sandwich was pretty thin and needed more heft to fully make up for the pricetag. Oh well, I'll be back for another Grape Ape at some point. Good size, good price, and fun times with those. read more

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stopped by for a pre-game beer on a tuesday around 6. the atmosphere was lively with many lynx fans in attendance. love the $3 grain belts, they always hit the spot! our server was very friendly and attentive and came around often. great spot to hit before a gamw with lots of seating inside. read more

We popped into the loon for a drink after we had dinner just for something to do on a Saturday night. We took a seat at the bar where the bartenders were helpful and attentive. The open kitchen concept is GREAT, for establishments who have employees who follow food standards and safety protocol. My husband and I witnessed more then a handful of times a woman and male cook taking food out of the cold well and eating it with their BARE hands, licking their palms, double dipping chips in a sauce of some sort. These are all items being served to customers, raw product. Being a foodservice Director I am appalled, although we didn't eat here there's so many terrible things happening in the open that are exposing customers to serious food problems. BEWARE read more

The Loon Café - Open kitchen - Sports Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Absolutely love the vibes in Loon Cafe, but the food was just alright. We tried their nachos and it wasn't anything crazy (really just melted shredded cheese with a few other toppings tossed on). The drinks we got were good (Moscow mules) but they did taste mostly like ginger beer. It was a great spot to stop at after a twins game and I'd stop there again post or pre a game, but unsure if I'd choose it just for kicks. read more

This is as such a disappointing dining experience. We ate here before a basketball game because of the proximity of Target Center. I had a chicken sandwich that had a piece of chicken the size of my pinkie finger. The fries were like eating McDonalds fries. My son had a burger that was also barely any meat at all. A friend had the Walleye tacos and said they were terrible. I want to see downtown businesses do well and I went in with such high hopes for this place. read more

Good place to stop between sessions of the Big Ten Basketball Tournament. After snacking on junk food, it was great to get a Greek salad. Dressing was a bit heavy on the oil but the salad had lots of toppings, especially Kalamata olives and feta cheese. I requested a cracker to eat with it and they brought a couple of packets quickly. Service was quick which was great with limited times between games. I like the atmosphere there and lots of TVs to catch up with your other sports. Good stop. read more

The Loon Café - Sports Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Stopped here for lunch during a shopping trip downtown St Paul. There were just three of us and it took quite awhile to just get waters. We each ordered a sandwich and one order was placed incorrectly. I had the soup of the day-shrimp and corn chowder. It should have been called spicy soup as it had my mouth burning!! I also had the BLT which had rubbery bacon and soggy fried green tomatoes. Al three meals were mediocre at best. Disappointing. read more

The Loon Café - BLT with fried green tomatoes - Sports Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Something about the dark wood bar and floors intrigued me about this place. You could tell the Loon Cafe has been around and is a staple in the downtown community for many years. It was slammed after the Twins game but I luckily found one of the last spots at the bar. The bartenders were quick to make drinks and take food orders. Mine even made a few recommendations. I ordered the beef nachos and the Pinto's Diablo chili. Yes it was a lot of food but I was told their chili is excellent so figured I'd give it a try. It was excellent. I can tolerate heat but this wasn't burn your lips off spicy: it was the spicy that had a hint of sweetness behind the heat. And since chili absolutely should contain beans (much to the ire of my fellow Texans) Minnesota chili has kidney beans in it. Buttered Texas toast came on the side for dipping (or not). The chili was a meal itself. The nachos were just plain huge. There was no shortage of meat and cheese and it came accompanied with a generous helping of guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. Despite being packed after the ball game the staff here stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park with the food and service (baseball pun intended). read more

The Loon Café - Sports Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Lunch at @thelooncafempls will now be a regular occurrence when in Downtown Mpls! * A very unconventional burger but it was very solid and on brioche buns The burger meat was also shaped to fit the buns haha. French fries were served really hot and with a side of homemade ranch The pickle spear on the side really made my day though and let me know that their kitchen staff is like a well-oiled machine‼ * This seems to be the go-to spot before or after games or shows. Very busy, yet they do a wonderful job of getting you seated. Excellent service, classic meals, friendly and casual atmosphere read more

The Loon Café - Menu - Sports Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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We visited The Loon to grab a drink and apps before a game at the Target Center. We ordered the cheese curds and southwest egg rolls to split. The cheese curds were exactly what you'd expect. The egg rolls were packed full of ingredients and paired well with the spiced ranch. The crispiness of the exterior balanced the soft filling. The waitress was a gem especially being busy but apologized for the service with a round of Grape Apes (completely unnecessary but who were we to say no, when they claim they're home of the Grape Ape?). read more

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Good bar food and a super, super nice staff. As out of towners, in for the Lions/Vikings game, our servers was positively enthusiastic about us being in town and was complimentary of the Lions seasons thus far. Huge portions, great drinks and the bar was welcoming. A regular 'ole neighborhood place, the kind of place where the regulars are known by name and drink. In addition to being friendly, our server provides great information about the area, the vibe on game day and let us know about special events happen over our time in town. read more

"I am going to need something to kill time before my second beer. How about a first one?" ~Norm from Cheers It's friendly, fun, familiar, like your favorite chair where you cuddle up to watch TV on a cold, rainy Sunday afternoon. The Grape Ape is a fun drink to try. It feels like a local place where you know everyone and everyone knows your name. The bartenders were chatty and fun too. read more

The Loon Café - a neon sign in a window - Sports Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Chili was way too salty. Waitress told me everyone else likes it. "waygu burgers" were just lean ground beef. I asked for a bigger plate for my fries, waitress said I had another saucer I could use as pushed it in front of me. You can tell bad food by the attitude of the help. Both were bad. read more

The Loon Café - Sports Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Chaotic neutral. A loud and proud establishment sports bar where people go to get DRUNK, reunite, hang, and get fired up. So if that is not your scene this will not be your scene. Felt like everyone around us was having some kind of long time friend reunion moment which was sweet, and also meant folks were getting absolutely wasted. Right by the stadiums so infused with a lot of sports energy. Service was great. Everyone was nice. Loud as hell and packed, but with ample areas to sit down including booths if the bar isn't your vibe. Of the sports bar in the area here and Cuzzy's are definitely my favorites. read more

We popped in here for dinner our first night in town. We were told about this spot as a sports bar from a couple of the locals. We came in during game 6 of the NBA and this place was packed! They have TV's throughout the place and they were playing the sound of the game. They had a huge menu and I decided to try the Loon Addict Special. It was really good and had great flavor! This is a great spot to catch the game and enjoy some good food! read more

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Everything from the bartenders to the cooks were excellent!! Both Markus and Jason were wonderful! Best service ever on a busy Twins And Vikings game day!! A must visit!!!!! read more

We stopped by the Loon Cafe before a Twins game to grab some drinks & food, and I was pleasantly surprised! The vibe of this place is a cross between the village pub and sports bar - it's warm and woody with lots of fun signage. The four of us sat at the bar and really had the "local" feel. Service here is superb - great for before a game! Drinks were on the table right after we ordered, and our three appetizers were out in minutes. Pro tip: make sure to get the Grape Ape here! They're known for them, and they taste like a purple jolly rancher. For food we ordered the nachos, Buffalo wigs and the spinach queso dip. The nachos were pretty average, and we ordered the smoked chicken on top. But who doesn't love some nachos? The Buffalo wings were delicious - tender and not too hot, they even had a little bit of sweetness to them. The winner of the three was definitely the spinach queso dip! It's the perfect mix between a hot and spicy queso with spinach and artichoke dip. Highly recommend! Overall, amazing service and good food - will definitely be back before a game! read more

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We flew into MNP for the weekend and took the Blue Line Metro to Loon on a Friday afternoon. Cool, old bar vibe right next to the Metro stop which was nice cuz we had luggage. Get the chili and walleye and you won't be disappointed. Service was fast and friendly too! read more

The Loon Café - Walleye Fingers! - Sports Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Not far from stadiums. Reasonable prices. Comfortable seating. Quiet at times but gets loud too. read more

The Loon Café - Sports Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Absolute terrible of a place to visit in St. Paul, MN. Our waitress and the Manager of the place were both careless and disrespectful. We were insulted because we went out of a door that was not an exit, which many people went out of before us. As we exited the restaurant we were yelled at by our server, "I hope you die!" When we went back in to talk to the manager, he did nothing to help us with the situation and commanded that we leave. We flew in all the way from Los Angeles and were treated in the most disrespectful way possible. I will never recommend this place to anyone traveling out to Minnesota. read more

The Loon is one of my favorite stops before an event at target center or target field. This time was pre basketball. I got the Buffalo chicken wrap which came with fries but I did the $1 upgrade to fries. Good decision. The wrap was messy and delish. Beer is always cold with a good selection of bottles and taps. read more

The Loon Café - Buffalo chicken wrap - Sports Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I hate when a server doesn't write down what I order! I specifically said I wanted the BLT. Never once did I say, California BLT! So when it came out, I noticed a little avocado on there which was abysmal tasting and thought, oh well, I didn't order that but I shouldn't be charged. Guess what? I was charged an extra $3.00 for that. During my time there, there was a table directly next to me with 4 men. I was with my daughter. Why is it that female servers always give more attention to men? Do they think they are better tippers? Well, she ignored us! I had to hunt her down for a refill of drinks, wait on her for the bill too. At this point I was going to deduct the $3 for the BLT avocado that I did NOT order but her continually ignoring us put the tip even less. By the time I finally got my bill and card back, I tipped her ZERO. I hope the men barely tipped her so she could see that they don't always tip better. I tip for service. When I'm ignored and especially when I see you pay way more attention to another table, you can suck it! Oh, and the food was BASIC and way overpriced. Very loud in there too. I was there to see the Twins play and this was close. My mistake!! read more

We popped into this fun bar right by the ballpark on our way to a Twins game. We were greeted warmly by Robbie, the manager, and bartenders Alex and Henry were quick and friendly with anything we needed. While the menu looked fantastic, we stuck with some pregame beverages, including the famous Grape Ape. I also had to try a Grain Belt beer after seeing the historic sign on Nicollet Island. The atmosphere of this place is incredible, and I think a big part of it comes from the staff. They always looked to be having a good time, even though they were absolutely slammed with business. It also speaks well of a place when you see the owner and the manager delivering food, busting tables, and seating guests. While it was a blast hanging here before a baseball game, I bet it would be out of this world before a Vikings game. Great job and five stars guys: y'all rock. read more

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The Loon is my go-to spot for dinner or drinks before an event downtown! The employees are kind and efficient, and the food is great classic bar fare. Went before a Timberwolves playoff game and it was PACKED, but they got us seated, in and out in 40 mins! Definitely try a Grape Ape while you're here! read more

The Loon Café - Buffalo chicken wrap and a crisp mich golden! - Sports Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I thought the food was below average. The wrap I got had chicken breast, ham, cheese, mayo, ranch, lettuce, and tomato. I thought it tasted okay but nothing exciting about it. My partner got the Cajun chicken breast sandwich. The bun they used was bad. It was way too much bread for the sandwich. It was also dry. However, the chicken was decent. The spicy sauce that came with it also was not very interesting. The service was okay. I hated how sound carried in this restaurant. It's was pretty loud in here with the chatter and music. read more

The Loon Café - Chicken wrap with kettle chips - Sports Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

What a fun stop for us before the Minnesota Twins game! Food & drinks came out super quick and our server (Ali I think?!) was great too! Laid back and fun sports bar that is family friendly! Can't wait to come back the next time we are in town! read more

The Loon Café - Sports Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

This is the Minneapolis version of Cheers! Great atmosphere, excellent service. Great pub food and beer selections with excellent cocktail service. Two blocks from Target Field, a block north of Target Center, and three stops down the LRT to US Bank Stadium. Makes a great pregame or event check in. Or watch from there. Plenty of TVs for a good view from every section. read more

I CO N I C C A F E Great place to start your evening in downtown MPLS. Hit this place up for the 1st time before the Willie concert at the Target Center. Most of the other guests had on Twins shirts, and everyone was getting their groove on. I was impressed with the professionalism of the staff. Fast, courteous, and attentive. Not just our bartender, but the hosts, servers and kitchen folks too. My chicken quesadilla was perfect for my Scandinavian palate The tap beer was fresh and tasty. No dirty lines here! All in all, a satisfying gastronomical experience. However, a trip to the ladies room downstairs was disappointing and scary. A trip back jn time!! Grubby Grubby Grubby. Old and in dire need of fresh toilet seats, icky. YOU CAN PEE HERE, BUT YOU WON'T LIKE IT read more

I'll give it a 3 because of location and ambience before a Twins game. Service was pretty good too but food was awful! Had nachos and they were chips with cheese nuked in a microwave. Chicken wings tasted like something out of a bag from grocery store and cold. read more

My favorite spot any time I am in Minneapolis. The wait staff are always so nice and welcoming and great you like family. I got the Loon burger (shaped more like a hot dog) and my wife got the chicken Caesar wrap. The fries were very crispy and the wrap was very filling. If you like a sugary drink, the Grape Apes are for read more

The Loon Café - Grape Ape - Sports Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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My first place to eat after getting off the plane in my first time in Minnesota. Was recommended the chillie and walleye tacos and don't regret it one bit. The chillie was hot and soul warming. The tacos were fresh and a great compliment to the chillie. The service was wonderful and the ambiance was straight out of the show cheers. Left a wonderful impression on me and I do plan on coming back on my next trip! Thank you Sarah for your service and the Kay for the recommendation read more

My family came here before a Twins game. It is very close to Target Field and an easy walk. Surprisingly on a game day, we were seated right away! We had come here before many years ago, but no time recent. On this visit I decided to get the loon addict sandwich. It was surprisingly very good. Got it with fries and they were also very good. The rest of my family all got different things on the menu from wings to ham and cheese but there was so complaints from anyone. A good meal overall before going to the game. The waitress was very nice and got us everything as fast as she could. It was still very busy in the restaurant. Again no complaints. Overall a good dining experience. Nothing too crazy but a good place to come for a bite downtown. I will definitely come back again. read more

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We are here on vacation for baseball and this gem is next to ball park and we have been here everyday sometimes twice in one day and will be back again tomorrow only because these employees Cody and Carl two bartenders were absolutely amazing and made us not want to leave. Food is amazing as well . I only got one pic of Dragon wings we had 2 days in a row and had walieye fish tacos both are sooo good. You want great atmosphere and great people to take care of you this is the place to be guaranteed! Gonna miss them but be back one more time tomorrow read more

The Loon Café - Sports Bars Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Great spot to come before a twins game. We were from the opposite team but service was great and food was good. Packed house 90 minutes before the game. Lots of local fans were there read more