While I would find the hidden entrance of this bar tiresome in a big city, I understand the hip…read moreeffect in a city the size of Rochester. I had to push a bookcase to find the hidden door. That's a risk, given that the Mayo Clinic is the primary reason anyone is in Rochester, Minnesota. With all the ailments on display in the city, a visitor pushing that bookcase could drop dead on the spot, and the lawsuit would put Bitter and Pour out of business. I almost broke the damn thing pushing and pulling. Bitter and Pour has all top-shelf liquor, and their cocktail list sounds fascinating. The mixologists are well-trained. Our bartenders on a Wednesday afternoon in September were professional, but they lacked the warmth I encountered everywhere else in this city. Our drinks were great, though, and B & P must be the best cocktail lounge in Rochester. I wish they served some small bites, but that's not their thing.

My friends been asking me to go with her to a speakeasy for months and so knowing we'd both be in…read moreRochester for the weekend i immediately thought of bitter and pour. We walked down the staircase and were greeted with a bookcase... gotta love a mystery door! Upon entering there's an intimate bar area with the perfect dimly lit room to indulge in an elevated cocktail. They have an impressive menu of delicious combinations and if you want a combination of two drinks or a custom creation the bartender definitely knows what their doing and was more than happy to meet the request with their interpretation of a drink. I had you had me at hello. Whiskey and cherry liquor paired lovely together and apricot, lemon plus being milkwashed delivered a perfect sweet but not overpowering clean, smooth drink. My friends loved this place it was the first time for all three of them! Cant wait to come back again. The staff was super friendly and helpful too!

NOT HANDICAPABLE! You have to go up these steep stairs, so be aware…read more The actual place is kind of cool! It's a 50-60's lounge vibe. Very jazz-music-esque. I saw a lot of martinis and cocktails coming out of the bar. There are waitresses, but it looked like just 1 bartender. She was BUSY! Waitresses were just standing there while the 1 'tender was working her ass off. We sat at the bar and barely got service because she was so busy. I of course don't know how the place works, but it seems like someone could have helped her. We only stayed for 1 beer and left because we couldn't get any of the bartender's time. It would be a cool place to hang if maybe we sat at a table. (I felt out of place being in my Packer's gear.) I see they do live jazz music. That might be worth going back for someday.

So fun and pretty inside, I love all the orange and blue. The service was good on a busy Saturday…read morenight. Nachos and velvet Elvis dip was very filling. I loved the selection of cocktails on the menu.

Tucked away in the most unsuspecting spot, this is one of the hidden gems of Stillwater!…read more Plenty of street parking available outside or paid lot access across the street, sneak into the door and travel down to a whole underground speakeasy! The bartenders and servers keep the theme front and center in this prohibition-era spot! Plenty of comfy couches and seating arrangements to support small to medium groups! Cocktail menu has the classics and inventive new takes! Haven't had a bad drink from this spot in many a visit! Can't wait to see what they mix up next!

What a lovely speakeasy in the heart of downtown Stillwater. Great place for a fancy cocktail. I…read morewas planning a date night for me and my hubby. I wasn't sure if we needed a reservation but decided to call and had to leave a vm with the time, how many, etc. When I showed up on Saturday evening since I hadn't heard back from the Velveteen I assumed we didn't have a reservation but alas they had us down and were sat at a lovely table with relaxing velvety chairs. I had the King Kamehameha - it has rum, banana, etc...a little slice of Hawaii they say and it sure was. Yum! Hubby had the Mutineer which was a bit boozy for my liking. Service was great and also the lovely live music that matched the ambience of the place. Will be back for sure!

Tony our server took very good care of us last night for our first time back to the Port since it…read morereopened. We live in Red Wing and we need more chef driven Restaurants . I consider myself a "obsessed foodie " so I was pleased when Cory the chef came out of the kitchen and walked around the dining room. We were having a cocktail at the bar so we waved him over to ask what he recommended . I took his advice and ordered the scallops. They were cooked perfectly. Very tender and paired really well with the roasted corn and bacon. The whipped feta was very cold, which was interesting, but the flavor was tangy so it offset the richness of the bacon and scallops. The beef tenderloin was delicious cooked perfect medium rare. The broccolini was a little tough and the blue cheese sauce could have been a little thicker. It was kind of runny. I will be back to try more items on the menu. Excited the restaurant is open again.

Such great food and nice staff! The port takes you downstairs, below the St James hotel into a…read morespeakeasy. Warm ambiance with low lighting dark brick walls. All food was great and warm and comforting. Wish I could have tried it all!

Thai restaurant without Pad Thai on the menu.. First mistake in my mind as Pad Thai is kind of the…read morebarometer for Thai food. I got the red curry with chicken instead.. I'll just say it was.. fine.. i shoofed the eggplant to the side and ate it.. even though I typically like eggplant. Thai food is awesome by itself and doesn't need to be made trendy. Thai pop is ok, but there are better options.. very close by.

Food is Excellent! Staff is competent and friendly…read moreWide drink menu Accurate orders Highly Recommend this restaurant to anyone. Just Excellent all around. I have been there 4 times and it has been great each time.

Don't skip this place while you are in Rochester. My husband and I were lucky enough to stay right…read moreacross the street. This place is a downstairs amazing speakeasy dinner/live music relaxing venue. Don't we all need a place like this after a day of appointments at the clinic? All good.

The best night out in Rochester in a long time! The food was delicious! We had the artichoke dip,…read moreRedwood Room salad and the Mediterranean Pizza. Our Server, Ali, was fantastic - she took care of every detail making our evening SO enjoyable! The highlight of the evening however was the band - Orchid Jane! Their music is a fresh and modern take on so many favorites songs!

Wow, this place was cool!…read more The entry is pretty hidden and parking requires a bit of work unless you do valet. We went on a Saturday night, so we had to wait a bit in order to be seated. However, it was worth the wait for us. There is a dark moody vibe and while my group went in for drinks, there are also options for food. The place itself is pretty loud - both with music and talking, so maybe not the best location for a first date. The drinks are expensive, but the experience was worthwhile for us. I enjoyed the meditteránea. I'll very likely be back! What a neat spot.

Flora Room is a gorgeous cocktail bar located behind and beneath Chef Del Prado's steakhouse…read morePorzana. Fortunately, I arrived at 5:30 PM on a Saturday, which was early enough to avoid a line and a velvet rope. I don't wait in line for anything unless I'm at a pharmacy, bakery, post office, or airport. Lines at restaurants and bars strike me as pretentious or bad management, and I don't tolerate either. However, I'm old, and at my age, nothing is worth waiting for unless it's a necessity. I found a seat at the beautiful and expansive bar and looked around at the Del Prado design. The colors might be different, but Flora was reminiscent of Minari and Noma. All three add to the Twin Cities' cachet. However, I was taken aback by the attire I saw around me. People were dressed in shorts, T-shirts, and sneakers. It's friggen Saturday night Minneapolis. Have some class! Flora Room was a lovely cocktail lounge, perfect for wooing, but don't expect to strike up a conversation with any of the bartenders. At these Del Prado joints, the staff must be trained not to engage. I'm out alone and enjoy talking. Bartenders used to be part of a lounge's attraction when I grew up in NYC. They learned your name, knew what you did, and gave you a hearty welcome. That, I guess, is not part of the culture in Minneapolis. Well, at least not at the Del Prado restaurants and bars. Chef Del Prado is from Argentina, and certainly, Argentina is one of the warmest and friendliest countries in the world, so I don't get it. I now live up the block from the Flora Room. I'm a neighbor and would like to be treated like one. Neighborly and the Flora Room are distant concepts.

We are SO incredibly sad to hear this fine establishment will be closing its doors this coming…read moreMarch. While not always on the menu, ask for a raspberry lemon drop and you won't regret it. The BEST one I've ever had. I will be begging the bartenders to teach me their ways before they close their doors. This is our top choice in town to celebrate accomplishments and achievements. The tavern and patio offer a more casual ambiance, while the restaurant itself is chic and has an element of more formality. The staff is always ALWAYS incredible and thoughtful. The food is always on point, interesting, and flavorful. This place will be well-missed come March, but I know I will be back here plenty in the mean time to get my fill and and support this staff before then.

The Waterfront is truly a very special restaurant. We were in the area and were so in love with how…read morebeautiful it was along the Mississippi River walking path that we dropped by here for an early dinner. We were so fortunate that they were able to seat us on the outdoor patio facing the water. This restaurant isn't just great for the views--the food and drinks here were phenomenal as well. Our appetizers of beer-battered cheese curds and mussels were so flavorful and hit the spot. We also loved our fish tacos and linguini with scallops (I absolutely loved the crushed red pepper that came with it too!). Our food all paired nicely with their extensive cocktail/drinks menu, which included many different breweries and distilleries. This is one of those restaurants you'll remember visiting forever--definitely come visit if you can!

Always in search of a nice speakeasy experience, we came across Anoka Hardware Store while in…read moreMinneapolis before heading off to visit friends. It was a bit of a trek through rush-hour traffic from our hotel but so completely worth the trip. Discretely located through a door marked only by a red light above it we were warmly greeted by gentleman behind the hardware counter. We were prepared to answer with the password to let us in but for some reason it wasn't asked. No big deal. You are then sent through a door into the beautifully dimly-lit space of the speakeasy. There is plenty of seating, with small tables and some booths. We were shown to our table and greeted by one of the great, friendly hostesses. Drinks are ordered directly at the bar with one of the attendants. You immediately pay for your order which will then be brought to your table. Different but really a nice idea. The music was also nicely unique, with a mix of oldies from the 50's and 60's. An old black and white James Cagney movie played silently on one wall. In terms of the cocktails I have to say these are some of the most delicious and finely crafted drinks I've enjoyed. I began with the Start Your Engine, a delicious gin-based drink. My wife had an absolutely fantastic smoked Old Fashioned, smoked in a large box for a minute or two. Wow! Probably the best we've ever tasted. My second drink was another gin cocktail, the Last Word, which I'd been wanting to try for some time. A fine gin supported by green Chartreuse and lime, this was simply sublime. Highly recommended. The bar and menu is quite varied and extensive, so you're sure to find something to your liking. The space has a great vibe and mellow ambiance. Sufficiently dark, cozy and very nicely and eclectically decorated. Service was outstanding and informative. Reservations are recommended. Like many such places you are "limited" to 90-minute timeframes, which sometimes seems like not enough but ultimately works quite well. The quality of the cocktails, space and service all make for a really enjoyable time. Well worth many visits.

Such a cool speakeasy. You need a password to enter. Here's a tip, make reservations and they tell…read moreyou the password in advance. The menu is almost too extensive with whisky cocktails, it's almost hard to choose. They also have the most extensive Four Roses single barrel picks around, any of which you can get in a cocktail.

This is such a fun vibe. Especially if you can get a seat at the booth. There's usually live music…read morewhich adds to the ambience as well

How fun!! It truly does give speakeasy vibes with the entrance in the back alley. Once it inside it…read moreis so moody with dim lighting (may be tough for some eyes) They were introducing a new menu that knew we went so the server was still learning all the new ingredient but was very happy and accommodating to our questions. Nice little menu offering some lite bites. Both the food and drinks were good. Prices felt high but on par with most other restaurants in this category, so probably just the economy on my pocketbook lol. Fun place to enjoy with friends and coworkers alike