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The Rathskeller

4.0 (71 reviews)
ModerateLounges
Closed 5:00 pm - 11:00 PM

The Rathskeller Photos

THE RATHSKELLER ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Quiet
Hipster
Trendy
Intimate

Recommended Reviews - The Rathskeller

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Seasonal drink: peppermint chocolate martini.
Matt C.

The ambiance is the primary draw to this unique bar. The drinks were good, but over priced. There was a slow server the evening we went, I think we saw him about 2 times. We will try it again in the near future.

Mrs Claud drink and new leaf drink
Priti N.

We ordered the seasonal Christmas drink . This place was a great combination of vibe, ambiance and carefully curated drinks. Loved the experience. Another speakeasy in the books .

Diggin' the vibe with a Dirty Martini...
Don C.

Yes, as most have said, the ambiance here is spot on.. almost to a fault. SUPER dark.. the picture of my wife was using effects so you could see her. Had to use the phone to see the menu, but loved it. The vibe is totally cool. The music, however, wasn't. Don't know who is running the playlist, but it wasn't good and was just a bit too loud for my wants at a speakeasy. Our server was cool and brought our drinks out fairly quickly, fixing an error in mine extremely fast and that was greatly appreciated. The drinks themselves? Meh... I had a Manhattan and my wife had a dirty Martini. Never tasted a Martini that felt 'weak'. My Manhattan presented well and had decent flavor, but again... tasted weak and was fairly small. It also appears we were triple charged, but waiting till it moves from pending status to dispute. Glad we stopped, but would not go back again.

first stoop
Brian K.

Pretty good speakeasy style, celler feel. Good music. Staff was good and eager to talk about drinks, liquors and what you might be wanting in a drink if you don't have an exact option. I think they are limited on the beer to 4 options. Its more of a cocktail bar than a beer bar, but if you're "that guy" and come to a cocktail bar to order an IPA then.........ok.

Entrance
Angela W.

I visited for the first time on Halloween. I really felt like I was walking into a speakeasy from the prohibition. The furniture and low lighting set the mood. I was there with my husband and it felt romantic as we shared a love seat and we toasted our fancy drinks. I love the exposed brick and the archways throughout. The drinks were fun. Hubby had the sidecar made w/ Cognac and I had a Lemon Drop. Both were very good. The staff was attentive and friendly. Lots of smiles. This bar got busy quickly as it may have been a part of the bar crawl. We will be back for another drink.

Great ambiance and great date vibes. Super unique area. Strong drinks!! Prepare to order a late night pizza after your visit and lose your id and keys. You might even text your priest.

the interior of a restaurant
Rach T.

Maybe I was a vampire in a past life-- but sexy cocktails in the soft velvet dark will keep me coming back.

Bar
Katie H.

This place blew me away! It's underground and feels like a cave. Lots of great cocktails and perfect for an intimate date or small gathering with friends. A must try in Duluth!

Tatiana A.

I can't believe we didn't know about this place before. It is a really cool dungeon-y speakeasy in the basement of the old courthouse. The bartenders were excellent, and we really loved our drinks. We will definitely be back as soon as we are back in Duluth!

Band on Wednesday Night
Kendall R.

Great ambiance with a nice hidden feel. A perfect stop if you are visiting Duluth and want a dark cozy vibe to finish your night. Great drink options.

Alyson M.

I am in love with this place! My best friend and I went to Duluth to celebrate my birthday weekend. I wanted to try out this speakeasy I had heard about and it was within walking distance from the hotel... Score!! So we got there on the earlier side of things, but once you go in, you lose all sense of time... No problem, we had all the time in the world! I've read previous reviews that say you have to go to the back of some restaurant and go down an elevator... not the case. The Rathskeller has a bright red door right on the street... not hard to find. We sat at the bar and looked over the menu, it was quite large... lots to choose from, beers, whiskeys... the lot.. as well as a full specialty cocktail menu. I got the Raspberry Beret, the Battle For Asgard and the Cappuccino Martini. Not all at once of course. My friend got the Raspberry Beret, the mezcal old fashioned and the Black Manhattan... and since we were celebrating, we had the bartender, Isaiah, smoke the liquor in this one. It was such a process to watch and really fun to taste the flavor of the drink. Kind of tasted like a really tasty campfire, and it was soooooo good! We also ordered the charcuterie plate which was plated beautifully, however besides this and a selection of snack nuts or pretzels there is no other food offered here. However, they do encourage you to go to the restaurant upstairs and order to go and bring it down and eat while you continue drinking their amazing cocktails. Thank you Isaiah for making my birthday special!!

Elise D.

The Rathskeller is overall a very cool place. I love cocktail bars with a speakeasy vibe, and it doesn't get much more authentic than Rathskeller. Located in the basement of the old city hall, you'll a quiet, cozy place to pick up one (or a few) of their many unique cocktails. I was in Duluth for the weekend and my boyfriend and I loved this place so much we went back a second time. We loved everything we tried. The server we had (same person both nights) was knowledgeable and helped us decide on what we'd like based on our preferred flavor profiles. This is definitely going to be a place I'll visit every time I go to Duluth.

Atmosphere and decor.
Anne C.

Excellent vibe and great drinks! Speakeasy thing going on here. Would definitely go back.

Rathskeller hallway

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4 months ago

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4 months ago

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9 months ago

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1 year ago

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Hannah J.

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2 years ago

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Hannah J.

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1 year ago

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4 years ago

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Hannah J.

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1 year ago

Really cool place but we didn't get our drinks for like 20 minutes and it wasn't busy

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Hannah J.

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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Hannah J.

Thank you so much, Katie!

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

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7 years ago

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2 years ago

Super cool place. A must see! Drinks are pricey and the service was slow but the ambiance was well worth the wait!

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Hannah J.

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2 years ago

Very cool ambiance. Solid bartending staff. We went back a couple times. Good small group intimate destination

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6 years ago

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5 years ago

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4 years ago

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Hannah J.

Thank you for the kind words, Anne!

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5 years ago

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7 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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6 years ago

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4 years ago

It was a little difficult to find the door to the bar. Drinks were nice and strong. We will be back.

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Hannah J.

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4 years ago

Absolute must visit. Great variety of drinks. Awesome atmosphere. The only thing it was missing was a large fireplace!

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Hannah J.

Thanks, Scott!

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

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6 years ago

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

Amazing little hidden gem. Best Hemingway special we've ever had. Amazing atmosphere, comfy and private. Definitely will return.

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7 years ago

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Ask the Community - The Rathskeller

Do you have to take an elevator to enter the bar?

Hi Kaitlyn, You can take the elevator down to the Rathskeller, but you can also use the entrance on 132 E Michigan St, Duluth, MN 55802.

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

Review Highlights - The Rathskeller

This obscure and cool hangout is one of our favorites here.

Mentioned in 2 reviews

Read more highlights

Aces On First

Aces On First

(15 reviews)

ACES on FIRST is AWESOME. This is literally the BEST place in Downtown Duluth, I think. The staff…read moreis so friendly, they alway ask how your day is going and over the years I consider them to be my BEST friends. Honestly, they've been there so much for me in the past (when no one else was there, they were) that any one of them could ask me to help them move a heavy ass hot tub, and I would in a heartbeat. The owner, Cade, is THE shit. Just look for the tall guy with the sweet hair and badass button up shirt and you'll know him when you see him. Best part is because he's so cool, all the people he hires to work for him are cool, thus the people that frequent there are cool, so by going there YOU are COOL by association. It's like one big cool club and everyone's invited. The amount of romances and babies that have resulted from ACES ON FIRST is probably what keeps the population of Duluth above the 2.1 children-per-woman needed to prevent a society's extinction. Do yourself a favor and pop in Aces. I know that when I die and I enter the white light, on the other side I'm going to emerge into Aces. Heaven IS a place on Earth...and it's called ACES. BTW Thank you Aces for directly hooking me up with he woman I'm in love with right now.

The bartenders are amazing. Great service. The DJ was a total jerk. So rude to us that we left…read more Nobody was on the dance floor and he refused requests. Totally condescending to my daughter's requests. Should be replaced Immediately.

The Rathskeller - lounges - Updated May 2026

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