"But, Donald," you might be asking, "where can I go in uptown for a good happy hour?"A very good question, and you came to the right place. I'm a man who enjoys nothing more than having a cold beer and some bar food... at a reasonable price, of course. And in today's economy (and boy do I hate that cliche as much as you do, but it's unfortunately true) who can turn down a good deal on both? So here is a list of my five favorite places to get happy hour in the Uptown Minneapolis area.
And I'm limited my list to Uptown because, frankly, that's where I live so that's where I go. If somebody wants to write up a list of the top five best happy hours in St. Paul or elsewhere, I'd be more than happy to post it.
Anyway, in no particular order and without further ado, five great places to get some booze and some food after work:
Figlio
Don't be intimidated by Figlio because it's a great little place with some great deals. Between the hours of 4 and 7 every day of the week, though many days have extended hours. Monday and Sunday have happy hour all day, for example. Check their website for more details. During those times, you can get wine, well drinks, and certain tap beers for 3 bucks, as well as a variety of really good appetizers. Again, check the website for the full menu, but I highly recommend the pizzas and miniburgers.
The service can be hit or miss, ranging from quite good to quite terrible (any time we've ever wanted a glass of water, for example, we've had to ask multiple times, and often been forced to finally go to the bar to get it ourselves), but the servers can also be quite sexy (for the guys and for the girls) if you're into that sort of thing. The bar can get kind of crowded (and maybe even a little douchey, but less so than most Uptown bars, in my opinion), but the ambiance is nice and the big windows keep the place sunny and bright.
The Independent
From 3-7 every night you get the following specials:
2-for-1 mixed drinks
$5 martinis
$3 select taps
$3 select house wines
$5 appetizers
That's a pretty big bang for your buck, but I recommend sticking with the beer or wine. Their mixed drinks are super weak, and the majority of their martinis, frankly, aren't very good. I used to get one called Hypnotique Breeze that was delicious, but it hasn't been on the menu the past few times I've been there. But their house wines are fine and they usually have a good selection of beers on tap.
But it's worth going there just for their appetizers. Many bars have a separate menu of snacks that they serve during Happy Hour, but the Independent actually has a few appetizers from the regular menu that they discount, all of which are well worth more than a mere $5. The nachos are huge and heaping with cheese, chicken, guacamole, and lots of other stuff, and the pizza is big enough to fill up two people (well, two girls, anyway. I can eat an entire one by myself), but my favorite is the duck dim sum. It's absolutely off the hook. They changed the recipe to pork (I think) a while ago, but quickly changed it back to duck because enough people probably complained.
The service is usually pretty terrible, and the ambiance is pretty dingy unless you sit by along the windows behind the bar, but the food is so good it's worth checking out.
Common Roots Cafe
A coffee shop -- as trendy as it may be -- seems like an unlikely choice for happy hour, but Common Roots delivers with a nice selection of $3 tap beers, $4 wine, and a small selection of $5 appetizers between 3-6pm and then 9-11pm daily. So, no, it's not a bar, but that's one of the reasons why I keep going back. There's just something nice about getting a beer at a coffee shop, especially one as cozy and laid back as this one, although there are usually way too many people hovering over their laptops. Walking to your table can be a hazard with all of the powercords littered along the floor.
The service is... ok. The people who work there all seem very nice and friendly, but sometimes you get the idea that customer service isn't always their highest priority. They need better deployment or something, since everytime I look up a different person is working at a different position. But, as I said, they're all quite nice and pleasant, though some definitely more than others. There's also a really great patio, but they should invest in some umbrellas for the tables because sometimes it gets a little too much sun.
Sushi Tango
As of the time of this writing, the Sushi Tango that was located in Calhoun Square has closed its doors, and opened up directly across the hallway. I have yet to vist the new (and, let's hope, improved) Sushi Tango location, but the details for the happy hour seem to be the same, and that's a good thing, since their offers have always been fantastic. Sushi Tango has both a mid evening and a late night happy hour most nights containing discounted wines, beers, sakes, appetizers, and sushi rolls.
Again, I haven't been to the new location, but the old Sushi Tango was a fun, hip joint with loud music and likable servers. The new location looks to be brighter and has a patio, so that's two improvements right there. As far as beers go, they have a few imports in bottle, but I usually get the sake, which comes in two different sizes, both of which are reasonably price during happy hour. The rolls are some of the best in the cities, in my opinion, and their egg rolls are my favorite in the city. They're off the hook. At least, they were. Let's hope they haven't changed the recipe when they changed locations.
The Herkimer
At first glance, Herk's happy hour doesn't seem that great. They have 2-for-1 beers and well drinks and a few discounted appetizers, all of which are ok but not worth talking about. But what sets Herk over the top is that they brew all of their own beers, and they're all fantastic. They also have some of the best burgers in town, which go great with their homebrewed beers.
Herkimer gets super crowded at night, but Happy Hour is usually laid back and quiet, and they even have a late night happy hour featuring $3 beers and well drinks. Also, they're patio is pretty decent, but I usually sit inside because I dig the ambiance of the laid back bar setting. It's just a cool place and I've never met anybody who doesn't love it.
Honorable Mentions:
Mount Fuji Sushi just opened up across from the YWCA on Hennepin, and it's fantastic. They have discounted beers and sake, and some of the best sushi rolls around. They have one of the more extensive happy hour menues around, and would've been in my top picks had I compliled a top six instead of a top five.
Cafe Barbette is worth checking out for their discounted wines, and because their happy hour portion of muscles is about as delicious as anything you'll eat during happy hour. Otherwise, they are a little too expensive and a little too trendy for my tastes, if that makes any sense. But the muscles are fantastic.
Liquor Lyle's is famous for having a wide variety of cheap happy hour specials, but I can't comment much because I've never been there. But I hear about it so often than I always mean to check it out, but it's too far down Hennepin for a guy as lazy as me. I only get happy hour at places within walking distance.
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