Nightclubs and bars in Minneapolis

The best nights to go to Tony Jaros is on Weds. nights during softball season. After beating each other up on the diamonds, teams head over to the bar and rivals become fast friends.

Tony Jaros is famous for there "Greenies". A vodka, green kool aid type drink. Goes down easy but be warned because after 2 or 3 they start sneaking up on you.

The bar is tiny. Just a rectangular bar with some booths on the side. But on Weds. nights, this place gets packed beyond capacity.

Dress Code: Any state of dress or "undress". ;)

One of my favorite hangouts if I'm just looking to "DRINK". One of my softball teams is sponsored by them and on Tues. and Weds. it's full of softball players.

Stop by the bar and say hello to the bartendresses, Carey and Sara. A very friendly Nordeast hangout. Wouldn't go in the daytime though, it's a bit of a diffrent crowd.

Dress Code: Yeah right!!! LOL

Located in Nordeast this has become a favorite amongst the young "punkish" crowds that are moving into the neighborhood. In other more established bars in Nordeast the scene is mix of old and new. This bar is primarily the newer generations that are moving into Nordeast.

If you don't have a tatoo or body piercings you are in the minority. Several of the staff and quite a few of the patrons have multiple, multiple tatoos and piercings. But don't let that fool you , the staff is very friendly and the patrons are fun and welcoming. Just keep an open mind.

They have inside seating and an outdoor "tiki' area when weather permits.

Dress Code: Anything goes. The more tatoos or piercings the better but is not a necessity.

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This bar sells the highest volume of Jameson Irish Whisky in the world. Really.

The Local is one of Kieran Folliard's four Twin Cities Irish pubs and I love them all for different reasons. What Kieran does best is make you comfortable and this spot provides a lot of snug little corners to curl up in with a pint of Guiness and good company. Check out the website for better photos than mine:

http://www.the-local.com/Explore

This is a beautifully crafted pub with two different bar rooms, a poolroom upstairs, a club-like Whiskey Lounge, outdoor seating in the summer and separate spaces for groups and events. There's even a room for canoodling with your sweet colleen. Oh, and they have very good food that's a step up from normal "pub grub." Appetizers, sandwiches, soups, salads and main courses create a well-rounded menu that's a tad pricier than other local pubs but this is a nicer place, too.

There's international sport on the tellys but most people come here just to hang out and enjoy the ambiance. It's very popular (and packed!) at the 5:00 hour, and great fun on St. Patrick's Day when the Jameson is flowing!

Happy hours Monday - Friday, 11 - 6:00.
Open 7 days a week: see website for hours.

Dress Code: Anything but really grubby clothes. Neat and clean and you'll be fine.

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Patio bars are virtually non-existent in Minnesota from November - April but here’s an exception. Eden, in the Le Méridien Chambers hotel courtyard, stretches the outdoor cocktail season with a bar built of 12,000 pounds of ice and an open fire pit kept blazing on dark winter nights. Fur-hatted maidens will cheerfully whip you up a bracing Grey Goose vodka libation from a list of half a dozen or so on the menu ($8 - $10), and there’s obviously no problem keeping them nicely chilled until the last drop has been sucked down - although you can order up some flavored vodka shots in ice glasses if you’re worried.

The hotel’s website is maddeningly ambiguous about the hours but figure roughly 7:00 - 11:00 on Thursday - Sunday nights: I’d call ahead just to be sure. And if temps are in the stupid-below-zero range or a blizzard is beating the crap out of downtown, even hearty Minneapolites aren’t (usually) crazy enough to tip martinis outside so don’t assume they’re crazy enough to be shaking them up.

The bar usually opens sometime in December and closes sometime in March.

Dress Code: Parka, UGGs, mittens, scarf

Blue Nile serves excellent African and Caribbean cuisine by day, and turns into a jumping two-floor club by night.

The main floor features reggae and Caribbean live bands. There are couches for lounging, a great bar with regularly priced drinks, and lots of little tables to be close to the stage. The crowd is generally mid 30's and up, mature and casual. On some nights, the main floor has comedy shows and open mic contests. Call ahead to find out the venue for the night. Weekend cover charges vary between $5 and $7.

The lower level is for the younger folks - generally they're playing either dancehall reggae or hard core hip hop. Down here has an underground feel; concrete walls and a no-frills bar. African women in wonderfully tight garb rotate under a disco ball. It's smoky and crowded, but there's plenty of tables and chairs for relaxing and watching the dance floor. Usually you can get into the lower level for no charge, but every so often you'll be charged anywhere from $5 to $10, depending on who's hosting the basement venue that evening. And yes, that does mean you are charged twice - once to get in the front door, and once to get into the basement. Honestly, on some nights it's not really worth it. See if you can get a peek into the basement before paying anything extra to get in.

Dress Code: Anything goes.

The Red Sea is a must for reggae fans and underground hip hop fans, and anybody else who is tired of upscale nightclubs.

The Red Sea is nestled into a strip of buildings on Cedar Avenue. They serve cheap, strong drinks, have pool tables, and a small dance floor with an elevated stage. Local hip hop acts perform here quite often, and they're almost always good. Call ahead for performances, or check the alternative weekly City Pages.

The only complaint I've heard about Red Sea is the lacking number of women. I can attest to this myself, in which case, I strongly recommend the Red Sea for those ladies who want to drink and dance, and have a preference for men of all hues who wouldn't be caught dead with a fruity drink.

To catch a cab here from downtown, expect to pay about $5. Otherwise, parking is behind the club.

Dress Code: Anything goes in here.

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(See my review on the W's other bar, Living Room, on the lobby level.)

This is the Minneapolis' most iconic landmark with a seedy little bit of history besides. Wilbur Foshay built his art-deco tribute to the Washington Monument in 1929 and it was the tallest building in the city until 1971. Old Willy had made himself a tidy little fortune in utilities business and spared no expense outfitting his 32-story tower in rare woods, gold-plated doorknobs and fancy imported marble. When it was all finished he threw a huge 3-day, all-expense-paid bash for 25,000 people and even hired the March King, John Philip Sousa, to compose and perform a smart little number for the affair. Everyone was very impressed and Mr. Foshay was about as smug as a Midwesterner is allowed to be...for about six weeks. His empire came crashing down with the stock market, the 20-grand check to Mr. Sousa bounced, and Wilbur ended up in Leavenworth for some interesting accounting he couldn’t, er, exactly account for.

The Foshay is now the W Minneapolis hotel and you can have a cocktail in what was Wilbur’s private office and posh apartment on the 27th floor. While Prohibition, named for the era of speakeasies and bootlegging in which the tower was built, is a not-exactly-harmonious mix of dignified mahogany, art deco detailing, hot pink lighting and “atmospheric" music (What, no 1920’s jazz?) the 360-degree views are impressive, and cozy seating arrangements make for comfortable, intimate imbibing. Best time to go is at the opening hour on a winter afternoon: grab a table by one of the windows to watch dusk fall and the lights come on in the city. This is also the best time to take advantage of daily happy-hour drink and appetizer specials (5:00 - 7:00) as both are upscale-bar pricey otherwise.

Entry is via the gorgeous, original nickel and brass-plated elevators near the reception desk in the W’s lobby. One word of caution: most of the individual lounge areas that ring the space are very dimly lit so vision problems could make navigating around them a bit of a challenge.

Footnote: the march Mr. Sousa penned for the tower's dedication was mothballed until that rubber check was finally paid; 60 years later.

Dress Code: No dress code but folks tend to be more slicked up than not for this one.