Dixie's on Grand
695 Grand Ave., St. Paul; 651-222-7345
Dixie’s is a restaurant/bar that bills itself as specializing in “Southern hospitality,” which means they’ve got ribs, steaks, chops, and coconut shrimp on the menu, and plenty of bourbons and whiskeys behind the bar. When the dinner crowd clears out after 10 p.m., a relatively civil crowd settles in on Saturday nights to listen to an eclectic mix of live rock, jazz, blues, and R & B, depending on the band. Thursday night is karaoke night, and every Friday is live salsa night—so pick your poison. Like nearby Billy’s, the outdoor patio scene at Dixie’s can be lively on weekend nights, especially those warm, sultry evenings that remind everyone of life down on the bayou—whatever that means.
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Driftwood Char Bar
4415 Nicollet Ave. S, Mpls.; 612-354-3402
Driftwood is the ultimate hole-in-the-wall joint where people come to relax, have a drink and enjoy one another’s company. There's live music almost every night, from an eclectic range of local musicians. Juicy burgers, big sandwiches, plenty of great wine and beer—what’s not to love? It's easy to hang out here all night, and many people do. Play an arcade game, shoot a round of pool, catch a football game on one of several TVs.
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Dubliner Pub
2162 University Ave. W, St. Paul; 651-646-5551
This modest St. Paul pub is known to pour some of the best Guinness in town, and can be a lively place to have a drink, especially on St. Paddy's Day. They host a variety of Irish folk music groups pretty much every night, and even have Irish dancing on Wednesdays. Many of St. Paul's so-called "Irish mafia" hang out here, but they don't look any different from anyone else—except that sometimes they're friendlier. If you're looking for a casual, authentic Irish experience, you could do worse than the Dubliner.
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Dulono's Pizza
607 W. Lake St., Mpls.; 612-827-1726
Come Fridays and Saturdays for the no-cover bluegrass and acoustic, stay for the hot pizza and cheap beer, plus imported beer and wine.
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Elsie's Restaurant, Bar, & Bowling Center
729 NE Marshall St., Mpls.; 612-378-9701
Never let it be said that Elsie’s doesn’t have something for everyone. One of the few places where you can eat, drink, bowl, and sing karaoke in a single night, this Nordeast stalwart has a kind of irreducible authenticity, mainly because of it unaffected style, or lack thereof. Inside, Elsie’s is a time machine of sorts, which is why it’s not uncommon to be rubbing elbows with boomers, students, and scenesters all singing “Summer of ’69” on a Friday night in the twenty-first century. Glow-in-the-dark bowling is always a hoot, and everything is reasonably priced, so a lot of fun can be had for relatively little money.
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Epic Nightclub
110 N. 5th St., Mpls.; 612-332-3742
Epic isn't your typical nightclub, rather a space that opens for parties, events, and concerts featuring some of the best R & B, rap, and DJ-ing talent in the world. Not the country...the world.
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Fine Line Music Cafe
318 1st Ave. N., Mpls.; 612-338-8100
The Fine Line Music Café is a club dedicated to live music (as opposed to a club with music). Indie rock, prog-rock, jazz, blues, funk, R & B, and world music are the mainstays, but just about every type of music has been featured here at one time or another. A different live act is featured every night, from up-and-coming local bands to national headliners, and the crowd changes with the music. No two nights are the same, and the cover charge fluctuates according to the drawing power of the band. Tickets to see national headliners are around $30 for the main floor and $60 for mezzanine.Seating is first come, first serve, unless you buy an X-Gold ticket for an extra $50, which guarantees a primo seat on the upstairs rail. The club has two levels and a dance floor, and all shows are either 18 or 21+. It’s all about the music here, so there aren’t many frills—just top-notch sound in a great setting for listening, and moving, to some great grooves.
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First Avenue
701 1st Ave. N., Mpls.; 612-332-1775
There's no denying that First Avenue has played an integral role in the history of Twin Cities music. First opened as The Depot in 1970, the notorious club brought in DJs, disco, and performances from Tina Turner, Frank Zappa, and B. B. King, to name a few. It wasn't until 1981 that the venue became known as First Avenue.
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Gluek's
16 N. 6th St., Mpls.; 612-338-6621
Its rich history and century-and-a-half-old beer recipes are what draw the crowds to Gluek's. This charming German-style pub dates back to 1857, when Gottlieb Gluek began brewing beer in Minneapolis. To this day, Gluek's continues to be a hot spot for live music, good food (including brats, spaetzle, walleye, and burgers), and big mugs of housemade beer.
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Grumpy's Bar
1111 Washington Ave. S./ 2200 4th St. NE/ 2801 Sne, Mpls.; 612-340-9738
This Washington Avenue haunt is much like its infamous menu item, the Mac N Cheese Bites: at first, you’re not quite sure what you’re going to get. (How exactly do they get the heterogeneous mixture into perfect little bites?) The crowd is a mix of bikers and pre- and post-game Mauer-jersey–clad Twins fans and Purple People Eaters. The décor is somewhat retro, somewhat divey, with neon beer signs at every turn. But with the oddly jovial staff, full bar, heaping baskets of tater tots, and adjacent karaoke joint, the place grows on you—and the Mac N Cheese Bites are killer.
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