Mortimer's is a no-nonsense, working-man's bar with cheap, strong drinks and not a whole lot else. It's a dive bar, pure and simple, especially if what you want to dive into is a spirited game of foosball, darts, or other arcade games. Although it has a large bar and a dining-room the space, it fills up easily on the weekends. The drink deals are hard to beat at $1.50 taps from 6-9 p.m. and $9-$11 pitcher deals from 9-10:30 p.m. You've gotta love a place that has $1.50 shots at the top of each hour past 10 p.m. Unless you don't like that sort of place at all, in which case Mortimer's is not for you. Continue Reading

From the owner of the Herkimer comes the first sake brewpub outside of Japan. Made in house, the delicious sake (served cold, hot sake is for amateurs) is a bonus to the bar's sleek design, hip Uptown crowd, and a menu that is filled with fantastic Asia street food ranging from $2-$12. The perfect place to sip (try the tasting menu if you are new to sake) and nibble the night away. Continue Reading

Uptown’s Old Chicago offers an everyman’s escape from the trendy self-consciousness of Hennepin Avenue.  Inside, you’ll find a comfortable, generic sports bar where you can knock down a grape ape with the locals, watch the sports of the season, or chat with the friendly servers. OC is great for football Sundays, especially if you like bickering with Cheeseheads.  In the summer, ample patio space lets you watch the scene on Hennepin Avenue from a safe distance. Continue Reading

Forget these Shorty and Wags fellas, this place is known to most simply as the Country Bar, a karaoke-singing, beer-swigging haven for people hiding a tattoo under their long-sleeve button-ups—you know, because they have a little bit of an edge, but not enough edge to let everyone else know they have an edge. There really isn’t much of a “country” component to the Lyn-Lake bar, other than the cowboy silhouette-inspired signage, country-fried foods (trust us, you will smell like you’ve been country fried when you leave), and the fact that the place looks like it was built in 1860. But it’s a solid neighborhood spot with what regulars swear are the best chicken wings around—the secret is in the batter. . .

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Shimmy up to the raw bar for fresh oysters and ceviche, or take a seat at the regular bar for two-for-one cocktails during a twice-nightly happy hour. Stella's is more than a fish cafe. It's a top destination for young nine-to-fivers looking to unwind, especially on temperate nights when the slow-moving elevator brings patrons up to a beautiful rooftop deck. Come nightfall, the clientele gets younger and the bar more crowded, but Stella's remains a relaxed place to schmooze over seafood and spirits. Continue Reading

Tango is the type of place you go to meet people, a place where people know the chefs and servers by their first name and play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with JD behind the bar. Once you sidle up for sushi, you’re automatically BFF with the rollicking chefs wielding shots along with the sashimi. Led by owner Teng “Tengo” Thao, the Sushi Tango crowd trends toward younger, hipper couples and groups grabbing a bite before or after hitting some other Uptown spots. For first timers, ordering a Demon Releaser (saki, quail egg, and an oyster) is the Asian equivalent to ziggy, zaggy, ziggy, zaggy, oi, oi, oi—and after taking down the shot, newbies have been know to, well, release a few demons before buying a batch for their unsuspecting neighbors. Continue Reading

Open the heavy wooden doors open and it’s clear that The Bulldog has been around for a while. The Uptown Bulldog isn’t as hip as its Northeast sibling, but the no-nonsense atmosphere somehow makes it seem more authentic. Or maybe it’s because the faint scent of burning cigarettes is permanently embedded into the furniture, and the dim glow of neon beer signs unlocks a Pavlovian response for bar food and brew, (the two main reasons to go here). The place is so down-to-earth that ordering a gin and tonic could sound pretentious. It would be silly, too, when the bar boasts such an impressive menu of high-end Belgian ales. Continue Reading

What's not to love about a real bar, with deep dark booths, that serves its own beer and offers miniburgers to boot. And by "brews their own beer," we mean "brews super good beers that run the gamut from light to dark so don't be the jerk who tries to order a Coors Light." Continue Reading

One of the latest additions to the neighborhood, it’s already a favorite among jocks and hipsters alike. Teeming with a “down home” feel, pair a brew with the restaurant’s specialty: Baltimore-style pit meat. Pinup-style portraits of women with livestock on a central Minnesota farm cover the dark wooden walls.

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Orange backlighting and Japanese lanterns are the inspiration for this new Uptown bar and sushi lounge. Sit at a table, the bar, or comfortable lounge couches as you enjoy one of the specialty mojitos, some sake, or whichever form of sushi you prefer. Relaxing and dignified, The Social House has all the hand-crafted cocktails and exotic appetizers you didn’t know you were craving. Continue Reading