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The 7 Best Bars in Minneapolis

Seven bars, chosen on the record: two Spirited Awards nominees, one James Beard nominee.

Browse every Minneapolis barBest cocktail bars in Minneapolis
  1. Meteor
    PINNACLECocktail Bar

    Meteor

    Meteor describes itself on its own site as an old ass bar with good ass drinks, a small room on North 2nd Street that sells hot dog party tickets and prints its cocktail menu as a movie poster starring the bartenders. The back bar runs deep on mezcal, sotol, raicilla and bacanora, and the James Beard Foundation named it an Outstanding Bar semifinalist in 2024.

    2027 N 2nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55411Mon, Wed-Fri 4pm-close; Sat-Sun 12pm-close; Tue closed
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  2. Bar Mara
    Hotel Bar

    Bar Mara

    Bar Mara is the cocktail lounge beside Gavin Kaysen's Mara at Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis, open from two in the afternoon with no reservations needed. The list pairs spirited and zero-proof drinks with equal care, a Grand Tour of bourbon, brandy, Amaro Nonino and sherry alongside a functional section built on Three Spirit and Copenhagen Sparkling Tea.

    245 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401Sun-Thu 2pm-11pm; Fri-Sat 2pm-12am
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  3. Char Bar
    Cocktail Bar

    Char Bar

    Char Bar is a small room tucked inside the Butcher and the Boar space at 901 North 3rd Street in the North Loop of Minneapolis. The focus is whiskey, and the cocktail list is organized by flavor profile rather than by spirit category, grouping drinks under headings such as fruit, spice, smoke and umami so you can order by what you want to taste. Classics like the Manhattan sit alongside house builds including the Pink Lady Sour and the Eat Street. Elevated handhelds come out of the kitchen next door. Doors open at four every day, closing at ten Sunday through Thursday and midnight on Friday and Saturday.

    901 N 3rd St. Suite 195, Minneapolis, MN 55401Sun through Thu 4:00PM to 10:00PM, Fri and Sat 4:00PM to 12:00AM. Happy hour daily 4:00PM to 6:00PM
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  4. Monte Carlo
    Cocktail Bar

    Monte Carlo

    The Monte Carlo has stood in the North Loop of Minneapolis since 1906, and the copper topped bar is still the center of the room. Behind it sits a wall of bottles that gives the bar its reputation, and the drinks run to the classics you would expect from a room of that age. Booths line the walls, there is an expansive patio for warm months and private dining rooms at the back. The kitchen sends out steaks and chops, seafood and the chicken wings the place is known for. Doors open at eleven every day, closing at eleven Sunday through Wednesday and at midnight from Thursday to Saturday.

    219 North 3rd Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55401Sun through Wed 11am to 11pm, kitchen closes 10pm. Thu through Sat 11am to midnight, kitchen closes 11pm
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  5. Parlour
    Cocktail Bar

    Parlour

    Parlour is a basement cocktail bar at 730 Washington Avenue North in the North Loop of Minneapolis, sitting below its sister restaurant. The room is intimate, with large windows, tufted seating and a long bar that anchors the space, and the food menu is kept deliberately tight so the drinks stay the point. Doors open daily at four, with happy hour for the first two hours and a kitchen that runs to midnight on Friday and Saturday. Weekend nights stretch to one in the morning, which makes it one of the later options in the neighborhood. The house burger has become the thing people order without looking.

    730 Washington Ave N., Minneapolis, MN 55401Sun through Thu 4:00pm to 10:00pm, Fri and Sat 4:00pm to 1:00am, kitchen closes at midnight Fri and Sat. Happy hour daily 4:00pm to 6:00pm
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Flavour Blaster
  1. Pikok Lounge
    Cocktail Bar

    Pikok Lounge

    Pikok Lounge is the cocktail bar at the front of Minari in Northeast Minneapolis, sharing the address at 323 13th Avenue Northeast but running its own drink list and its own food menu. The name nods to the Peacock Lounge that operated in the Twin Cities for more than two decades, and the room is more casual than the dining room behind it. Hours run Sunday through Thursday from four until nine, with Friday and Saturday stretching to ten, and happy hour covering the first two hours every day. Korean flavors carry through from the kitchen into the glass, which gives the bar a point of view of its own.

    323 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413Sun through Thu 4pm to 9pm, Fri and Sat 4pm to 10pm. Happy hour 4pm to 6pm daily
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  2. Public Domain
    Cocktail Bar

    Public Domain

    Public Domain is a craft cocktail bar in the North Loop, working from a room that opens daily in the early evening and runs late. Drinks are the focus, built by a bar team that keeps a full cocktail list available to read before you order, and service runs first come, first served with parties capped at six so the room stays conversational. The bar sits inside a Washington Avenue North building that also holds a separate tiki room at the back, giving the address two distinct drinking experiences under one roof. Late hours make it a natural stop after dinner or after a show downtown.

    119 Washington Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55401Open daily 5pm to 2am
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Explore the whole Minneapolis scene

These 7 are the starting point. The full BarMagazine directory covers every listed bar in Minneapolis, with a map, filters by bar type, and new openings as we verify them.

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