Happy hours also rule the evening scene. On weekdays, desk jockeys eager to clock out and kick back beeline it to downtown Minneapolis' ever-bustling Nicollet Mall. Those seeking the perfect pint usually settle in at rambling Irish eatery The Local . Across the way at The News Room , buzz-worthy martinis like Honey “Dew Me” and Pom-a-dor are tough to pass up, even when the wait around the sailboat-shaped bar—a 32-footer complete with curvy blond figurehead—is often three-people deep.
From mid-May to early October, ale and stout drinkers also gravitate toward Brit's Pub , where a cheeky warning (“Don't be a tosser, roll your bowls!”) cautions lawn bowlers enjoying the tavern's handsome rooftop green. Phone (612) 904-1000 for The Local, (612) 343-0073 for The News Room or (612) 332-8011 for Brit's Pub.
National jazz acts appear regularly at the upscale Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant , a Nicollet Mall hot spot that epitomizes the word “smooth”; phone (612) 332-1010.
Peruse an assortment of scotches, whiskeys, gins and vodkas at the award-winning bar at The St. Paul Grill , in the Saint Paul Hotel at 350 Market St.; phone (651) 224-7455. Also seek out some of the state capital's friendly neighborhood watering holes. Hops aficionados talk suds at The Happy Gnome (498 Selby Ave.), a trendy Selby-Dale district gastropub touting 70 rotating craft beers on tap and more than 400 bottled varieties. Phone (651) 287-2018.
There's plenty to do in Dinkytown, the funky Minneapolis neighborhood abutting the University of Minnesota's East Bank campus. Undergrads saunter past traffic poles plastered with fliers for musicians playing the Varsity Theater, an Art Deco landmark at 1308 4th St. S.E.; phone (612) 604-0222.
Facing the theater is The Library Bar , a raucous watering hole. Less rowdy are the preferred haunts of hipster art majors and young-at-heart professors, among them 14th Avenue's Loring Pasta Bar and the Kitty Cat Klub . Phone (612) 604-1900 for The Library Bar, (612) 378-4849 for the Loring Pasta Bar or (612) 331-9800 for the Kitty Cat Klub.
The U of M campus on the opposite side of the Mississippi River dominates the Cedar-Riverside (or West Bank) neighborhood. In the 1960s this was the epicenter of Minneapolis counterculture; today flannels, facial scruff and a healthy dose of angst aren't mandatory but certainly encouraged. Discuss the merits of various indie artists with aging hippies at The Cedar Cultural Center , 416 Cedar Ave. S., or bang your head at the Triple Rock Social Club , owned by a member of local punk group Dillinger Four. Phone (612) 338-2674 or (612) 333-7399, respectively.
Along with Dillinger Four, such homegrown bands as The Replacements and Soul Asylum have played Minneapolis' First Avenue & 7th St. Entry . During the 1980s Prince regularly unveiled new music at this converted Greyhound bus station with a chalky black, star-spangled exterior. If you have a smartphone, download the First Avenue & 7th Street Entry app to see who's appearing at the Mainroom or the smaller companion venue, the Entry. Phone (612) 332-1775.
Perhaps the most prominent of the establishments catering to the Twin Cities' large gay and lesbian community is Gay 90's , 408 Hennepin Ave. Its can't-miss, Vegas-style sign serves as a glitzy invite for anyone looking to party. Meanwhile, a more subdued crowd gathers at gay-friendly Bev's Wine Bar , 250 3rd Ave. N., with a patio offering great views of the Minneapolis skyline. Phone (612) 333-7755 for Gay 90's or (612) 337-0102 for Bev's Wine Bar.
Late-night debauchery continues just across the Mississippi River in Northeast (“Nordeast” to locals) Minneapolis, with several establishments situated on and around East Hennepin Avenue.
The Northeast Minneapolis Arts District piles on even more nighttime options, but those coming from East Hennepin Avenue will need to cab it to this artsy enclave of galleries, performance spaces and casual watering holes. Worth the token taxi fare is Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge , 1900 Marshall St. NE, a retro riverfront complex showcasing three cheerfully tacky cocktail bars. If you're looking to mingle with the natives, order the 54-ounce Eruption in Paradise and divvy up the boozy joy; phone (612) 788-9069.
No visit to the Twin Cities would be complete without a trip to Bryant-Lake Bowl , at Bryant Avenue South and West Lake Street in Minneapolis' Lyn-Lake commercial district. A one-stop shop for fun, this quirky restaurant/bar/bowling alley/theater packs in everyone from with-it parents and their hip brood to bohemian tattooed singles. Phone (612) 825-3737 for restaurant and bowling information or (612) 825-8949 for theater information.
Lake Street also runs through Uptown, a short walk west of Bryant-Lake Bowl and actually situated southwest of downtown Minneapolis. This diverse neighborhood overflows with trendy restaurants and rooftop lounges. Faves include dive bar Liquor Lyle's , 2021 Hennepin Ave. S., (612) 870-8183; understatedly elegant Lucia's Wine Bar , 1432 W. 31st St., (612) 825-1572; and Republic , 221 Cedar Ave. S., (612) 338-6146, highly regarded by beer lovers.