Minnesota · best-of list
The 6 Best Bars & Cafés in Minnesota
All 6 bars & cafés our route editors picked in Minnesota, across 4 destinations, gathered in one list. Each one is a stop on a route you can open and copy into a trip.
Our curated picks
6 bars & cafés in Minnesota, grouped by destination. Destinations with the most picks come first; this is not a ranking.
Downtown Minneapolis & the Riverfront 2 picks
Brit's Pub
Downtown Minneapolis & the Riverfront · On our Minneapolis New Year's Eve route
British pub on Nicollet Mall with a rooftop lawn-bowling green and a long-running New Year's Eve party.
Tip: Its party is ticketed; buy ahead if you want in after 9 p.m.
First Avenue
Downtown Minneapolis & the Riverfront · On our Minneapolis New Year's Eve route
Downtown music club since 1970, famous from Prince's Purple Rain, with silver stars of past performers on its outside walls.
Tip: Its New Year's Eve show sells out; buy tickets when they go on sale.
Duluth 2 picks
Bent Paddle Brewing Co.
Duluth · On our Minnesota North Shore route
Popular Lincoln Park taproom of a Duluth craft brewery.
Photo: Bent Paddle Brewing Co. · Google
Vikre Distillery
Duluth · On our Minnesota North Shore route
Canal Park distillery making gins and aquavit with North Woods botanicals.
Photo: Vikre Distillery · Google
Grand Marais 1 pick
Voyageur Brewing Company
Grand Marais · On our Minnesota North Shore route
Downtown brewery with a rooftop deck overlooking the harbor.
Photo: Voyageur Brewing Company · Google
Minneapolis 1 pick
Surly Brewing Co.
Minneapolis · On our Minnesota North Shore route
Big beer hall and patio from the brewery behind Minnesota's craft beer boom.
Photo: Surly Brewing Co. · Google
How we picked these
Every entry is a stop on at least one of TripsCircle's hand-curated routes, chosen by our route editors, who wrote the reason to go shown with each place. These are our curated picks, not a scored ranking: we haven't rated or reviewed them against each other. The list is grouped by destination, and within each destination places that appear on more routes come first.
Prices ($ to $$$$) and visit lengths are rough guides from our route notes, not quotes. Check opening hours before you go.
About this list
How did you choose the bars & cafés in Minnesota?
Each one is a stop on a TripsCircle route that our editors built by hand, and each comes with a written reason to go. This page shows all 6 of them. They are curated picks, not a ranked score.
Which part of Minnesota has the most bars & cafés on this list?
Downtown Minneapolis & the Riverfront and Duluth lead with 2 each; the other picks are spread across 2 more destinations.
More lists for Minnesota
Best bars & cafés nearby
Destinations on this list
- Downtown Minneapolis & the Riverfront 2 on this list
- Duluth 2 on this list
- Grand Marais 1 on this list
- Minneapolis 1 on this list
Turn this list into a plan
Open a curated route in TripsCircle, add the spots your crew wants, vote with polls and keep everyone on one shared itinerary.