JL Beers

Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

518 1st Ave N
Fargo, North Dakota, 58102-4804
United States

(701) 492-3377 | map
jlbeers.com

Beers are brewed at / by another brewery.
BEER STATS
Average:
3.84
Beers:
4
Ratings:
4
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.1
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
23
pDev:
23.17%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Kam:
Photo of Kam
Rated by Kam from North Dakota

3.5/5  rDev -14.6%

May 19, 2014
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.33 by LXIXME from New Mexico

Apr 01, 2019
 
Rated: 4.59 by U2Chaser from North Dakota

Oct 15, 2018
 
Rated: 4.58 by nicksamuelson from North Dakota

Mar 03, 2016
 
Rated: 3.6 by Ajlvt from Washington

Sep 01, 2015
Photo of nhhokie
Reviewed by nhhokie from New Hampshire

4.71/5  rDev +14.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Great place! Don't be fooled; not a brewery but very good beer bar. Their beer is brewed by Empyrean out of Lincoln, NE.
Even though they don't brew their own, the selection and service make it a worthwhile stop.
Jun 28, 2015
Photo of meals00
Rated by meals00 from Minnesota

5/5  rDev +22%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
If you're in Fargo and you love beer, this is a must for you! Plenty of beer to choose from, knowledgeable staff and dank burgers!!!
Mar 13, 2015
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

1.62/5  rDev -60.5%
vibe: 2.25 | quality: 2 | service: 1 | selection: 1.5
Terrible service. Was debating between two beers I never tried. Asked for a sample and said I'd have to buy a flight. A girl asked for a sample a few chairs down and the bartender had no problem giving her a sample. Tap selection is mediocre.
Dec 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Chizzzy from North Dakota

Sep 03, 2014
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Reviewed by dakotaben from North Dakota

4.25/5  rDev +3.7%
The beer here is awesome. The food is great. The service is great. To me, this is the best pure beer bar in Fargo... BUT... and this is a big but.... going there is like entering into a clown car.

It is their schtick to have a small place, but personally, I hate that about the place. It is great to go there alone or maybe with one or two other people during non-busy times, but mostly I just don't even try anymore. There are other places with good beer in town where I can sit down. Also, they should really offer free water to designated drivers - maybe that has changed, but they wouldn't give my wife a water about a year ago.

Outside of the beer... the chips are awesome and the cajun sauce is awesome. All of the locations are great, but the downtown one has a special place for me.

Go there... try it... it's great, but don't bring too many friends and family. If you are into that kind of masochism, just put on some nipple clamps and go to the Wurst Beer Hall.
Aug 30, 2014
Photo of Wobbly
Reviewed by Wobbly from Missouri

4.5/5  rDev +9.8%
It all started in downtown Fargo, ND. Now, JL's is moving all over the Midwest, and with good reason: excellent burgers and home-made chips with a solid, rotating tap list. Would like to see some more Belgian and German beers make the rotation, but this is a great spot.
Aug 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by jarrgal from North Dakota

Aug 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Fargrow from Michigan

Aug 13, 2014
 
Rated: 1 by consigliare from North Dakota

Jan 26, 2014
Photo of kjyost
Reviewed by kjyost from Canada (MB)

4.13/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
A long bar with some tables on the side await you as you enter with sports on the TVs over the bar. The flattop and friers are all visible as you sip your beers and order. Tons of interesting beers here, although my one grips is that their website and their "Recently Tapped" board are not accurate. Even if a keg was tapped a few days ago, erase it once you run out...

Tasty greasy burgers and good chips (who can't like blue cheese). If you don't like burgers there isn't much else.

Oh yeah, Kokanne a special import? In Canada that's macro swill.
Nov 14, 2012
Photo of ZAP
Reviewed by ZAP from Minnesota

4.44/5  rDev +8.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4
Was in Fargo recently and came away really impressed with this place....small and at 2 pm on a Thursday afternoon there was a solid crowd.

Bartender might be mistaken for Matt Stafford. Bar staff was very attentive and on top of everything.

Beer selection was surprisingly strong. I had heard some comments about this place perhaps a year ago and had expected to see Leinie Honey, SA Boston Lager, Killians and Summit EPA as my best options but I was in the neighborhood and gave it a shot. What a surprise.

They had the newly released Fargo Brewing IPA (which I tried to add to the data base but getting it listed on this site is like gaining unclassified info from the CIA)..also had Weihenstephan Hefe which I have not seen anywhere in Minnesota for years. it was a crisp fall day but this slid down very quickly. Awesome beer and awesome on tap and would drink a ton of it in the summer.

The rest of their lineup was quite impressive and I've been to all the big hitters in the state. Missing the elite special releases but that is fine with me....a ton of beers I would drink.

We had just eaten so we didn't order any food but I watched their operation and it is a clean operation...they use gloves when handling food...(they were sepoarating some cheese slices when I noticed this)..grill and everything seems clean...just before leaving I checked the prices and a burger was like 3.99...with fries $5...looked like they had some good spices for the fries....

Just really impressed overall with this whole operation and would strongly recommend it.
Sep 30, 2011
Photo of JMorisch
Reviewed by JMorisch from Minnesota

4.28/5  rDev +4.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5
I have been to JL Beers many times, once a week. The place is great. JL Beers is all about beers and burgers. It's to the point and doesn't mess around. Wonderful atmosphere. Yes it is small. Usually full around the dinner hour, then a short lull and then full again till closing. It is worth the wait. Don't be afraid to walk in even when full. Stand and wait for 10-15 minutes and normally you can get a seat. One time me and the wife waited for 10 minutes and one of the tables in the back cleared out. Me the wife and two total strangers sat together at the table. Enjoyed a couple beers and our burgers and shared a friendly conversation and then went on our way. It was a good time and nice to meet new people. The beer selection is good, 32 taps, always changing to keep up with the trends and seasons. Now if people would just stop going to a place like JL Beers and ordering a bud / miller / coors light etc...then that would open a few more taps up for actual beer with flavor. Oh well to each there own. Go there,support them, tip the staff. There is also a JL Beers in West Fargo.
Apr 02, 2011
Photo of Chronofied
Reviewed by Chronofied from North Dakota

4.03/5  rDev -1.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
This is the place to go for beer in Fargo, hands down. It has the best selection of craft beers on tap and in the bottle of any place in town.

With over thirty beers on tap, and additional selections in bottles, there should be something everyone can enjoy. When they first opened, the selection was pretty standard, if big. The selection has been slowly expanding and improving as they get a better feel for how the ND beer market will support them. They have a decent rotation of seasonals. The growler availability is a huge plus for me. I loved filling a growler with Tank 7 , grabbing a cheap burger, and getting on my way.

The food is excellent for the price... very cheap burgers, disproportionately tasty for their price. Not much selection when it comes to food, but JL is for beers anyway.

The place is too small. It has enough room to seat about thirty people (maybe another ten outside when the weather is pleasant), and the seating feels crowded on top of it. Don't be surprised to find standing room only at 9:00 on a Saturday night. The establishment is narrow and deep. Pretty clean, though, and with good, new-age bar decor.

Service is good; tenders are fairly knowledgeable about beers (at least the ones that are currently on tap). Servers are usually friendly and accommodating. Turn around on orders is very quick.

Overall, recommended as the #1 beer stop in Fargo. Probably the best beer selection in ND.
Jan 26, 2011
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Reviewed by CpnYates from Virginia

4.3/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
I can't imagine why this place doesn't have more/ better reviews.

Sure its small- but its cozy.And the small size keeps you right infront of the service, and the TV's, the kitchen and within talking, not shouting distance of the entire place.

The place is brand new- has super cool/ "chic" decor. and offers up great fresh burgers, and a really good selection of brews for this part of the country for dirt cheap. I would be happy to stumble across this bar in NYC, or DC, let alone Fargo.
They even offer up beer "off" sales to take yer brews to go.

Bells, goose Island, Big Sky, and others on draft, and at 6.50 for a tall, served in the proper glass wear.

I will miss it when my stay in Fargo is over.
Oct 06, 2010
Photo of dpnelson1978
Reviewed by dpnelson1978 from Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev -3.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
I love the idea of JL Beers, and I enjoy the execution as well.

The place is very intimate, a bit like traveling to China coach sitting between two NFL offensive linemen, but the bar is very nice, the selection is very solid (I snagged some Tank 7 on tap, in ND. Color me impressed), and the food is simple but hits the spot. I do love an egg on my burger!

Prices are average, the service was friendly and prompt, and the beer selection is better than the vast majority of the state.

Check it out, but be prepared to stand in line get a seat any day more than 20 people want a burger and beer.
Sep 25, 2010
Photo of luxbwin
Reviewed by luxbwin from North Dakota

3.98/5  rDev -2.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
I grew up in Fargo, and I moved away a couple of months before this place opened. I really want to say this is a great place to start your night. It only seats 24 people, but they have a pretty good beer selection with New Belgium, Bells, Rogue, and a couple other staples of the craft beer world. The burgers are pretty good, especially for the price. Every burger is under five dollars. I would recommend the cajun chips that are made fresh to order. The food is cheap, but the beer is a little pricey. Nonetheless, this is a must stop for a Fargo vacation. Do not be afraid to strike up a conversation with the patron on the stool next to you. ND nice is not a myth.
Sep 20, 2010
JL Beers in Fargo, ND
Brewery rating: 3.84 out of 5 with 4 ratings