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Grumpy's Bar & Grill - Downtown
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Reviewed by KarlHungus from Minnesota
3.68/5 rDev -1.1%
vibe: 1.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.25
3.68/5 rDev -1.1%
vibe: 1.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.25
The atmosphere at Grumpy's Downtown is pretty divey. It has been years since the smoking ban was established for bars in Minnesota, yet Grumpy's still smells like smoke. That definitely adds something to the experience although it's not something that I'm looking for. As for the beer, they have always had an above average selection on my visits. They usually have one of two more unique offerings too. The quality of the pints I've received has always been spot on. The place may smell like smoke, but at least the tap lines are clean. The food is typical greasy bar food. I've never been impressed by it, but I've also never been dissatisfied either. Overall, Grupmy's isn't a bad place by any stretch of the imagination. It's just not a place I'm going to frequent due to the smoke smell.
Dec 29, 2013Reviewed by FightingEntropy from Minnesota
4.31/5 rDev +15.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4 | food: 3.75
4.31/5 rDev +15.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4 | food: 3.75
friend of mine, Matt Mauch, was having a reading of his new poetry book If You're Lucky Is a Theory of Mine at The Loft Literary Center, so a dinner stop at Grumpy's for a few worry-free pints to relax into before a night of poetry. I've only been to Grumpy's a few times because I find it hard getting past Town Hall down the street, which was too far to walk tonight and I didn't want to re-park. As it turns out, Grumpy's was convenient enough that it turned into a good sized party of poets and friends.
Started the night with Indeed's Midnight Ryder, which was well served, very clean and fresh. Switched to Surly Furious for a hop bite, but it wasn't 100% in the glass. Not bad and not sure why, but not what Furious can be. Afterwards, Al found Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree on tap, so that finished the night on a high note.
For dinner, I ordered the fish sandwich with house made tartar sauce and onion rings substituted for chips and a pickle. The rings were over-hyped on the menu with the fish sandwich being better than average but rather plain. The house tater tots that I bummed off of Matt's huge half order were much better and will be my choice next time. The chili crock ordered by one of our party looked delicious, so the vegan version may be my entree on a return visit.
Overall, Grumpy's a great stop when nearby, especially for The Loft or the Guthrie, and time is of the essence. A small but better than average line up of taps that will definitely have something worth drink, though it might not be new or overly edgy. I even have a fair amount of confidence is their beer handling. Plus, our server tonight was amazing. Tab said her name was Tif Dynamite and she was fast, efficient and extremely professional, including getting separate checks for each of us at our three tables pushed together. Since many of my reasons for going to Grumpy's involve limited time, the service makes it a low anxiety dinner and a pint to start an evening in downtown.
More at http://pintsizedrevelations.blogspot.com/2013/04/grumpy-downtown-minneapolis-minneapolis.html
May 19, 2013Started the night with Indeed's Midnight Ryder, which was well served, very clean and fresh. Switched to Surly Furious for a hop bite, but it wasn't 100% in the glass. Not bad and not sure why, but not what Furious can be. Afterwards, Al found Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree on tap, so that finished the night on a high note.
For dinner, I ordered the fish sandwich with house made tartar sauce and onion rings substituted for chips and a pickle. The rings were over-hyped on the menu with the fish sandwich being better than average but rather plain. The house tater tots that I bummed off of Matt's huge half order were much better and will be my choice next time. The chili crock ordered by one of our party looked delicious, so the vegan version may be my entree on a return visit.
Overall, Grumpy's a great stop when nearby, especially for The Loft or the Guthrie, and time is of the essence. A small but better than average line up of taps that will definitely have something worth drink, though it might not be new or overly edgy. I even have a fair amount of confidence is their beer handling. Plus, our server tonight was amazing. Tab said her name was Tif Dynamite and she was fast, efficient and extremely professional, including getting separate checks for each of us at our three tables pushed together. Since many of my reasons for going to Grumpy's involve limited time, the service makes it a low anxiety dinner and a pint to start an evening in downtown.
More at http://pintsizedrevelations.blogspot.com/2013/04/grumpy-downtown-minneapolis-minneapolis.html
Reviewed by jsprain1 from Minnesota
3.5/5 rDev -5.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -5.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5
Fairly standard bar and grill with a big bar, a few tvs, pool tables, darts, a pinball machine. The beer selection is so-so, at least the taps, with the standard locals (Summit, Surly, Fulton, etc.) There's also a few others including Big Sky and Southern Tier. The bottle list was pretty poor. The food is standard bar food but pretty good on that spectrum (breakfast nachos are good, but make you feel slow when you get moving). Service knows their stuff about their beers, and is quite friendly (when I was the only guy on one side of the bar the bartender gave me the remote to the tv). Food prices are good, but beer prices are a bit spendy. All in all, an ok place to grab a beer and sandwich, but not a destination.
Feb 18, 2012Reviewed by mactrail from Washington
3.63/5 rDev -2.4%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3
3.63/5 rDev -2.4%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3
In an interesting part of town and near the Guthrie Theater and the Mill City Museum by the Mississippi River. But not worth a special trip.
Taps are 18 with Surly, Bells, Summit, and the usual regionals and nationals. Most interesting to me was Lagunitas Lil Sumpin WILD. A Bell's Java Stout was $6.50 during what should have been Happy Hour. I counted 20 dull lagers in the bottle selection but there were a few of more note.
Thumping sound system was the biggest atmospheric drawback. But they have pool tables, an electric guitar collection, and nice Mid-Century graphics. Families and an older crowd in the early evening on a Thursday, but not crowded. Food I didn't try but people seemed to be chowing down on the assorted fried objects. Lots of sandwiches, burgers galore, a few salads, wings.
Oct 29, 2010Taps are 18 with Surly, Bells, Summit, and the usual regionals and nationals. Most interesting to me was Lagunitas Lil Sumpin WILD. A Bell's Java Stout was $6.50 during what should have been Happy Hour. I counted 20 dull lagers in the bottle selection but there were a few of more note.
Thumping sound system was the biggest atmospheric drawback. But they have pool tables, an electric guitar collection, and nice Mid-Century graphics. Families and an older crowd in the early evening on a Thursday, but not crowded. Food I didn't try but people seemed to be chowing down on the assorted fried objects. Lots of sandwiches, burgers galore, a few salads, wings.
Grumpy's Bar & Grill - Downtown in Minneapolis, MN
Place rating:
3.72 out of
5 with
12 ratings
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