Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery

Brewery, Eatery

800 LaSalle Plaza
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55402
United States

// CLOSED //
BEER STATS
Average:
3.69
Beers:
470
Ratings:
3,243
Linked Beer Listing
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.68
Reviews:
28
Ratings:
49
pDev:
16.3%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.65 by socon67 from New York

Jul 18, 2022
Photo of tbryan5
Reviewed by tbryan5 from Louisiana

3.29/5  rDev -10.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.25 | food: 3.75
This was in the airport. Nice vibe and standard airport restaurant feel. The beer was decent and the food was good. Service was slow. Not sure why, maybe just one bartender but he seemed overwhelmed with not that many people. Good selection of food and four of their beers on tap. Burger was nice.
Sep 10, 2016
 
Rated: 3.85 by TrePackDog from Minnesota

Sep 02, 2016
 
Rated: 4.14 by jakemn91 from New Mexico

Feb 28, 2016
 
Rated: 3.88 by Josholson666 from Minnesota

Nov 17, 2015
 
Rated: 4.08 by green727 from Minnesota

Oct 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.98 by einman from Minnesota

May 20, 2015
 
Rated: 4.03 by Ilafan from Minnesota

May 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4.13 by PlatonicOtterLuv from Minnesota

Mar 05, 2015
 
Rated: 3.23 by XmnwildX12 from Minnesota

Feb 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.49 by ovaltine from Indiana

Jan 31, 2015
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Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

3.59/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.5
This is a chain and it has a little bit of that chain vibe but overall it is not too bad and a decent place to go with a group for a beer if you are down town. The food is not gourmet but it is edible.
Jan 19, 2015
Photo of zeff80
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri

3.54/5  rDev -3.8%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.75
This is a very large brewpub on the main floor of a downtown office building. Typical brewpub look. The beers are fine, nothing great. The service was friendly and helpful. This place would work in a pinch or to take people that aren't into beer quite like we are.
Jan 02, 2015
 
Rated: 2.75 by dheldman from Minnesota

Nov 28, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by SurlyUtopia from Minnesota

Nov 20, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by millelacsmark from Minnesota

Oct 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by lonewolfcry from Minnesota

Jul 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by mothman from Minnesota

Jun 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Dave11899 from Minnesota

Jun 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by timlyon from Arizona

Jun 18, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by heytomcat from Minnesota

Apr 11, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Pug from Minnesota

Jan 18, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by mattmarka1 from Minnesota

Jan 16, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by p-wagz from Minnesota

Dec 05, 2013
Photo of gatornation
Reviewed by gatornation from Arizona

3.38/5  rDev -8.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5
in Lasalle plaza we entered off of hennepin ave..the bar is very big but on the darker side A huge bar in the center is surrounded by tables and a fair amount of tv,s... lots of taps but only RB taps no guest taps. Service was good as the place was crowded food was presentable but just average bar food, the place was fun to be at lots of people and a good atmosphere..not a place or destination for me.. but a stop if you are taking in a show on hennepin, chambers.le meridian and many theaters, craft bars are nearby
Nov 25, 2011
Photo of jsprain1
Reviewed by jsprain1 from Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3
A- A bit dark in the bar. There are plenty of tv's for watching Twins games/other sports. There's a pool table as well. Otherwise, seems like a general bar and grill to me.
Q- Everything was served and done well enough. No cleanliness or quality issues.
Ser- Slow but friendly service. It took quite a while for my second beer to come (longer than it should have), but everyone there is eager to help and the waitresses knew quite a bit about their rotating taps.
Sel- About 8-10 taps, of varying styles.
F- The reuban was subpar, rather bland unfortunately. The coleslaw was pretty tasty though.
Val- About 5 bucks a beer, 10 bucks for sandwich. I would go back for a beer or two, but the food didn't strike my fancy.
Aug 27, 2011
Photo of scanny79
Reviewed by scanny79 from Minnesota

4.14/5  rDev +12.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Atmosphere: Rock Bottom has a very nice arrangement for all comers whether you want someplace to eat or if you want the bar feel to it. The bar area is darker than I would like, but it definetly adds something to the place.

Quality: Everything I got from there was very nicely presented, and tasted very good.

Service: I had been seated in both the restaurant area and the bar area and both locations I was served very quickly and they were very prompt with refills or checking on me.

Selection: I didn't order anything off of the menu because it was the pre dinner drink stop prior to going elsewhere to eat. I did look at the menu and it appeared as if they had something for everyone. The beer selection was the same, they had a beer to accomidate everyones taste buds and gave a very good description of what the beers were.

Food: N/A (didn't eat there). However, from what I hear from people I know that have, the food is very good. I know the food I seen coming out of there looked and smelled very good. Would definetly like to try sometime.

Value: I would say it was about what I expected to pay for drinks. The growlers I ended up purchased from there were very reasonable in price and well worth it. Definetly a return visitor.
May 08, 2011
Photo of mymrnngjckt
Reviewed by mymrnngjckt from Pennsylvania

2.78/5  rDev -24.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | food: 2
My final stop on my Minneapolis adventure. This was only two blocks away from my hotel so I decided to stop in on a Thursday night. The place was overly dark. If was hard to even read the menu of beer choices while sitting at the bar. The draft selection was OK. Nothing really special or different from any of their other locations. The service was unoticable in either manner (neither good or bad.) My guest and I settled on the appetizer sampler which was way over priced for what it was and not very good. If I am every back in Minneapolis I am not sure I would stop back.
May 17, 2009
Photo of mwagner1018
Reviewed by mwagner1018 from Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev -0.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
Pretty decent happy hour spot downtown...especially since my girlfriend works very close and has a parking pass for a convenient garage. Generally I am in the middle as far as their beers are concerned, sometimes, I feel like I get a good quality interesting brew, and other times I'm left unsatisfied.

The Itasca Extra Pale Ale, is a pretty basic American Pale Ale, but is a good standard beer.

The Stillwater Stout is a good beer, and I would recommend trying it on a visit.

It's always a good idea to see what the Brewmasters Choice is, that can usually be a creative and unique style beer.

Their prices are affordable, and their food is pretty good, especially for the price, general bar food, with some good salads, and apps. Also it's a great place if you are an AHA member, you get 10% off food and drinks all the time, a very good deal. The best thing about Rock Bottom is probably its location, right near the theaters and in the heart of activity on Hennepin.

Downside, one of the few places in downtown during the summer that doesn't have an outside seating area.
Apr 03, 2009
Photo of jera1350
Reviewed by jera1350 from Minnesota

3.93/5  rDev +6.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
Rock Bottom is a decent place to go in downtown Minneapolis for some craft brews. Pretty cool atmosphere as you can sit by the large bar, sit at tables or booths. Pretty large place, dimly lit, which makes it cozy. Decent service. The beers are pretty tasty, although they don't seem to change their offerings very often if at all. Great food here. Food can be a bit pricey. This is a place you can bring the significant other for a nice meal and some tasty brews. Not as good of beer as Town Hall, but the dining atmosphere is better. If in the area, a pretty decent choice.
Feb 24, 2009
Photo of HopDerek
Reviewed by HopDerek from Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +12.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Stopped in on a Sunday while we were in the area.

The place was proudly displayed outside, but the entrance was tricky to get into, being there no entrance from outside the "mall" area it's in. Entering you are greeted by the hostess stand and a nice large bar area with plenty of booths and tables around as well. In the back sits a few more tables and pool tables, along with the current tap list and description. A separate tap list exists by the entrance, but didn't seem updated. Very dark with several televisions around the place all showing sports. The dining area is on the opposite side from the bar.

It took a while for the bartender to notice our arrival, but he apologized several times for that. The place wasn't that busy otherwise, except for a group of seemingly locals chatting up the bartender at the other end of the bar.

The beers on tap seemed to be the staple beers to that location including a brown ale, golden lager, extra pale ale, and a red, with 3 seasonals being on, and 2 casks. We each only had 1 beer, but they were also pretty decent.

The food was typical for the Rock Bottom chain; burgers, steaks, salads, soup, appetizers of the fried kind, etc and was all fairly decent and reasonably priced.

It's not a place I would rush out in snow or a severe thunderstorm to get back to, but it's a nice establishment with some good food and a good variety of quality premise made brews on tap.
Jun 16, 2008
Photo of brewdoc75
Reviewed by brewdoc75 from South Dakota

3.55/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 3
I've been a little apprehensive about going to Rock Bottom in the past as it is a chain. I've had my hopes crushed at some chain brewpubs in the past, so the bar was kind of low for Rock Bottom. We actually stopped in when we were downtown because of the freezing temperatures. Also, I just got my membership to the AHA and they provided a discount at Rock Bottom.

The environment was nice. Kind of an old English pub style, but bigger. I size of the place was actually a bit of a turn off. I prefer my brewpubs to be a bit smaller and less commercialized. I ordered the nachos w/ chicken (this is what I always order at a brewpub the first time around). The nachos were outstanding. Some of the best I've had at a brew pub. The beer selection was quite vast for a chain brewery. They had 5 regulars. 4 or 5 seasonals/specialities and two cask beers. I started off w/ the Silver Mullet Oatmeal IPA and my wife had the Cask Itaska Pale Ale. Both were fantastic. The cask Itaska would make for a solid session beer. The IPA was very nice and unique, but didn't have the bite that I wanted. Next I tried the Anniversary IPA. This was a great beer, true to a West Coast IPA. My wife had the lager, which was pretty good for a lager. They had an Imperial Stout, a cask brown ale and a bitter that I would have liked to try. Unfortunately I was driving and I was limited to 2 beers. I did take home a growler of the Anniversary IPA.

Overall, I really liked Rock Bottom. It shattered my low expectations for a chain brewery. The service was pretty good, but not the best, but the food and beer made up for it. I will definitely be going back again.
Jan 19, 2008
Photo of slyke
Reviewed by slyke from Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev +4.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Stopped at Rock Bottom before catching a matinee of Avenue Q at the State Theatre next door.

We sat in the bar area - filled with high top tables and elevated booths. A lot of medium-dark stained oak.

We started with a sampler, the beers were pretty good for the most part, after we tried the possibilities, I enjoyed a pint of the Silver Mullet Oatmeal IPA.

With eight beers (seven styles) to choose from, there is something for just about everyone. Food was also good, I enjoyed the pub sandwich, the SO had a very tasty salad. If you're heading to a downtown Minneapolis event, Rock Bottom is worth a try.
Jan 13, 2008
Photo of JeffKrenner
Reviewed by JeffKrenner from Minnesota

2.88/5  rDev -21.7%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 1.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4
I went here with an out of town BA for dinner before a Timberwolves game on Tuesday. We arrived with plenty of time to have a couple pints, grab some grub, and get to the game. This, unfortunately didn't happen. Our food took almost 45 minutes from when we ordered. Food was good, but not really that warm. Which brings us to the biggest problem we had here.
Our waitress was incompetent. Food took forever and given the warmth of it, she left it sitting a while before picking it up. We were left with empty pints for periods as long as 15 minutes at a crack as was everyone in our area. If I do go here again, I will be sitting at the bar.
Place is fairly nice, but poorly lit. Pool tables are overpriced to play. Bar area is comfortable and easy enough to find people you are meeting at. Adequate seating.
Selection was average. I haven't really been a fan of most of their beers I have tried, which is mostly their regular 5 beers. I went with one of the seasonals this time, the RT Ryebock, and since it was good stuck with it for the night. I think the seasonals are what give the brewer the chance to make some beers that he wants to make. Stick with them when you go here.
Prices weren't too bad, although burgers at $10 seems a bit much.
Apr 05, 2007
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Reviewed by miskatonic from Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev +10.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
Stopped in here with a friend whilst following the Red Sox for a few away games and enjoyed the experience immensly. I had two pints of the Itasca and a Belgian style strong ale (can't read my notes on the name - must be all the Itasca) and my friend ordered a sampler which the waitress actually gave him an extra sample for. All in all it's pretty standard Rock Bottom Brewery fare (and by that I mean very good quality) with very good service, and a slew of locally unique (or I haven't seen them elsewhere) brews. The food, the service and the quality of the beer was all very standard Rock Bottom goodness, definitely worth a visit for anyone who hasn't been to the chain's stores in other states, or to anyone planning a visit to Minneapolis anytime soon.
Dec 16, 2006
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Reviewed by Redrover from Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev +1.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
I was in Minneapolis for the Bears Vikings game and went here the evening before for some dinner and beers.

They have a nice sized bar room, a raised area with pool tables and more seating and a fair sized dining room. Very large and very clean washrooms.

They were very busy and the place had a nice loud crowd buzz to it. The hostess told us it would be a 40-minute wait for a table, but it was really more like 15. That gave us just enough time to get to the bar and order a couple of the Oktoberfests.

The service was professional, they were to busy to be overly chatty, but at least they didn’t let the crowds put them in a surly mood. The food service was perfectly paced. The entrees came a decent amount of time after the appetizers, so you didn’t feel rushed and had more time for beer. The food was decent and much better than standard pub grub. In fact, this is more of a restaurant than most of the RBs I’ve been in.

They had 4 or 5 standards on tap and at least three specials. The specials included the aforementioned Oktoberfest, a Wit and a Rye beer. All were solid but not earth shattering.

Well worth a stop if you find yourself in downtown Minneapolis.
Sep 26, 2006
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Reviewed by ryantupy from Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev -0.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4
I've been here twice and the first time I stumbled in here with a bunch of friends bar hopping. We were very intoxicated and all ordeded a beer our waitress rude and very slow. Even though we were all pretty drunk we did nothing to annoy the waitress to excuse her lack of service. The second trip was much better. I went with a few friends starting our night out with some beer and food here. The serivce was far better and my Nut Brown Ale was very tasty and drinkable. I will definatly return to this place as it seems to be a very good and unique brew pub for beign a chain owned establishment. Again the service is mostlikely always good, the beer was good, and the food was great.
Sep 26, 2006
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Reviewed by dfried from Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev -0.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 2
It is what it is, a chain brewery. It's located in a great spot, right in the middle of downtown right by the three main performing arts theaters. It's really nice inside, high ceilings, great woodwork and such. There is basically three parts to the bar, a main area along the bar with some tables for seating, a separate room more for dining, and an area just off the bar for what I like to call the "Bar Arts," pool, darts and such. The staff is exceptionally friendly, willing to explain what they have and/or let you try samples some of them (especially if you let them know you know that you are there for more than the lightest thing they got.) The last time I was there they actually had a total of 8 beers and 2 on cask, which, unfortunately is the most I have ever seen there. There variety is really not that great and the brewers can't experiment like at private brew pubs, which really takes away from the experience and return-ability of this place, but it's worth stopping in once in a while, sometimes you can find a gem.
Jun 13, 2006
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Reviewed by rhoadsrage from Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -10.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5
This brewpub is tucked into a new building that was built around an old theater. The theater has great character and charm but the new building and the brewpub is the same old modern look. There are exposed ceilings with all the pipes and ductwork panted brown and a long wooden bar with fermentor encased in a glass room behind it.

We had lunch reservations for a party of 6 and they seated us at a cramped little highboy table with backless chairs in the front bar area. Some of my friend had eaten here before and asked if we could be seated in the back. After a few minutes the hostess, being very put out by our request, managed to seat us at a table with normal chairs. The space in back was totally empty and I assume they didn't want to open it up.

They had the 5 or 6 typical beers with two on cask and 2 seasonals so I was happy to try the Itasca IPA on cask, which was very nice. The food was pretty much bar food that is the same menu as other rock bottoms but I think they were downtown prices.

This is a good location and I would probably stop in for a pint or two especially since they run 2 casks but I don't think I would stay for food.
Jun 08, 2006
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Reviewed by DaPeculierDane from Wisconsin

2.99/5  rDev -18.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 4.5 | selection: 1
Pretty much looks and feels just like any other Rock Bottom but the ceilings are a bit taller and the tables are a bit more spread out than the average RB creating a spacious and enjoyable feel. Service is the real strong point. The wait staff are unbelievably friendly and attentive to the needs of their clientele. Unfortunately this is overshadowed by a severe lack of selection. There are only six brews and one cask available. After one eliminates the usually dull RB lager and red, that leaves only five brews. Not enough for me.
Mar 13, 2006
Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery in Minneapolis, MN
Brewery rating: 3.69 out of 5 with 3243 ratings